Time for.....lots of Cupcakes from Bakehouse!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.....home to all things sweet and delicious! We hope you are keeping safe and well wherever you are in the world. These are difficult times, but I hope these sweet treats will at least make you smile (and maybe even drool a little - you have been warned!). 

During the pandemic lockdown (which is easing slowly in England as I write this) I did a lot of home baking, but there were times when I also wanted a treat....a tasty treat baked by someone else. Sometimes there is nothing better than a delicious piece of cake that you haven't made yourself and living alone made that a bit difficult! I was lucky enough to discover Bakehouse, a local baker from Aldershot in Hampshire, via a Facebook recommendation, who offered all kinds of cakes and treats delivered to your door. A dream come true!

When lockdown struck, Ellie started a weekly BakeDrop menu of cupcakes, loaf cakes and biscuits which could be delivered or collected either on a Monday or Friday. The team also offer an afternoon tea menu, which can be delivered or collected on other days but needs to be pre-booked. The BakeDrop menu changes each week and includes a variety of bakes. I've ordered from Bakehouse several times now and wanted to share my experience and support this fabulous local business.

                                                   

Let's start with some of the treats from the BakeDrop menu...each week there will be two varieties of cupcakes, a loaf cake, a tray bake, cookies and some kind of savoury treat. Some weeks you can also buy cake cups too, which are amazing! The choice is really varied each week and you'll be hard pressed not to find something you like! You can order via Facebook or Instagram, its really easy....you just tell the team what you want, pay and then wait! You can opt to collect or they will deliver up to 6 miles from head quarters. 

You've already seen some of the wonderful cupcakes that I have tried over the last couple of months at the top of this article. Flavours offered have included chocolate, carrot cake, strawberry and cream (delicious vanilla sponge filled with strawberry jam), red velvet, mint choc chip, Biscoff biscuit (which comes with a chunk of biscuit), chocolate orange, salted caramel, custard cream, lemon, key lime pie, cinnamon caramel, coffee & walnut (which is a personal favourite) and gin and tonic! I bet you're drooling just reading that selection!

Each cupcake I have tried has been light and flavoursome, topped with a generous helping of butter icing. I really enjoyed the coffee and walnut that I tried recently (great coffee flavour and chucks of walnut), but to be honest there hasn't been a cupcake that I haven't enjoyed yet! The flavours are always well balanced and taste exactly how you think they should. The cakes last quite well too...although who wants to make your cupcakes last....you want to gobble them all up...or at least I do!

I was also impressed with the cake cup that I tried, which was jaffa cake flavour and included a combination of orange sponge, chocolate orange frosting, chocolate sauce, fresh cream and chunks of jaffa cake! Blooming amazing...all that jammed into one cup to enjoy with a spoon! Cake cups don't appear every week, but when they do they are always great combinations such as jammie dodger, millionaire shortbread, red velvet or chocolate peanut m&ms. The cake cup I tried was well thought through, with flavours and textures blending well - a real treat!

I haven't ordered any traybakes, cookies or loaf cakes yet, mainly because the cupcakes are always at the top of the menu and I usually get seduced by something amazing straight away! But if you make it further down the menu and are tempted by the bigger treats you could try lemon drizzle loaf cake, bakewell slice, white chocolate coconut cookies, ginger cake, Oreo cheesecake bar, chocolate raspberry brownie or choc chip cookies to name just a few! Next time I order I think I need to try something other than a cupcake!!

The menu also usually includes sausage rolls, some kind of pinwheel or pastry twist or cheese roll. My favourite is the sausage rolls, which are stuffed full of meat and rolled in flaky pastry - they really are lovely and again last well for a nice weekend treat if you order for a Friday delivery.

As well as all of this deliciousness available on a weekly basis you can also order afternoon teas - if you are lucky Ellie sometimes has spares which she makes into boxes that you can add to a Friday delivery. These are always advertised on Facebook or Instagram and are worth looking out for. Otherwise you need to get organised and order in advance. 

I got lucky one Friday night and got myself a spare box for one....

         

Afternoon tea boxes include finger sandwiches (with not a controversial crust in sight) with traditional fillings, scones with tubs of clotted cream and jam, fruit kebabs (so we can pretend to be healthy), a cupcake (as this was a spare I didn't have a cupcake this time), usually a chocolate honeycomb ganache pot or a raspberry jelly pot (as you can see I got both of these - the chocolate ganache is outrageous....so rich and creamy!). There are also luxury options, vegan options and gluten free options plus a children's version of each variety. Oh and there is a tea and coffee selection included! 

