Books, Tea, and the Trinity: Apple Buttermilk Cake

Back in 2020, some friends and I started a Tea Party/Bible Study/Book Club. We met every Wednesday and worked our way through the Chronicles of Narnia and are currently working through The Chronicles of Prydain. When we started I resolved to share all the recipes, we have made-but I haven’t gone through them as quickly as I hoped.

When we completed The Magician’s Nephew,The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and A Horse and His Boy; we moved on to book four, Prince Caspian. This book is one of my favorites in the series as I love Prince Caspian (although the Disney film version is horrible). Like A Horse and His Boy, this book did not mention a lot of specific foods, so we planned whatever we wanted to make.

As I wasn’t in charge of this book, there will be no discussion questions, just recipes. 

The first week we had Apple Cinnamon Scones: Salmon Radish Cucumber Canapés, Cinnamon Bread-Honey-Cheese-Apple and Ham Sandwiches, Kellogg’s Cheese Potato Crisps, and Applesauce Cake; all paired with Caroline’s Coffee Roaster Princess Earl Grey (as we needed to have some royal-tea).

The next week we had lavender flowering tea, Irish Soda Bread, Tuna Salad, Twice Baked Potatoes, carrot soup, and Quaker Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips.

For our final discussion of Prince Caspian we had Earl Grey Lavender Scones, Salmon and Cucumber Sandwiches, Radish-Dill Canapés, Cheese Potato Crisps, and Buttermilk Apple Cake.

Today’s recipe is the Buttermilk Apple Cake from two peas & their pod. I first came across this recipe when I was looking for something to make with the leftover buttermilk from my Irish Soda Bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
• Pinch of fresh nutmeg
• ½ stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup shaken buttermilk
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, and sliced 
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• Turbinado sugar (to sprinkle on top of cake) [I didn’t have any so I used brown sugar instead)
• Powdered Sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
3. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy.
4. Beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat until combined.
5. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.
6. In a small bowl, combine the apple slices with the brown sugar and other ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
7. Stir until apples are coated.
8. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Place sliced apples evenly over top and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
9. Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
10. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more.
11. Invert onto a plate. Serve with vanilla ice cream if you wish or add powdered sugar on top.

This was delicious and is a wonderful way to use up the leftover buttermilk if you are looking for something different to try. It looked a little plain so I added the powdered sugar, next time I make it I am contemplating forgoing sugar on top and maybe adding a glaze? But yes, it was absolutely delicious and I recommend it.

For more from our Books, Tea, and the Trinity tea times, go to Radish-Dill Canapés

For more cake recipes, go to Applesauce Cake

For more dessert recipes, go to Brown Butter Matcha Brownies

For more recipes, go to Dark Chocolate Peppermint Scones

For more tea posts, go to Spill the Tea: Alley Cat Cafe

Brown Sugar and Cream Cheese Scones

So last weekend I had a tea party with my friend and sister.

I wanted to share this amazing Golden Tip Lapsang Souchong tea from Crafted Leaf Teas. I got us chocolate biscuits, made Cucumber and Chicken Salad sandwiches, and for dessert the Triple Berry Salad. 

And then it came time for the scones. The previous recipes were ones I had made before, but for the scones I wanted to try something new. My friend had bought me a subscription to a tea magazine for my birthday, the first magazine being on Teatime Celebrations, and I thought I would try one of its recipes. You know me and holidays!

So I was flipping through the magazine and I had a hard time choosing between Brown Sugar and Cream Cheese Scones from Mardi Gras teatime and Cranberry Spice Scones with Maple Cream from Autumnal Harvest Tea. I eventually decided on Brown Sugar and Cream Cheese Scones with plans to make the cranberry ones at a later date.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of All-Purpose Flours
• 1/3 Cup of Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
• 1/4 Cup of Cold Salted Butter, Cubed
• 3 Ounces Cream Cheese, Cubed
• 3/4 Cup plus two tablespoons of cold Heavy Whipping Cream, divided
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• Garnish: Turbinado Sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl: whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in cold butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Add cream cheese, stirring to combine, but leave in cubes.
6. In a small bowl, stir together 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of cold cream and vanilla extract.
7. Add the mixture into the flour mix, until it is evenly moist. (If dough seems dry, add more cream-1 tablespoon at a time).
8. Working gently, bring the mixture together with hands until a dough forms.
9. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 4 to 5 times.
10. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to be 3/4 inch thick.
11. Using a 2 1/4 inch fluted round cutter, cut 12 scones from the dough.
12. Place the scones 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
13. Brush scones with remaining cream.
14. Garnish tops with turbinado sugar.
15. Bake until edges are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20 mins.
16. Serve warm.

I also made some mock clotted cream to go with them:

So first of all, I completely recognize that I rolled these out too thin. I wasn’t paying attention to how thick they should be and then just got carried away. They don’t really rise so it is important to make sure  they are the right level of thickness.

These scones weren’t horrible but they turned out a bit plain. They definitely are in need of clotted cream, honey, jam, etc., something to give them a little more umph. But not bad-I would definitely make these again if I wanted to showcase a nice jam or something. They definitely do not overpower the tea or the meal. My sister put the cream on the scone and topped it with berries from the Triple Berry Salad and that came out really good.

For more scones, go to Scottish Oat Scones

For more recipes, go to Super Easy Classic Deviled Eggs