Recipe of the Week - Strawberries & Cream Jubilee Cupcakes

These cupcakes are heavenly, they are actually The Hummingbird's strawberry cheesecakes cupcakes. You can use any fruit, I used raspberries once which were really yummy. Anything with cream cheese frosting is a winner to me (it is the same as my carrot cake recipe see here). The cupcake cases and stand are from Sainsbury's awesome new homemaking range, and the Jubilee cake toppers are from Ocado.

Ingredients
120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter
120ml whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
6 large strawberries chopped into pieces
200g digestive biscuits, finely crushed
12 whole tray lined with paper cases
300g icing sugar
50g unsalted butter
125g cream cheese

Method
Preheat the oven to 170c. In an electric mixer beat together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and soft butter until everything is combined. Gradually add the vanilla and milk until combined, then add the egg and beat for a few minute until combined.
Divide the chopped strawberries into the cupcake cases and divide the cake mixture between them. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until light golden brown. Cool on a rack.
Mix together the icing sugar, butter and cream cheese for the frosting and when the cupcakes are cooled pipe on top. Sprinkle with the crushed digestives and any other toppers you fancy.

Afternoon Tea at The Goring Hotel

The Goring Hotel

The Goring Afternoon Tea

A Boozy little trifle

A trip across the road to Buckingham Palace

My eternally awesome husband treated me to afternoon tea at The Goring Hotel in Belgravia this week, which was gloriously resplendent in all it's Jubilee florals and bunting. The Goring is in fact the proud holder of the British Tea Guild Council Award of Excellence for 2008, 2009 and 2010, so expectations were high, this is after all my favourite meal of the day and The Goring certainly didn't disappoint. 
It was a hot hot day so people were having tea on the Terrace as well as the Lounge, overlooking the sun-dappled Goring Gardens. The Goring is smaller and more intimate than many of the afternoon teas other "big" London hotels have to offer, yet no less impressive. It was more intimate and the friendly and smiley staff didn't rush us or mind continually topping us up with oceans of Earl Grey tea. Being preggers our waitress asked numerous times if everything was ok and if I wanted different sandwiches to suit my annoying diet restrictions i.e. no smoked salmon (I declined knowing someone else would wolf them down instead.) 
We both opted for the Goring afternoon tea which started with a lobster and crab terrine with jelly, it was gorgeous. We then went straight into the main event, starting with tiers of sandwiches, my favourite being the guinea fowl and white mushroom which was like a roast dinner in a finger sandwich. The second tier was full of warm and delicious homemade scones, light as air, which we slathered in clotted cream and strawberry jam. The final tier was an array of homemade miniature desserts. Highly recommended was the tiny cheesecake and the warm custard tart with a sprinkling of nutmeg. 
We were about as stuffed as the pictures of Lord Goring looked, yet managed to squeeze down the final course, a boozy little trifle, full of smooth vanilla custard and fruity jelly, seriously yummy. I will definitely be back!


If you fancy a sumptuous summer treat and want an intimate, relaxed afternoon tea you must visit The Goring.