Its the perfect afternoon tea in a little white box! Everything was fresh and well packaged up, so the sandwiches didn't get soggy or stale and nothing leaked during the delivery.

I can confirm that the scones passed the taste test - not at all claggy, but light in texture. The perfect vessel for enjoying cream and jam! 

On top of all this, Ellie is really lovely and its a pleasure to order scrummy cakes from her. Communication is great and payment really easy. If you happen to be in the Aldershot / Farnham area in Surrey and are in need of cake (I'm sure this is a common problem for more people than just me!) then I would recommend taking a look at Bakehouse. 

Just to note that this is in no way a paid ad, I have paid for all the treats I have enjoyed from Bakehouse myself and just wanted to share them with you. For more information pop by the Bakehouse Facebook page. 

Do you have a favourite local baker who has been keeping you in cake during lockdown...if so we'd love to hear all about them - leave us a comment!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel 

Time for something cute from Peggy Porschen!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends!

I've finally made it to the Peggy Porschen Parlour in Belgravia and I wanted to share my experience with you. I've wanted to visit the Parlour for ages, it looks so pretty and the cakes so scrummy, I wanted to see whether it lives up to the hype and Instagram love!

Located on a corner, its pink exterior can be spotted from the end of the road....

I visited when they still had their Winter Parlour decorations up from the festive season, designed to compliment their Cosy Collection sweets and treats.

The interior of this tiny parlour has shelves full of pretty bakes that you can buy to enjoy at home - its really gorgeous!

The Parlour is a small space and because of this they do not take reservations (they also ask that you return tables after an hour), you just have to turn up and keep your fingers crossed! There is seating both inside and outside, but be warned.....it's cosy! If you arrive and there are no tables free and you don't want to wait, you can have any of the cakes available as a take away option.

As well as the standard menu of cupcakes, layer cakes and tray bakes, the Parlour also offers seasonal specials. Among others, the standard flavours include chocolate heaven and salted caramel cupcakes, lemon, raspberry and rose layer cakes and chocolate brownies. The menu is extensive, but all the cakes are on display and the staff are knowledgeable if you need some help picking your treat.

The Cosy Collection, which was available when we visited, included the Cosy Cashmere layer cake - an almond sponge layered with a smooth coconut buttercream. There were also starry snowmen cupcakes, either in a chocolate flavour or gingerbread and lemon flavour and a variety of cute iced biscuits.

We opted to try a slab of chocolate biscuit cake (and slab is the right word....it's a very generous serving!) and a gingerbread and lemon starry snowman cupcake. The chocolate biscuit cake was like a rocky road bake, it was indulgent and scrummy - packed full of pistachios and marshmallow. You could probably share it between two people though as it was very rich.

The cupcake was super cute to look at....just look at that tiny snowman!

The cappuccinos we enjoyed were also rather pretty looking....

But I bet you're wondering what the cupcake tasted like....was it all style and no substance? I'm please to report back that it was absolutely delicious! 

The sponge was moist but light, and full of spicy gingerbread flavour. The topping was a lemon cream cheese frosting, which again was light in texture but well flavoured. Together the flavours blended really well and made for a very enjoyable cupcake. 

Although it looked like a big blob of frosting, the ratio between cake and sponge was just right. Nothing was too sweet and I really enjoyed this cupcake. Plus it was really cute....just look at that tiny snowman....

I really enjoyed my visit to The Parlour, the prices are a little expensive but the quality of the food was great. I would also probably only visit with one other person as there isn't much space (we watched a group of five squeeze around a table the same size that we had for two).

If you'd like to see more about Peggy Porschen's Parlour pop by their website

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Cupcakes.....Hummingbird Bakery, Guildford

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - this week I've been on a staycation, enjoying the glorious summer in the UK and eating the odd cake or two!

When Hummingbird Bakery opened a shop in Guildford earlier this year it was welcomed with queues along the street of hungry cupcake lovers! The photos of the queues on social media were quite amazing! For anyone not familiar with Hummingbird Bakery - they arrived in London in 2004 and are famous for their American style cakes and cupcakes. Fast forward a couple of months and its a random Tuesday lunchtime when I pop by, no queues great me....but I do find a wonderful selection of cakes and cupcakes to drool over!

Hummingbird Bakery Guildford - what to pick?

Hummingbird Bakery Guildford - lots of cupcakes!

The bakery itself is light and airy and very pretty, decorated in pinks and greys. 

