A simple and beautiful gluten-free almond cake, berries, glowing fruits, and garden flowers, along with a flutter of fairyfolk, make for a delightfully charming afternoon tea picnic in the sunshine. Come join us for a cuppa!
It's time for one last afternoon tea picnic before the glories of autumn fully settle in. Invite friends and loved ones. Make a plateful of dainty sandwiches and bake a light & lovely almond cake (flaky scones, too). Set a pretty table and invite the resident fairies to join your party.
When my aunt, cousin, her daughter, and my sister came for a visit this summer, it was the perfect time to host a Forest Fairy Afternoon Tea outside in the back garden. We had a lot of fun preparing the goodies together, setting the table, and then enjoying this magical afternoon tea party.
Bring on the Fairies
For a Forest Fairy Afternoon Tea, we collected a variety of little fairy figurines and tucked them into secret corners of the table and the surroundings. A pretty lace tablecloth on a side table and an apple green damask tablecloth on the main table set the tone. Mismatched china and tea cups created a charming tablescape, along with my mom's hand crocheted napkin rings and soft linen napkins. In my thrifting adventures, I found 2 collapsible antique 3-tiered cake stands and a fairy tea pot (the piece that started this whole collection!).
We decorated the table with sprigs of delicate green lady's mantle blossoms, pink roses, and ceramic mushrooms. Pink candles and botanical drinking glasses completed the soft, pastel-themed look.
It's a Forest Fairy Afternoon Tea
And the fairies came in droves.
A Tea Party the Fairies will Love
* * * FOREST FAIRY AFTERNOON TEA PARTY MENU * * *
Savouries
Cucumber & Herb Tea Sandwiches, Coronation Chicken Salad Finger Sandwiches, Ham & Cheese with Mustard Finger Sandwiches
Mini Peppers stuffed with Shrimp Salad
Scones
Fruit Scones with Raisins, Gluten-Free Scones
Homemade Nutmeg Clotted Cream, Strawberry Jam
Sweets
Fruit & Flower Almond Cake
Mini Blue Pea Flower Donuts, Apple Raspberry Hand Pies, Raspberry Mousse Tartlets, White Chocolate & Coconut Truffles
Passionfruit Mousse Pots
Beverages
Orange Blossom Limeade, Summer Fruits Herbal Tea, Earl Grey Tea
Almond Cake Takes Pride of Place
The light and delicate almond cake sponge with a tangy yogurt whipped topping and a glory of colourful fruits and flowers crowning the top is a star of the tea party. This is an easy cake to make, one of my go-to recipes. It's naturally gluten-free, so everyone can enjoy it, and it's easy to customize with whatever fresh fruits and flowers you have on hand.
The Fairy Picnic Menu
Choose flowers and berries, ripe fruits, and tasty nibbles.
- The sandwiches - we chose a selection of classic and flavourful tea sandwiches: coronation chicken salad on whole wheat fingers, triangles of cucumber and herbed cream cheese on white bread, and ham and cheddar cheese with mustard on rye bread fingers
- A delightful, fresh bite was the mini sweet bell pepper halves stuffed with shrimp salad (chopped cooked shrimp, mayo, herbs, and horseradish)
- The scones - we served fluffy gluten-free scones and regular fruited scones (with raisins)
- A homemade clotted cream gently flavoured with nutmeg and a fresh strawberry jam (from garden strawberries) were the perfect accompaniments to the scones
- The sweets - the fruit & flower almond cake stood pride of place on a footed cake plate in the center of the table
- Mini hand pies stuffed with a fresh raspberry and apple filling were a hit
- Amelia's mini blue pea flower donuts were an eye-catching (and delicious) addition to the dessert layer (another fun baking project)
- The raspberry cream tartlets were a perfect mouthful - a crisp pâté sucré crust filled with a dollop of rhubarb curd, then topped with a swirl of creamy raspberry-yogurt frosting
- Individual passionfruit mousse pots - tart, creamy, and exploding with flavour
- The beverages - we served a fresh and fruity orange blossom limeade (using the lemonade recipe from this post and substituting fresh lime juice for the lemon juice and adding ¼ cup/60 ml of orange blossom water)
- a fruity herbal tea and classic Earl Grey tea finished out the beverage selection
Amelia Makes a Pretty Fruit & Flower Almond Cake
You may remember my young baking partner, Amelia, from our previous 'Cooking with Kids' posts (Playdough, No-Bake Cereal Bars, Mini Blue Donuts). The lovely 15-year-old Amelia had fun baking this easy and special Almond Cake for our afternoon tea. It's a great project for any tween or teen (and one that I love to bake whenever I need a quick cake, too!)
