Afternoon Tea...

Hey everyone...

Thank you for welcoming me back to blogging! I have really missed it! So remember all that baking equipment I showed you? Well it was for a special occasion.

A few months ago I decided I wanted to hold and afternoon tea party for all my friends! The fiance designed some pretty invitations and I started planning what I would make. I wanted to use a book I had bought called Pretty Party Cakes by Peggy Porschen to make some really special cakes. It would be my hardest baking challenge yet!

These were the cakes I decided to attempt - so I bought some leaf and flower cutters...

I used pre-bought icing but coloured it myself and made little pink roses, which I have never done before!

Then I made two large vanilla sponges, which I soaked with vanilla sugar syrup over night...

I also decided to make my infamous three tiered carrot cake with cream cheese icing...

I started baking on Thursday evening, making all of the above. On Friday evening I made rose macaroons and chocolate whoopie pies. Then early on Saturday I made scones, sandwiches and iced and filled all of the cakes.

My feet were killing me after standing for 5 hours each evening after work. Then on Saturday my poor cheap hand held mixer gave up the ghost and I had to whisk the cream cheese icing for the carrot cake by hand - giving me horrible blisters.

But finally the afternoon tea was served...

All accompanied by clotted cream, homemade jam and lots of freshly brewed Afternoon leaf tea.

It was a lovely afternoon, despite most of my friends canceling at the the last minute, which really upset me. 

A friend from work and two friends from uni made the effort and it was lovely to spend time with them, as I don't know two of them that well and rarely get to see the third. Thank you! You know who you are and you made my day!

Plus I took the leftovers to work and had rave reviews for the carrot cake.

Now I am all baked out - but this Sunday I am baking some bakewell tarts for another work colleagues leaving do (I may cry) so I need to work out if I can make them without a mixer!

The afternoon tea was also a perfect opportunity to take some more pictures of my baking - which were urgently needed as I.... have just.... applied for the great british bake off!

Yep I finally sent my application (well two actually, the above mentioned colleague wrote me a beautiful version all in rhyme which I also sent) along with lots of pictures of my baking.

So... fingers crossed I get a telephone interview! It would be such an amazing experience! Right stop getting my hopes up.... back soon!

Jewel x