You just have to love the names that they give to their baked goods in the UK. I used to love reading Enid Blyton stories when I was a child and a huge part of the appeal was the name of the food that the children ate in the books.
Cherry Cakes, Crumpets, lashings of Ginger Beer, boiled sweeties, etc. it all sounded very exotic to me. I wanted to experience all of it. Midnight feasts, picnics, tuck boxes and adventures. Sign me up!!
This fairy cake recipe that I am sharing with you today comes from the cookery book entitled Vintage Cakes, tremendously good cakes for sharing an giving, by Jane Brocket. There are over 90 recipes in the book and I have enjoyed every one that I have baked thus far.
These fairy cakes were deemed good enough to be portrayed on the cover. As you can see mine did not look all that different from the ones in the book! That's one of mine sitting there on the cover just above the plate of cakes, covering the Victoria Sponge.
Some other small traditional bakes here in The English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:
QUEEN CAKES - These lovely little cakes are traditionally baked for Mothering Sunday in March and were said to be a favorite of Queen Victoria. They are rich and buttery and studded with plenty of dried currants. You can also use chopped raisins if you can't get currants. A dusting of icing sugar is the only adornment needed.
SCOTTISH SNOWBALL CAKES - How can you not love something called a snowball cake! Its impossible. Two buttery small cakes, sandwiched together with some jam. The filled caked are then rolled in glace icing and coconut. They look like little snowballs. Delightfully delicious!
CUPCAKE MADELEINES - These English Madeleine cakes are very different from their French counterpart. These buttery little cupcakes are brushed with warm jam and rolled in coconut. A glace cherry half decorates the top of each. They are the perfect teatime treat!
My mother never made cornbread for us when we were growing up and I don't know why. Its such a simple and delicious bread to serve along side of soups, stews or salads. It also goes phenomenally with baked beans and we sure ate enough of those!
The first time I ever had it was when I was visiting my in-laws on Prince Edward Island for the first time. My then husband and I had been married for a couple of years by then, and we had even dated as teenagers, but I had never met his parents.
If you are a fan of the muffin, you might also enjoy the following:
OAT, APPLE AND SUNFLOWER SEED MUFFINS - Somewhat healthy, aside from the sugar and golden syrup . . . with plenty of oats, sunflower seeds and chopped apple. If you don't have light muscovado sugar, you can use soft light brown sugar, and in the place of golden syrup you can use light corn syrup, or even honey would work well. In one word, moreish.
ORANGE MUFFINS - Buttery, moist and stuffed with beautiful orange flavor from the outside in. These are winners all round! I chose to stud mine with dried currants, but you may like raisins, or nuts, or blueberries, etc. You may even prefer the to be plain. One thing is for sure, you will enjoy these moist and delicious muffins.
I love the meaty tang of the kalamata olives and don't get me started on that salty creamy Feta cheese! Oh my, just those ingredients alone get my taste buds tingling.
Add in a zippy red vinegar, olive oil, lemon and oregano vinaigrette dressing, and I am in salad heaven! This makes a lovely lunch with some crisp crackers or bread sticks on the side. I can't get enough of this stuff!
Some other salads here in my English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:
BACON AND EGG SALAD - This is a real favorite of mine. Crisp Baby Gem Lettuce leaves broken into a bowl (you can use Romaine) and topped with sliced boiled egg, salty crisp bacon and sweet roasted baby plum tomatoes. A creamy Parmesan Dressing is drizzled over top and then you top the salad with some crisp and buttery homemade croutons. This is a fabulous combination of textures and flavors.
CHICKEN NICOISE SALAD PLATTER - The perfect meal salad for a warm summer night. With roasted sliced chicken, cooked string beans, boiled egg, salty feta cheese and a mix of black and green olives. You could add some sliced roasted potato wedges for the carb lover. I added some steamed asparagus and topped it all off with a tangy lemon vinaigrette. You can either make this carb free, or add carbs depending on your preference! Delicious either way.