There were two friendly servers working at the time, both were welcoming and very knowledgeable about the cakes on offer. Hummingbird Bakery prides themselves on serving delicious, fresh cakes, something they achieve by each branch having its own kitchen, with dedicated bakers and cake decorators.

Cupcakes include salted caramel, red velvet, carrot cake, chocolate and vanilla to name just a few. They also sell slices of large cakes, traybakes and whoopie pies. After asking the servers which were their favourites (something I always like to find out) I opted for a salted caramel cupcake and a cup of coffee.

Hummingbird Bakery Guildford - salted caramel cupcake

Please ignore Niffler in my photos - I'd just bought him and was having a bit of a geeky moment! 

The cupcake was light and moist and had a wonderful chocolate flavour. The frosting was super sweet and encased a dollop of dulce de leche, but sprinkled on the top was just the right amount of sea salt and this combination was wonderful as it balanced everything out. The cake tasted fresh and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I think part of the joy of eating at Hummingbird Bakery is definitely the surroundings, I loved the colours used and the general atmosphere which was relaxed and friendly.

I'll definitely be popping back to try the other cupcakes....it might take me a while to work through the menu though! For more information about Hummingbird Bakery please visit their website.

Do you have a favourite Hummingbird Bakery flavour - we'd love to hear about it!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for....cake at home - My Sweet Tooth Factory

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - today we're sharing with you a sweet treat that we recently discovered on a trip to the Southbank Centre Food Market in London. If you've never wandered around this food market before you should definitely visit - its just outside the Southbank and it's filled with so many different stalls. The stalls include a range of street food, beers, wines and cocktails, delicious coffee, tea and of course......sweet treats!

On this trip I found myself drooling over the cakes on offer at Sweet Tooth Factory and I couldn't help myself, I needed to try one of the cakes! They had a big range on offer, but I decided to try the cookie dough cupcake....

Yep, that's a ball of cookie dough on top of my cake!

The cake cost £3.50, but it came in a protective container and I managed to get it all the way home without damaging it! As you can see it's a substantial cupcake - don't attempt eating one if you've just enjoyed a big meal!!

Much to my surprise inside the cupcake is another ball of cookie dough! 

I really enjoyed this cake - the sponge was light and chocolately and that icing was just amazingly light and creamy. Combine those two elements with some delicious cookie dough and you have a great sweet treat! 

My Sweet Tooth Factory are a wholesale business, baking cakes for businesses in London, but they can also be found at the market. I'll definitely be heading back to try another one!

Have you enjoyed a cake from My Sweet Tooth Factory? I'd love to hear what you thought.

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for.....Hot Chocolate!

Hello there!

We hope you're well today. Here at Tea With Me and Friends Towers we love a great cup of tea with our afternoon tea and are partial to a cup of coffee in the morning....but we also love a really good hot chocolate! There is something so comforting about hot chocolate, like a lovely warm hug in a mug!

So when Natasha at Pretty Patisserie told me that they were launching a new hot chocolate menu I just had to check it out! Then when I saw the menu.....yes they have a hot chocolate menu....I knew I had to pop back to Pretty Patisserie really soon to try  of the hot chocolates!

Each hot chocolate is made to order, using real chocolate. There is also a dairy free option.

In total there are nine different hot chocolates to sample....I think I'm going to be visiting rather a lot in the near future! From a classic hot chocolate to a chocolate orange, a chocolate mint and a wonderful creation called The Unicorn (which is white chocolate and raspberry, complete with lots of marshmallows and a unicorn horn!).

I popped by Pretty Patisserie to try my first hot chocolate last week, opting for the chocolate orange variety (I love Terrys Chocolate Oranges!) and of course I had to sample another cake while I was there. This time I picked a rather wonderful looking lemon cupcake (the lemon drizzle that I love so much had already sold out). I took my seat in Squires and waited for my treats to be brought over.....

I decided to have a lemon cupcake because surely that's two of my five a day right there! 

To start with just feast your eyes on that hot chocolate...it truly is magnificent! Classic hot chocolate, spiked with orange oil and topped with whipped cream! Now cast your eyes on the cake...just look at that perfect icing!

The hot chocolate was scrummy - served at the perfect temperature and the balance of the chocolate and orange flavours is great. Not too sweet, not too bitter. I really enjoyed it and probably consumed it far too quickly!

The cake was also delicious - the sponge was light and flavoursome and there was a great lemon filling in the middle. The icing on the top also has a great flavour and the texture is lovely too. All in all a lovely cake!

