Lemon Blueberry Mini Cakes and a Summer Afternoon Tea

Lemon Blueberry Mini Cakes and a Summer Afternoon Tea. Join us for an enchanting Afternoon Tea filled with great company and delicious food. On the beautifully set table, among the savouries and sweets, these delightful and easy lemon blueberry yogurt mini cakes decorated with lemon icing, tiny ribbons of lemon peel, a mint leaf, and a fresh blueberry towering on top.

Song of the day: This Magic Moment - Lake Street Dive

Imagine a glorious summer day, with clusters of fluffy clouds up in the sky breaking up the sunshine and relieving us from the heat. A gorgeous main table and four chairs habillés in pink, set up in a luxurious garden. On the table, a profusion of china, crystals, silver, brass, lace, and flowers. On the side, a small side table with a wicker picnic basket and a sign that calls for Tea Time.

Summer Afternoon Tea

Certainly, it is an understatement to say that our friends Margaret and Raymond 'Kitchenfrau' and us, we love our Afternoon Teas. We enjoyed so much arranging last year's perfect Tea Picnic that, when Margaret prospected the idea of having another one this year, we jumped at the occasion immediately, and set it in motion.

The set up

This time, the location was the beautiful backyard oasis of Margaret and Raymond's estate. We chose to set up the table close to a mossy stone wall surrounded by windswept tall trees. We arranged some flower pots and statues on the wall to enhance the bucolic theme and placed bunches of flowers on the ground close to both tables. Together with Margaret, we dressed the main table with an embroidered white tablecloth draped over a long white cotton skirt, and for the small table we chose a pink tablecloth with a lace white skirt over top. Our color theme was light pastels, with some silver and brass accents.

We placed the tea cups and saucers over plates, with a smaller plate on the side for the scones; cloth napkins with napkin rings; silver cutlery; bowls with clotted cream and jam; water bottle and glasses; a pitcher with iced fruit tea and lemon slices on the side.

Then, we had candles on brass candle holders; the teapot; cream and sugar set; honey in a crystal bowl; more bowls with fresh fruit, and of course the flowers, always an important part of all our picnics. Some peonies in a vintage ceramic vase and a single calla lily in a crystal vase, a great thrift find, that completed the look.

When the table was almost set, we put out the food, leaving the most perishable items for last.

We kept the hot Earl Grey tea in a thermos to keep it warm until we were ready to serve it. That is when Loreto poured it into the lovely vintage tea pot.

Transporting goods and wares to the picnic site

Usually, for an Afternoon Tea, there is quite a lot of stuff to bring to the picnic site. Mostly breakable stuff, for that matters. Here are a few practical ideas. For the wares: other than the picnic basket, wood crates, tote and cardboard boxes, baskets, and sturdy weave bags all work well to safely transport your china and crystals. Ensure you wrap each item in dish towels, cloth napkins, or bubble wrap. For the food: cooler bags with ice packs, Tupperware containers, jars, thermoses, plastic containers, portable cake carrier, and pastry boxes. In case that it's a longer trek to your picnic site, a garden wagon works wonderfully.

The Menu

As per tradition, the main focus of our Summer Afternoon Tea was a beautiful silver three tier stand with savoury items placed on the bottom tier, scones on the middle tier, and sweets on the top tier. Other finger foods, sweets, and fruits, were arranged on a cake stand, single tiers, and small bowls scattered around the table.

The importance of details

Indeed, when organizing an Afternoon Tea, details are of great importance. You want to set the mood on the table and all around you. Sophisticated elegance was our theme.

As a matter of fact, you will want to go all out when arranging an Afternoon Tea picnic. Bring your best china and crystals, polish the silver cutlery, and take out that embroidered tablecloth that you have hardly used. Second hand and thrift stores are great places to find gorgeous, one-of-a-kind pieces that won't break the bank. Even if you find mismatched pieces, the eclectic look will add to the final stunning result. Dress befitting the theme, and most importantly, have fun doing it!

Also, if using plastic folding chairs, like us, get creative in covering them with some pretty fabric going down to the ground, and why not, tie a satin ribbon around it.

Going with the theme of being in a voluptuous garden, we placed a basket full of gorgeous peonies in different shades of pink near the small side table where we had the picnic basket, and a pot of cheerful daisies close to the main table. They provided a touch of color and joyful opulence.

How to make Lemon Blueberry Mini Cakes

These Lemon blueberry yogurt mini cakes were part of the sweets on the beautifully set table of our Afternoon Tea Picnic. Easy to make, delicious, and darling, they are the perfect petite size for a tea party.

Take out of the oven, and let cool on a rack. Then, remove from the pans and place on a cake platter before icing them.

Post picnic necessities

You could need extra containers in case there are leftovers: small cardboard boxes, paper bags, and plastic containers will do. Also, some paper towel and/or wipes for clean up. Tote, boxes, or plastic bags to place the dirty dishes and cutlery, with extra towels to wrap them up. Lastly, don't forget a few garbage bags to clean up after the picnic.

About us

And here we are, the two couples of dear friends, smiling contently at the table just before enjoying the delicious menu we prepared for the afternoon tea and sipping the tea with our pinkies up. One thing about us, when we get together, we are always surrounded by great quantities of amazing food. We love picnics in all their staging: when it starts in our heads and ideas keep rolling, to what foods to make, theme, location, until we turn dream into reality. We always take the time to proudly pat ourselves on our backs for another great job accomplished.

We hope you enjoyed our recollection of this beautiful day and wonderful picnic. If we have inspired you to host an Afternoon Tea picnic, please don't forget to share it with us, we would love to see it. Lastly, head over to Kitchenfrau to see more of our magical Afternoon Tea and make her delightful gluten-free Victoria Sponge.

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