Table of Contents

• Food + Drink
  • Sweet Snacks
  • Drinks
• Wallflower Backdrop
• Crochet Wisteria Decoration
• Signage
• Table Setting
• Final Thoughts

Food + Drink

Sweet Snacks

Over the past week, I’ve been sharing recipes for Bridgerton-inspired sweet snacks. You can find all of those recipes here:

• Pear & Almond Scones

• Lavender Shortbread Hearts

• Bitesize Coffee Éclairs

• Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes

• Mini Orange & Olive Oil Layer Cakes with Greek Yoghurt & Honey Icing

• Earl Grey Macarons

For my watch party, I made a batch (or half-batch, where possible) of each of these recipes, but you can do whatever works for you! You might want to try out just one or two and buy some other snacks to fill up your dessert table- whatever works best for you!

When looking for store-bought snacks, think small and dainty: things like Fondant Fancies, mini cupcakes, mini tarts and pastries would all be fit perfectly into this afternoon tea theme- just head to your local bakery/supermarket and see what’s on offer. You might even be able to find direct substitutes for the recipes above- éclairs are common bakery staples and I know that Waitrose has its own Lavender Shortbread Hearts available for purchase.

If you’re feeling particularly fancy, Bridgerton does also have a couple of collaborations with some pretty high profile bakeries going on at the moment! Biscuiteers is selling a collection of Bridgerton-themed iced biscuits (which come in a fancy Bridgerton tin- I’m oBsESsed!) and I believe that a box of Bridgerton-inspired macarons is being released by the famous macaron brand Ladurée tomorrow!

Drinks

For my watch party, I opted to serve store-bought, cloudy lemonade in these pretty little glasses. Lemonade is frequently mentioned throughout the show and is often served at the balls, so it’s right on theme. I chose to buy mine, but if you want to make your own, go ahead!

Tea would also be a great, on-theme choice- pick your favourite brew and serve it in a teapot, for maximum effect, or go a little more modern and serve it iced, as a refreshing summer beverage!

I’m not a big alcohol drinker, so I didn’t serve any alcohol at my watch party, but you could absolutely go down that route! Sparkling wine, served in pretty champagne flutes, would be lovely, or, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could always make your own Bridgerton-inspired cocktails to really set the mood.

Wallflower Backdrop

A little while ago, I came across this post on Instagram, which showcased this gorgeous ‘floating flower’ backdrop. I thought it was so pretty and, when I was planning my Bridgerton Watch Party, it immediately came to my mind. The concept of the ‘wallflower’ comes up a lot throughout the Bridgerton series, and, with Penelope Featherington taking the lead this season, I’m sure that it will be particularly significant in Season 3. I loved the idea of making a flower backdrop that sits against the wall- quite literally, a wallflower backdrop- to add some decoration, colour and extra theming to my dessert table.

In the original post, the creator used artificial flowers to make their backdrop. I looked into this, but I quickly discovered that artificial flowers are very expensive (and, obviously, not so good for the environment- especially if you’re using them for a limited-use craft project like this!). I did some more research and found that you can get pre-dried flower heads, which I thought would be a perfect, cheaper & more environmentally friendly approach. I purchased the 50-piece Dried Flower Craft Box from woodfarmdriedflowers on Etsy (the seller is currently taking a short break, so I can’t link to the exact product, but it should be easy to find once the store is back up and running!). This box was so affordable and contained lots of beautiful dried flowers for me to choose from for my backdrop. It does include some longer stems that didn’t quite work for what I had planned, but I can use those for other projects later.

Another change I made from the original tutorial was how I attached the flowers to the clear thread (I used 0.25mm clear nylon thread that I had leftover from my foray into jewellery making). Instead of threading the thread through the flower stems with a needle, I used a hot glue gun to secure the thread to the back of each flower. The reason for this was because the dried flowers are much more brittle and delicate than the artificial flowers, so I just couldn’t find a way to pierce them with the needle without crushing them at the same time! I found hot glue was the best adhesive for this- I did try super glue as well, but it wasn’t strong enough and the flowers just fell off the string. I just added a dollop of glue to the back of each flower, then held the string taut and pressed it into the glue for about 5-10 seconds. I then let the glue dry completely before hanging up the garlands (you can’t see this in the photo, but my garlands are suspended from a bar above my dessert table! If you had more patience, space and flower heads, you might want to make your garlands longer and hang them from the ceiling/a picture rail, for a more seamless effect).