If you live near Farnham in Surrey or happen to be visiting the area and fancy a lovely hot chocolate and a great piece of cake you can't beat Pretty Patisserie! While you're there you can also take a look at the wonderful cakes and biscuits on display in Squires.

On this occasion I'd like to thank Pretty Patisserie for their hospitality as they treated me to my hot chocolate. Don't worry though - the sweet treat didn't go to my head and all opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.

I'll definitely be popping back to work my way through the rest of the hot chocolate menu! If you visit Pretty Patisserie we'd love to know what you enjoyed! Leave us a comment and let us know!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for....some reading...Prohibition Bakery - Part 1

Hello there,

Welcome back to our afternoon tea blog...recently we've been combining two of our favourite things at Tea With Me and Friends towers....cakes and cocktails!

Recently we were sent the new book from the Prohibition Bakery - a New York bakery set up (by accident) by Leslie Feinberg and Brooke Siem which is devoted to boozy cakes. The book features 55 original recipes to try at home, as well as some basic information about baking and making infusions.

Prohibition Bakery - cupcakes and booze!

The book itself is stylish and full of great photography and the recipes will leave any cocktail lover drooling from your traditionals like Pina Coladaa or White Russians through to the more unusual Caramel Apples or Palomas....there is seriously something in there for everyone.

The recipes are broken down into their main spirit - including vodka, rum, whiskey, gin, wine, beer/cider, liqueur or cocktails!

Scrumy photography in the Prohibition Bakery book

I decided to start simple and try out the Boozy Blueberry Lemonade cupcakes to start with as this seemed like a pretty straight forward recipe to follow and it features lots of blueberries and a splash or two of vodka! 

This is what they should look like....

The recipe was easy to follow and the measurements are in both American cups and also grams, which I found very useful. The cake is made with yogurt and oil instead of the traditional butter, which I have never tried before but will definitely use again as it produced a very light cupcake.

The filling for these cakes is a blueberry puree, which was really easy to make and use.

The instructions are broken down into making the cake, making the filling, making the frosting and then the assembly.

I have to say I was rather pleased with the finished cakes....

Boozy Blueberry Lemonade cupcakes - Prohibition Bakery

Ok, I might have got a bit carried away with the icing....but just look at the colour!!

The cakes were light and fluffy, with a scrummy filling....perfect with a cup of tea! The flavour of the lemon really came through in the cake and it matched well with the boozy blueberry filling. Squidgy, but not too messy - this is a really satisfying bake!

Made by Tea With Me and Friends - Boozy Blueberry Lemonade cakes

If you'd like to try the recipes yourself pick up a copy of the book - you won't be disappointed by the choice! 

Prohibition Bakery (ISBN 9781454916963) has a RRP £14.99 and is available from The GMC Group. I'd like to thank The GMC Group for sending us a copy of the book to try - please remember that although we have received a complimentary copy of the book this has not effected our thoughts and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Prohibition Bakery baking

Keep your eyes posted for the next bake we try from this fab book!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Baking with Typhoo Tea...part 1!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - I hope you are well today!

Typhoo Tea are currently celebrating the uniqueness of the great British cuppa by encouraging us all to share our #TyphooMoments. They know that we all enjoy our tea slightly differently.....for example in my household I rarely add milk and never sugar whereas Joe enjoys his cuppa sweet and milky!

As you probably already know I also love a piece of cake with my cuppa - there is nothing better in my humble opinion! So when Typhoo asked me to celebrate my passion of tea and cake by creating a cake recipe or two featuring tea I thought that was a fab idea!

In this post I will share my first recipe - something quite simple, but rather tasty! I decided to take the humble cupcake and add a good splosh of tea!

Typhoo Tea Cupcakes

As you can see for this recipe I used the Typhoo Gold blend - which is a rich, full-bodied tea.

To make 12 of these scrummy cakes you will need:

200ml boiling water

2 teabags

85 grams dried fruit

115 grams butter

115 grams brown sugar

2 eggs

115 grams self raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

To start with make up a nice strong brew using the boiling water and teabags. I left the teabags in the water for quite a while, producing a dark liquor. I then removed the bags and added the fruit and left this sitting until the tea went cold. 

This is really important - do not be tempted (like me) to try and use the tea when it's still hot....this will ruin your cupcakes (a tough lesson when you want to eat cake!!).

Baking with Typhoo Tea

Next you need to make a normal cupcake batter - creaming the butter and sugar together first before beating the eggs in. Next fold the flour into the mixture and add the baking powder, making sure everything is combined well. 

Finally mix in the tea and all the fruit - this will leave you with quite a sloppy cake batter. Transfer the batter into twelve cupcake cases, filling three quarters of the way up the cases.

