Gluten Free Victoria Sponge Cake and a Lovely Summer Afternoon Tea Picnic

This gluten-free Victoria Sponge Cake has a moist and buttery crumb. It's an easy cake, stirred up in one bowl (you'd never know it's gluten-free - everyone loves it!) The layers are sandwiched with fruity jam and luscious whipped cream for a traditional cake that's delicious served for afternoon tea or as a treat any time.

When the lazy, hazy, glorious days of summer arrive, it's picnic time!

Our last blooming peonies were the perfect inspiration for celebrating with an afternoon tea outside in the shade of the trees by the rock wall. Good friends, a beautiful setting, and a selection of delicious sweet and savoury treats made for a most unforgettable afternoon. It's important to make beautiful memories, and I hope you are inspired to do the same.

Sometimes it's fun to be fancy. An Afternoon Tea is an OCCASION. It's time to pull out all those special keepsakes you don't use often enough - grandma's silver cake stand, your wedding china, antique silverware, fancy crystal bowls, lace doilies, and bone china tea cups. Bring out your beautiful table linens and pick your prettiest flowers from the garden. As you sit at the elegant table sipping cups of tea, you and your lucky guests will be transported to a gentler time and place, a time to slow down and appreciate the moment.

After our lovely Afternoon Tea Picnic last year with our friends Nicoletta and Loreto, which was inspired by the coronation in the UK, we were all excited to have one again. This year, the luscious peonies in our garden were the theme, bringing out all those gorgeous shades of pink.

We packed our wicker picnic basket with thermoses of hot Earl Grey tea and iced hibiscus tea. Wooden crates were filled with carefully wrapped table treasures - Nicoletta's white lacework tablecloth and my grandma's crocheted table scarf. We cut up an old pink floral and gingham bed skirt to wrap around our chairs and we filled the table with an extravaganza of teatime delights. Our thrifted silver three-tiered cake stand was piled high with sweet and savoury delicacies and the classic British Victorian Sandwich Cake stood proudly on its footed china plate.

A SUMMER AFTERNOON TEA PICNIC MENU

Savouries
Fresh Tomato Finger Sandwiches
Pastrami and Pickle on Rye Finger Sandwiches
Smoked Salmon and Herbed Cream Cheese on Cucumber Rounds
Quiche Lorraine Tartlets
Crackers, Assorted Cheeses, Chutney & Grapes Tray

Scones
Fruit Scones with Homemade Strawberry Jam and Clotted Cream

Sweets
Mini Berry Pavlovas
Gluten-free Victoria Sponge Cake
Lemon Blueberry Mini Cakes
Fresh Cherries and Berries

Beverages
Earl Grey Tea
Iced Hibiscus and Camomile Tea
Water

For an Afternoon Tea Picnic

The most important thing is the tea! Bring a thermos or insulated carafe of your tea ready-made, or bring hot water and brew the tea at your picnic. Also bring a cold beverage - either iced tea or chilled herbal tea. And of course, the food! Traditionally there are three courses served at an afternoon tea. If you have a 3-tiered cake stand, use that, or just spread the courses on pretty plates. The courses are eaten in order from bottom to top: savoury first, then scones, then sweets.

To start (on the bottom tier), provide a selection of 3 to 5 savoury offerings. Tea sandwiches (finger sandwiches), crusts removed, are traditional (try these Coronation Chicken Salad Sandwiches) or any other 2-bite sized snacks like savoury tarts or appetizers. Next, on the middle tier, it is traditional to serve scones, either plain or with raisins, and clotted cream and jam. Finally, on the top tier (and any additional plates), serve a selection of dainty sweet dessert offerings.