I was really happy with how this wallflower backdrop turned out! The only slight downside to using the hot glue was that the backs of the flowers do look a little bit messy, so I did end up using a very small amount of white tack to attach any flowers that refused to face the right way to the wall! Now that I’m writing this, does that mean I could have just tacked the flowers to the wall in the first place? Probably… but I’d rather not think about that. If you want your flower backdrop to be more 3D and organic, you might want to use artificial flowers and a needle & thread, to ensure that the garlands look pretty from all angles!

Crochet Wisteria Decoration

Okay, back before I decided to make my Wallflower Backdrop, I had my heart set on a Wisteria Garland (because, after all, Bridgerton and wisteria are practically synonymous at this point). However, I really struggled to find one I liked. Either they didn’t come in the traditional, lilac/purple colour, or they were just very plasticky and stiff (and falling apart, but that was a whole other story). Long story short, I had (reluctantly) given up on my wisteria dreams, when I came across this pattern for crocheting a miniature wisteria twig on Etsy. I love to crochet, so I bought it, thinking maybe I could make some (slightly less miniature versions) and make my own wisteria garland! The instructions are super detailed- I’ve never made anything even remotely like this, but I think I did okay (which is a testament to the pattern, I feel).

As you can probably tell, I did not get quite as far as a garland, but I was able to make one single wisteria twig to use as a little accent decoration for my dessert table. I can’t even begin to tell you how much work went into this single twig though- I’m not even exaggerating: I spent hours and hours on this thing, but I’m kind of okay with it because LOOK AT IT! It’s so pretty and perfect and dreamy. I used the following materials to make my twig:

• Malabrigo Lace, in the shades 034 Orchid and 037 Lettuce.
• 2mm crochet hook.
• 0.5mm jewellery wire.
• Round-nosed jewellery pliers.
• Super glue (copious, copious amounts).
• Needle.
• Scissors (both for yarn and wire-cutting).

I did make mine a little differently to the pattern though, so here’s a quick list of the changes I made:

• I used a thicker yarn (lace weight) and larger hook (2mm), to make a larger twig.
• I used coloured yarn, rather than painting the white petals and leaves.
• I did not stiffen my petals- instead, I used a combination of sewing and super-glueing to shape the individual petals.
• I did not crochet the leaves over the wire, but threaded the wire through afterwards instead (I just could not get the hang of crocheting over the wire!).

Some rather drastic changes, but I followed the instructions exactly for all of the individual crochet elements.

Was this project a labour of love? Absolutely. Is it a requirement for a Bridgerton dessert table? Absolutely not. Would I do it again? … I think I would?! I just love how it turned out, and it was so out of my comfort zone that it makes its success even sweeter! Also, I think it looked so pretty on the table and in the photos, so I’m really happy I did it.

Signage

I wanted to include some sort of signage on my dessert table, just to really drive the Bridgerton-theme home. I went for a simple ‘Welcome Back to the Ton…’ but I also think it would be nice to include a little menu of sorts, listing all of the delicious sweet treats on offer so your guests know what’s what!

I used Adobe InDesign to create this sign and tried my best to mimic the design style of both the Season 3 promotional content and iconic Lady Whistledown pamphlet. If you don’t have an Adobe subscription, Canva is a great, free alternative for projects like this! If you don’t want to go to quite such extreme lengths for your signage, you could absolutely just type out your message/menu on Word or Pages, perhaps change the font to something cursive and classic, and print that off! You could even handwrite something onto a nice piece of card, if you wanted to show off your lettering skills. Essentially, you can do as little, or as much, as you want here.