You then need to bake the cupcakes in a pre-heated oven (180 degrees) for 18 minutes.....and then I recommend letting them cool a little before devouring them!

Typhoo Tea cupcakes - Tea With Me and Friends

I didn't ice the finished cakes as I decided they didn't need any additional topping. Although a light lemon icing would probably be quite nice if you did want to ice the cakes to make them look a bit prettier.

The flavour at first is quite subtle, but develops into a lovely tea taste.....just like drinking a cup of tea! You also get a lovely burst of sweetness when you bite into a piece of the fruit.

Baking with Typhoo Tea - Tea Cupcakes

This is a really simple twist on a basic cupcake recipe, that anyone who enjoys a cup of tea will love. I'm now heading back into the kitchen with more Typhoo tea to try out another recipe - pop back soon to see what I come up with!

The tea used in this post was kindly donated by Typhoo Tea.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Can you guess our Style Era?

Tea With Me and Friends

Hello there,

Welcome back to a slightly different post from Tea With Me and Friends....as today as well as a little tea and cakes we're also going to be talking a little bit about style.

We were recently shown this fab online tool from Glitzy Secrets which, with the click of a couple of buttons, helps you find your ideal look from bygone eras. Lorna and I love nothing better than throwing aside our usual clothes and "dressing up"...whether that be in fab vintage finds or reproduction clothes.....or even the odd cowboy hat here or there! So we loved the idea of this tool and was keen to take a peek.

Now anyone who pops by regularly will probably not be surprised by our result....in fact we weren't really surprised either...but it was fun to click through the images. Yes, we got....The Rockin 50s!

Lorna rocking her 50s wiggle dress

The era of full skirts, petticoats, narrow waits and the odd neckerchief...not to mention strong lipsticks and beautifully style hair....both Lorna and I adore this stylish era (and the music was awesome too!). In fact we love it so much that each year in November we head off to Rhythm Riot, a 1950s rhythm and blues weekend held in Camber, Sussex. It's a weekend where we can let our hair down (or rather curl it up) and wear our favourite 50s styles for a whole weekend.

Our 50s style is probably influenced rather a lot by the American fashions, but as well as all the full dresses and petticoats you'll also find the odd wiggle dress as well....

Our passion doesn't stop with the evening wear though, we are also partial to a pair of high waisted turns up for the daytime. Surprisingly comfy and roomy...if you haven't tried a pair of high-waisted turn ups we'd highly recommend it....we've already converted a couple of our friends!

Tea With Me and Friends

Now, this got me thinking a bit....we love the 1950s fashion...but how could this translate into our other passion....afternoon tea? 

Well, I've had a 1950s Birthday party previously and I think some of the food I made then would also make a wonderful 1950s themed afternoon tea. Obviously we'd need to start with some savouries....but I would move away from the traditional finger sandwiches in this case and try something a little more American....

1950s style afternoon tea savoury treats

Mini burgers and hotdogs can easily be bought in packs now from supermarkets, but they are also really easy to make yourself once you have found the mini rolls. They also look incredibly cute on the table and I think would work well in an afternoon tea. We have experienced mini hotdogs and burgers once before when we enjoyed the Sex & the City par-tea at Hyatt Regency The Churchill. 

For the cake part of your 1950s afternoon tea adventure you could try making some cola flavoured cupcakes.....

1950s inspired cola cupcakes

These cupcakes were flavoured using soda stream cola syrup and were topped with cola icing and of course some mini cola bottles. They turned out surprisingly well, with a delicate cola taste which wasn't overpowering or artificial in taste. These proved so popular that I have made them several times since.

Another sweet treat could include a peanut butter muffin....

Admittedly slightly bigger than our usual afternoon tea sweet treat, but just as scrummy! Made with peanut butter in both the sponge and the icing.

Or how about some salted caramel cake....

This was a plain sponge layered with vanilla icing and a salted caramel filling - perfect if you wanted to serve a coffee for your afternoon tea adventure!

Other things you could include in your spread would be pretzels and bottles of coke.....

A 1950s inspired tasty afternoon tea spread!

I think our love of the 1950s translates really well into an afternoon tea adventure which would make a fun afternoon with friends and family!

So, over to you....what do you think? Are there any other treats that we could add to our 1950s afternoon tea spread? 

We're submitting this blog post into a competition run by Glitzy Secrets, take a peek here to learn more and vote for us!

Thanks for popping by today,

Tea With Me and Friends

Rachel & Lorna