Mothering Sunday and Blue & White China:
Little Victoria Lemon Daisy Cakes Recipe
Forgive me, but this is an indulgent post today, a sort of virtual Mothering Sunday card for my mum, with daisies and beautiful china………so, there will be very little chat and lots of photos, as well as the recipe for these pretty little Victoria Lemon Daisy Cakes. It is also my first “official” post as a “Churchill China blogger”, as I am now working with Churchill China who are based in Staffordshire in England, and you will see lots of their beautiful china in my photos from now on, as part of my collaboration with this wonderful British pottery. Churchill China was established in 1795 in the heart of the world-famous potteries, Stoke-on-Trent. Made up of several smaller family run companies ‘Churchill’ was adopted in 1984 as a name for the whole group. The company came into the ownership of the Roper family, who remain significant shareholders, in 1928. It has a long history of providing ceramics to both the hospitality and retail markets and has evolved over the years into a profitable and well-respected company within the industry.
As part of my collaboration with Churchill China, I was sent a dinner, tea and breakfast service from their Caravan Trail and in the pattern called Penzance – a beautiful design in blue and white with a pattern that is based on nature; this folk inspired design is rich with motifs of various flora and fauna – it symbolises harmony and peace with nature’s friendliest creatures – owls, foxes, birds, hares, squirrels and hedgehogs are intertwined with flowers, and the whole design has a warm and cosy feel with an air of modernity about it. I LOVE it, and I can see it being used for ALL occasions, both formal and informal family gatherings. The core of the dinner service, (the flatware) such as the dinner plates, side plates, cereal bowls, soup bowls, cake stand, salad bowls, platters, some styles of mugs and the cups and saucers, are made in England, which is fabulous, and the whole set is dishwasher proof, making it invaluable for modern-day living. The Penzance range is excitingly diverse, with something to suit all dining occasions; from breakfast with teapots, butter dishes, toast racks and jam pots to afternoon tea with cake stands, elegant cups and saucers and pretty tea plates, the range will suit all types of dining and is just so attractive.
So, what better occasion to share this lovely china for the first time than Mothering Sunday, and I decided to “test-drive” the tea service first, and make little cakes for my mum for Mother’s Day. I used the two tier cake stand, the teapot, cups and saucers and used an egg cup for my posy of daisies. The recipe is a standard Victoria sandwich cake recipe, a three egg size; then the cakes were baked in a handy mini Victoria sponge cake tin, (from Lakeland) that I received for Christmas. The little cakes are then split in two when they are cool, and are sandwiched together with home-made lemon curd before adding a runny lemon icing drizzle over the top and adding an edible wafer daisy as the finishing flourish. (The daisies are available from the Dr Oetker decorating range) They look so pretty, taste delicious and my mum is going to LOVE them, especially if I take them over to her displayed on my beautiful new Penzance cake stand!
The recipes for the Victoria sandwich sponge and lemon curd are shared below, with lots of images of my Mothering Sunday afternoon tea. Happy Mother’s Day Mum! I’ll be around later with these cakes……if there are any left! (Only joking!) I will be sharing links to independent sellers (where you can buy this beautiful china) in the future, but for now you can browse the range here, Penzance, and buy it from: Amazon; Kings and Queens and Tableware. I’ll leave you now with lots of images of my Mothering Sunday afternoon tea – have a wonderful day tomorrow, to all you mums out there, and I hope someone makes you a batch of these lovely Little Victoria Lemon Daisy Cakes. See you later, Karen
~ Follow the following recipe, but only use three eggs for 12 x mini Victoria sandwich cakes in this recipe ~
Victoria Sandwich Cake
Serves | 8 to 10 slices |
Prep time | 5 minutes |
Cook time | 25 minutes |
Total time | 30 minutes |
Allergy | Egg, Wheat |
Dietary | Vegetarian |
Meal type | Dessert, Side Dish, Snack |
Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold |
Occasion | Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving, Valentines day |
Region | British |
By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs, weighed in their shells
- butter or soft margarine ~ same weight as the eggs
- caster sugar/super fine sugar ~ same weight as the eggs
- self-rising flour~ same weight as the eggs
- raspberry jam ( or another jam, jelly or curd of your choice.)
- whipped cream (optional) or double cream (optional)
- caster sugar or icing sugar for sprinkling on top
Note
Cook’s Notes:
If you use butter remove from the fridge to soften before using. This is not necessary with soft margarine.
If large eggs are used they may weigh 7 ½ ozs/210g. If so make sure you use this weight for the other ingredients.
A smaller sandwich cake can be made with 2 medium eggs. Weight about 4 oz/55g. If so, use 2 x 7” sandwich tins and the cakes and the cakes will need less time in the oven – probably 20 minutes instead of 25 minutes.