Picnic Essentials

Packing carefully for your picnic ensures you have a wonderful relaxing time. For an Afternoon Tea Picnic, where you'll be bringing fragile items, make sure to wrap them well in clean tea towels or cloths and pack them securely in a solid crate or box. You can then pack the soiled dishes back up in the same containers to take home and wash. Pack foods in sealed containers (Tupperware or mason jars). In addition to your dishes, food, and linens, don't forget:

• thermal containers to keep drinks hot or cold
• ice packs - or water frozen in plastic bottles to use as ice packs
• a cooler to keep food cool
• paper towels or cloths for spills
• wet wipes and extra water for hand washing
• a bag for garbage and one for soiled, unbreakable items that need to be washed.
• a folding table and folding chairs or stools, or a picnic blanket (bring a large plastic sheet, tarp, or old shower curtain to lay underneath the blanket to keep it from stains or moisture from the grass)
• a sun umbrella for shade, if it's hot
• bug spray, sunscreen, and hats
• fresh flowers - wrap the stems in wet paper towels then put the stems into a plastic bag and tie a string or twist tie around the bag to keep it from leaking. Bring a vase and water for at the picnic
• a collapsible wagon is handy for hauling items from the car to your picnic spot
• have fun dressing to match your picnic theme!

Easy Gluten Free Victoria Sponge Cake

The classic Victoria Sponge (or Victoria Sandwich Cake) is a quick and easy cake to make. It's basically a pound cake, traditionally made with equal weights of butter, flour, sugar, and eggs. Baking powder adds lightness and vanilla enhances with a subtle flavour. In this gluten-free Victoria Sponge Cake, I've decreased the sugar slightly (it still tastes great), and substituted some of the flour with almond flour, to add more moistness and richness. My homemade Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam adds a bright and tangy-fresh berry taste.

The beauty of a Gluten Free Victoria Sponge cake is that you actually get the best structure by mixing all the ingredients in one bowl! No separate creaming of the butter or whipping of egg whites. Just plunk everything into the bowl and mix!

What You'll Need

• BUTTER - make sure it is at a very soft room temperature. I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add ½ teaspoon salt to the recipe
• SUGAR
• FLOUR - I've only made this gluten free Victoria sponge cake with my gluten-free flour blend, which works amazingly (it's got a few more flours in the blend than others, but I find it gets exceptional results in all my gluten-free baking). *You can also use regular all-purpose flour in this recipe for a non-gluten-free cake.
• EGGS - large, at room temperature
• BAKING POWDER - gluten-free, if necessary
• VANILLA - use pure vanilla extract
• JAM - strawberry or raspberry are traditional, but use whatever you like. Use low-sugar jam, homemade or purchased, for a less sweet cake with brighter flavour
• WHIPPING CREAM - use heavy cream, at least 35% butterfat. Whip it to stiff peaks, no need for added sugar
• ICING SUGAR - (confectioner's sugar/powdered sugar). A light dusting for on top of the assembled cake. Or sprinkle it with granulated sugar instead.

Some updated versions of the Victoria Sponge use buttercream to fill the center of the cake, be we prefer the classic (and less sweet) whipped cream. If you like, you can also add a layer of sliced fresh strawberries between the jam and whipped cream - it's not traditional, but adds a nice fresh touch.

Traditionally left plain, you can also jazz up the top of your gluten free Victoria Sponge Cake with a few berries in the center or a few fresh edible flowers (roses or pansies look great).

We hope you are inspired to celebrate summer with an Afternoon Tea Picnic of your own, or at least to get out your china cups, invite over a few friends, and share a slice of Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge Cake while you chat and laugh, tell stories, and make memories.

Head over to SugarLoveSpices to see Nicoletta and Loreto's beautiful photos and description of our magical picnic afternoon and find their delicious recipes for the lovely little Lemon Blueberry Mini Cakes and Traditional English Scones.

Other Picnic Inspiration

We really enjoy having picnics! What better way to spend time with friends in a beautiful location and eating delicious food?

See our other picnics for some great recipes and picnic inspiration:

• Coronation Chicken Salad Sandwiches and a Perfect Afternoon Tea Picnic
• Gluten-Free Sausage Rolls and a Glorious Autumn Picnic
• Homemade Tomato Soup and a Late Fall Picnic by the Lake
• Butter Pecan Bars and a Glowing Afternoon Tea Picnic in the Orchard
• Lemon Mousse and a Fun & Games Picnic
• Scotch Eggs and a Scottish Picnic at the River

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