Time for Afternoon Tea in the garden!


The 7th Duchess of Bedford, Anna, is often credited with creating afternoon tea in the 1840's. Dinner was not served until 830/900 and with this the Duchess often became hungry. She secretly ordered a small meal of bread, butter and other niceties such as cakes, tarts and biscuits. When exposed her habit caught on and became popular and eventually known as "afternoon tea".....


Fast forward 170 years and Little Miss Moffett hosts a small afternoon tea as part of a belated Father's Day present for Dad (he got other pressies too)! The star of the show, ahem I mean Afternoon Tea was the giant French Fancy I made.


French Fancy


You will need

Inside the French Fancy

300g self raising flour
300g caster sugar
300g butter
6 medium eggs
2 tsps baking powder
3 tsps vanilla essence
100g icing sugar
50g butter
Ready to Roll icing (i cheated this time!!)
apricot jam


Line an 8" square tin and preheat the oven Gas Mark 4. Cream the sugar and butter together (really beat it ideally with an electric whisk), add the eggs two at a time and beat again - with each addition of the eggs add a little flour - add the rest of the flour, the baking powder and the vanilla essence. Beat until all ingredients are well combined.


Pour the mix straight into the tin and bake for 40-45mins (test with a skewer if it comes out clean the cake is baked), turn out the cakes after 15mins and let the cake cool on a wire rack.


With a bread knife chop the large sponge into two small 4" squares (the left over sponge can be used for making mini square cupcakes), add apricot jam and pop one square on top of the other. Add a thin layer of buttercream with a pallet knife round the whole cake and pop in the fridge. (leave enough to make the dome) After 20mins take out and smooth the buttercream with a smoother. 


Take 250g of icing and a handful of icing sugar. Dust the work surface and rolling pin with icing sugar and knead the icing until its softer and ready to roll. Roll the icing out until its 5mm thick and carefully place on top of the cake, smooth out and trim the edges up. Make a dome with the leftover buttercream and pop on top of the cake and roll out a bit more icing (use the leftovers) and cover the dome.


Ready to serve with a nice cup of Britains finest, followed by a WI baked scone, fresh strawberries and Cornish clotted cream.