After baking and cooling the cake, top it with a cloud of whipped cream laced with a swirl of tangy yogurt. Then decorate away to your heart's content.
Amelia added blueberries, raspberries (red, yellow, and black ones), borage flowers, mint leaves, and passion fruit and raspberry pearls (that she made herself).
And here's another version of the almond cake that I made for an event this summer - a totally different look, but such fun to decorate using flowers from the garden and fruits from the market. It's got quartered figs, red currants, strawberries, blueberries, blue borage flowers, yellow calendulas, pink roses, and mint leaves (plus one lacy dill sprig).
You can have such fun with this cake, varying the look every time you make it! Match the season, the event, what you have on hand, or use favourite fruits or flowers of your guests. For a more formal look, try decorating the almond cake using fruits and flowers that are all in one shade or colour. Or for a fun and casual look, use any type of berries, sliced stone fruits, tropical fruits, even drained canned fruit or candied fruits (lovely in winter). Use any edible flowers (flowering herbs are pretty, too), and herbs like mint, thyme, basil, or dill.
Other Afternoon Teas for Inspiration
An Afternoon Tea party or picnic is a wonderful way to treat yourself and your friends to some special time together. Check out these other tea parties and brunches we've done, for some inspiration and practical tips:
- Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge Cake and a Lovely Summer Afternoon Tea Picnic
- Coronation Chicken Salad Sandwiches and a Perfect Afternoon Tea Picnic
- Butter Pecan Bars and a Glowing Afternoon Tea Picnic in the Orchard
- Raspberry Meringue Kisses and a Dreamy Blue & White Afternoon Tea Picnic
- Cheesecake Cupcakes and a Festive Christmas Brunch
- Bacon-Wrapped Dates and a Moody Magic Afternoon Tea Party
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Guten Appetit!
Fruit & Flower Almond Cake
Equipment
- a 10-inch (25 or 26 cm) springform pan
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- ⅔ cup (70 g) finely ground almond flour
- ¼ cup corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten-free, if necessary)
topping:
- 1 cup (240 ml) whipping cream (minimum 33% milk fat)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 g) Greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- assorted fresh, seasonal fruits, berries, herbs, and edible flowers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). Butter a 10-inch springform pan and dust the inside with corn starch (tap out the excess).
- Whip the eggs, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer bowl with the whisk attachment on high speed for a full 8-10 minutes, until the batter is greatly expanded in volume and is light and fluffy.
- Add the oil and almond extract and beat it in well. Then add the water and beat again until it is well incorporated.
- Sift the almond flour, cornstarch, and baking powder over the whipped eggs. Add in any remaining crumbs of almond flour that don't fit through the holes of the sieve. Fold the flours gently into the eggs with a spatula until just combined.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and shake it gently to even the batter out.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then remove the sides of the pan, and invert a cooling rack onto the top of the cake. Flip the rack over so the cake is upside down on the rack. Remove the bottom of the springform pan, and leave the cake to cool completely. It will slump and pull away from the sides of the pan as it cools, but don't worry - that's the casual look of this cake.
- Whip the whipping cream and sugar almost to soft peaks. Add the Greek yogurt and vanilla, and whip for a few more seconds to soft peaks.
- Invert the cake so it's right-side-up on a serving plate. Spread or pipe the top with the whipped cream. Then decorate the top randomly with cut-up fruits, berries, flowers, and herbs of your choice in a pleasing arrangement.
- Serve immediately or chill for several hours, uncovered, before serving.
Shaun Murphy
I’ve been following your adventures on Instagram and I am so proud and so thrilled to say I know one of the bakers on the baking show. Well done.
You sure right because everything I’ve made from you is so fantastic
Be very well
Shaun
Margaret
Thank you so much, Shaun. It is so wonderful to hear from you. I sure appreciate you following and your support over the years. It means so much to me. Sending you lots of love and greetings from your old stomping grounds❤️
Vivian
Oh Margaret! What a delight...such a lovely setup, so pretty. The dishes sound wunderbar as well. Now that fall is coming on, I'll save this project for spring.
Many congrats as well for your participation on "The Great Canadian Baking Show"! I'll be "glued to the tube" come Oct. 6th, cheering you on! Our local hero!
Margaret
Aw, thank you SO much, Vivian, for your lovely comments, your good wishes, and your support over the many years of my blogging. Always a friendly voice that I appreciate so much❤️
Colleen May
Ooooh!
I can hardly wait to watch you!
Margaret
😃 You're making me smile! Thank you so much😍