The Tea Trolley

Tea was drunk in earnest this week! It was a busier than usual social week and there was much fun to be had. Here is a picture of our afternoon tea yesterday, complete with chocolate cake and two kinds of tea.

We were celebrating a visit from an out-of-town guest as well as the birth of a baby. That calls for chocolate cake, don't you think! Now, this wasn't your average cake -- it was gluten-free, butter-free, cream free, and sugar free! And it was actually amazing how good it was despite all that!

 I made the cake using the gluten-free chocolate cake option in the London Summer tea booklet (see sidebar). I substituted coconut oil for the butter and substituted 1 1/4 cups agave nectar for the sugar. I cooked up some frozen raspberries with a little agave nectar and instant tapioca to make a thick filling. Then, we tried the whipped coconut cream that is everywhere on Pinterest (chilled coconut milk -- just the cream from the top -- whipped up with a little vanilla and sugar). The result was a cake that was moist with just the texture I wanted and not too sweet and the coconut topping was much better than I thought (although you can't avoid the slight coconut flavor).











I couldn't help but include a picture of the sweet baby we were celebrating! At three weeks she is already full of smiles! I think that is a good sign.......

As for me, I am working on my chores and getting my planning done for next week. I am forcing myself not to get anxious about how much housework I see all around me. It's been a busy week and later I will take time to make my own pot of tea and sit down and look at a magazine or two.

I hope you all have a good weekend and that you enjoy a good cup of tea along the way!