Linderhof


Gardening, Cooking and Decorating on the Prairie of Kansas


Welcome to Linderhof, our 1920's home on the prairie, where there's usually something in the oven, flowers in the garden for tabletops and herbs in the garden for cooking. Where, when company comes, the teapot is always on and there are cookies and cakes to share in the larder.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Afternoon Tea Cake

Afternoon tea is a ritual at Linderhof. Every afternoon in spring, fall and winter, the kettle is put on, the tea pot taken down from it's shelf. It's filled with hot water to warm and the tea caddy is opened. Cup and saucer are put on a tray.
If I have company, I'll make a simple tea cake to serve with tea. This is a great tea cake. It's full of jam (any flavor you like -- I chose apricot). It's easy to make (the ingredients are always on hand), looks good on the plate and your company will feel like you went to a lot of trouble when you didn't really!

In Spring and fall we take our tea on either the front porch or in the breakfast room. Nothing like a quiet hour in the afternoon, chatting with a friend (with Mozart playing softly in the background), munching on a freshly baked tea cake and sipping a cup of freshly brewed Earl Grey.

JAM TEA CAKE

1 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1/3 cup sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
pinch of salt
4 T. butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 t. pure almond extract
1 cup good quality thick fruit jam or preserves (I used apricot)
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour an 8 inch springform pan; set aside. Combine
butter, eggs, sour cream and almond extract in a mixing bowl. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. It may feel a bit elastic. Cover with spoonfuls of jam. Insert a butter knife and gently swirl to
marbleize jam into batter. Sprinkle almonds over the top.

Bake on center rack of preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before
removing the springform sides. Serve warm or at room temperature.





18 comments:

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hello Martha...

My friend, this apricot filled tea cake looks so delicious! I'm definitely going to try this recipe, of course I will have to get the sour cream! Your afternoon tea sounds like a lovely ritual! It's so wonderful to just take a little time out of one's day to just sit and relax, meditate and be grateful for the day! Hmmm...maybe we should call this tea cake "soul food"...hehe!

Have a wonderful weekend, my friend!
Chari

Martha said...

Chari -- I love that term -- soul food! For it is definitely food for the soul!

Steph said...

Mmmmm....that sounds so good!

Southerncook said...

Martha,

Your Tea Cake looks amazing. I have made a copy and will make this soon. Looks like an excellent choice to have with afternoon tea. Thanks for posting it.

Carolyn

Suzanne said...

What a yummy looking cake. I shall try this for our daily tea time:-)

Amy said...

What a yummy recipe. It looks so beautiful, and it even has jam in the middle? How delicious is that?

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Please stop by again any time! Amy :)

A Hint of Home said...

Thanks for sharing your recipe. It looks wonderfully yummy! I may try this recipe soon. I have company coming to town.

Just A Girl said...

Hi Martha,
Thanks for stopping by my blog and posting a comment. It's always nice to see new people.
Your afternoon Tea Cake looks delicious! I'll have to copy the recipe and try it.

Have a fun Saturday!

xoxo Cori

Teresa's New Life said...

Thank you for stopping by Martha. What a delightful site you have. Is the picture on your headder of your home? It is so beautiful. I can't wait to try your Jam cake.

Nancy Yoakum said...

That Jam Cake looks like a bite of heaven. I'm going to have to start a "Martha" file recipe folder. You and I are on the same page! Afteroon tea, what a nice tradition! Can't wait to try it!

Smiles, Nancy

the voice of melody said...

Thank you for sharing the cake recipe, it looks delicious and I just happen to have apricot jam. I also enjoy afternoon tea (and Mozart!) in my little tearoom at home or out with friends.

Many sweet blessings!

Elaine said...

This recipe sounds delicious. I think I'll use strawberry jam.

I try to take a break in the afternoon when I'm at work. I'll have a cuppa and it can really rejuvenate me.

You have a lovely blog!

Kimberly said...

Wow! What a wonderful way to enjoy the afternoon. I've copied the recipe and will have to try that. I usually whip together scones for tea, but this cake looks delightful. It is such a wonderful break in the day, isn't it? I wish everyone still took time for tea every afternoon.
PS-I love the built-in window seat idea on the other post. I've always wanted a window seat.

Prim Rose Hill ©2008-2020 said...

Hi Martha!
This recipe looks sooo yummy! Do you mind if I share it on my tea blog?
Hope your weekend was fabulous!
Hugs,
Sheri

creampuff said...

That is such a very pretty cake!

kathleen said...

That looks very good. Thanks for the recipe.

Kimberly said...

OH MY!!! I just made this with wild plum jam I canned last fall. This is soooooooooooooo yummy!

Kimberly said...

I just posted a picture of my cake with a link back here. :) Thanks for sharing this recipe. Guess I'll try the madeleines later this week!
Wouldn't be be great to have tea with all the other bloggers out there?