Alternative measurements:
4 eggs
8 ounces soft margarine or butter
8 ounces caster sugar
8 ounces SR flour
Proceed as above for method
Directions
Step 1 | The measurements for this recipe are equal amounts of sugar, flour and fat to the weight of the eggs; therefore, weigh the eggs first – if the eggs weigh 8 ounces, you will use 8 ounces of sugar, 8 ounces of butter or margarine and 8 ounces of flour. If the eggs weigh 6 ounces, all the other ingredients will be 6 ounces – easy! |
Step 2 | Preheat oven Gas 4, 160C (fan oven), 180C or 360F: grease and base line the bottom of 2 x 8” sandwich tins – cake tins. |
Step 3 | Cream margarine or butter together with the sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs, and then add them to the mixture, gradually and beating well after each addition. Sieve the flour and fold into the mixture with a metal spoon. |
Step 4 | Divide equally between the 2 prepared tins and bake for 25 minutes in the middle of the oven. |
Step 5 | Remove and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the tins and fill with raspberry jam (and cream if using) when cold, to avoid the cream melting or the jam seeping into the sponge. |
Step 6 | A light dusting of caster sugar or icing sugar on the top will finish it. Place on an attractive cake stand or plate, and serve in dainty wedges with freshly brewed tea. |
My Mum’s Home-Made Lemon Curd
Serves | 2 Pots |
Prep time | 15 minutes |
Cook time | 20 minutes |
Total time | 35 minutes |
Region | British |
By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 4oz butter (110g)
- 8oz sugar, caster sugar is best (225g)
- 4 lemons, finely grated zest & juice
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 egg yolk,
Note
I also add the zest for a slightly more lemony tang………..A wonderful classic British preserve. Spread it thickly on fresh baked bread, crumpets, scones, muffins or hot buttered toast. It’s also delicious on pancakes and if used as a filling for cakes or tarts.
Directions
Step 1 | Place a heatproof bowl over gently simmering water in a large saucepan, making a bain-marie.Add the butter and melt it slowly, then add the sugar and make sure it is dissolved before adding the lemon zest, juice and the eggs. |
Step 2 | Stirring all the time, making sure the water does NOT boil, cook the mixture for about 10 to 20 minutes; the curd is ready when it is as thick as double cream and it coats the back of the wooden spoon. |
Step 3 | Pour into hot sterilised jars immediately and seal. It thickens on cooling. Store in the fridge or in a cold pantry for up to 4 weeks. Once opened, the lemon curd must be kept in the fridge. |
Disclaimer: I received a Churchill china Penzance dinnerware service for free, in order to share and showcase the china with my readers as part of my sponsored collaboration with Churchill China. I was not asked to write a positive review and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Karen S Burns-Booth
To read all about the origins of British Mother’s Day, read last year’s post here:
Mothering Sunday and Little Violet & Rose Fancies
Carol says
What an absolutely perfect combination… beautiful, delicately patterned blue and white china crockery and your lovely, delicious Little Victorian Lemon Daisy Cakes! 🙂
Karen Booth says
Thanks Carol! I love my new crockery to bits and was very pleased with my cakes too!
Fiona Matters says
I have that cake tin – it’s just wonderful isn’t it? I love the classic Victoria sponge. Just can’t be beaten.
Kevin Dooley says
They look yummy, I’m currently ona special diet and cannot have any sugar other then natural sugars and so I could adapt this recipe, I need to use Jam as it’s something I always overlook!
Angie Hoggett says
mmm Lemon curd and cake the perfect combo!
Herbert Appleby says
shared here https://twitter.com/SmokinHerbz1/status/310424415659761664
Dominic says
hey if you can’t lay tribute to your mum, what’s the point of having a blog!… those lemon daisy cakes are divine and a fitting tribute… what is it about lemon cake that just says ‘Mother’s Day’… gorgeous stuff x
Janice says
Pretty china, traditional and contemporary at the same time! Lovely cakes too, Happy Mothers Day to you tomorrow, Karen.
Nori S says
I pinned this!
http://pinterest.com/pin/21110691975669803/
shelley jessup says
Awww they look so cute, perfect to treat a mother on their special day. Am tweeting as @jessups
Maya Russell says
Tweeted as @maisietoo – https://twitter.com/maisietoo/status/310736304130367488
Another beautiful tea set and gorgeous Lemon Daisy Cakes.
Clare Webb says
Beautiful!
Herbert Appleby says
shared here https://twitter.com/SmokinHerbz1/status/310825981562744836
shelley jessup says
shared by tweeting as @jessups
Vanessa @ Cakes and Teacups says
Everything’s so beautiful Karen! Tea and cake to me is a perfect Mother’s day treat. I love Churchill collections and others as well. This is a lovely collection and your photos are beautiful 🙂
Herbert Appleby says
shared here https://twitter.com/SmokinHerbz1/status/311596369427181569
Hayley Fountain says
shared on twitter, love it x
Louisa Foti says
I absolutely adore this pretty range of china, being a bit of a fan of blue and whites anyway this is so up my street! And just how pretty are your daisy lemon cakes??? Especially against the blue and whites. What a delightful post.
Lottie @ Lottie's World of Cakes says
The little cakes are so pretty and the china set is just gorgeous! I would love proper tea set!
shelley jessup says
tweeted as @jessups
Herbert Appleby says
shared here https://twitter.com/SmokinHerbz1/status/314155323965448193
shelley jessup says
I am sharing by tweeting as @jessups
Tracy Nixon says
Thanks so much for sharing! Shared too via Google+!
Maya Russell says
Shared on Twitter as @maisietoo – https://twitter.com/maisietoo/status/317499730655592448
Tracy Nixon says
Great recipe! Tweeted thanks! @tracyknixon
Tracy Nixon says
My birthday tomorrow! I think I’ll bake a cake!
Maya Russell says
Shared on Twitter, lovely recipe!
@maisietoo
Maya Russell says
Twitter shared, @maisietoo 🙂
Erika Holt says
These are adorable and lemon cakes are my favourite! I shall have to have a go at making a gluten free version. Yummy! Shall share on Facebook so i don’t forget where it is!