I propped my sign up on a wooden iPad stand, but you could purchase a small easel/stand, if you (understandably) don’t have one to hand! To keep your sign stiff and ensure it stays upright, you might want to stick an extra piece of card to the back of it. I used double-sided tape to do this, but you could use glue, if you prefer.

Table Setting

The final step in setting up a beautiful, Bridgerton-themed dessert table is, of course, setting the table! I was very lucky, because my granny has an extensive collection of fancy tea sets, which meant I had lots of options for how I wanted to style this table. In the end, I opted to use these white and gold teacups and saucers, along with this leaf-pattern tiered cake stand. You can often find vintage afternoon tea sets/cake stands online (try Ebay or Etsy!), or at flea markets/charity shops. If you don’t want to buy a whole new set of china just for one event (probably for the best), then just use what you have! One of my favourite things about Bridgerton is how it fuses the modern period with the regency era, so you can just channel the modern side of things and use tableware you already have.

Instead of a tablecloth, I opted to use this Mountmellick table runner, which was a gift given to my mum. I just think that the white, floral embroidery has such a classic, regency vibe to it, so it matched in perfectly with the traditional, afternoon tea vibe I was going for! Again, use whatever you have (or can find!)- a simple white tablecloth or paper doilies would look lovely, or you could just leave the table plain and let the props and food do the talking!

To make your dessert table look extra fancy, try to vary the heights of the elements across the table. This will add depth and interest, which will elevate the dessert table from a classic buffet to a extravagant display! Some items will naturally give height, like a tiered cake stand, but you can create extra height by yourself with a simple trick. You might be able to see from the photos that I have set some of the plates containing the sweet treats on upturned bowls/tea cups, from the same tea set I’ve used throughout. By doing this, you can make a variety smaller ‘cake stands’, which will give your table lots of dimension! I just balanced the plates on top, because I knew they’d be safe with my guests, but if you’re worried about them toppling over, you could always use a small amount of white tack to secure the top plates to the upturned items beneath.

Final Thoughts

So that’s everything I did to set up my Bridgerton-themed, afternoon tea-style, dessert table for my Bridgerton Watch Party. I hope this post has given you some ideas, but the most important thing is that you pick a style that works for you and use whatever you have at hand that can fit into your chosen aesthetic! There’s no point buying all-new items, because, be honest, how often are you going to need to set up a regency-style dessert table? Ask your friends and family what they have, get thrifty and challenge yourself to make things that you might otherwise buy (and never look at again!).

And remember, when all is said and done, you’re there to watch Bridgerton with your friends, so just enjoy the process and the experience!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it. Now we just have to wait for May 16th, when Part 1 of Bridgerton Season 3 finally comes out!

Gemma

xxx

Macarons are one of my favourite things in the whole world- I love making them and I really love eating them. It will be no surprise, then, that I’ve created a macaron recipe for this series- not only are they delicious, but they’re perfect for afternoon tea- I mean, they’re fancy and dainty- the perfect combination! Also, macarons frequently appear on the dessert tables depicted in the show itself, so they’re right on theme!

Table of Contents

• Inspiration
• Ingredients
• Making the Macaron Shells
  • Achieving the Perfect Blue Colour
  • Decorating the Shells
• Making the Earl Grey Cream Filling
• Assembling the Macarons
• Earl Grey Macaron Recipe

Inspiration

As I mentioned, I knew I wanted to create a macaron recipe for my Bridgerton-themed dessert table- it was just a question of what flavour I would make them! I opted to flavour these macarons with Earl Grey tea- which is a type of black tea flavoured with bergamot that is very popular in the UK. Admittedly, I don’t think it was around back in the Regency Era, but no matter- it gives such fancy, afternoon tea vibes that I’m going to let it slide. If you can’t find/don’t like Earl Grey, you can absolutely substitute your favourite black tea!

I decided to colour my macaron shells (now that I have finally learned how to do it!) blue, as a nod to the iconic Bridgerton Blue colour that runs throughout the show. I also decorated the shells, just to make them that little bit fancier, with a drizzle of white chocolate and a sprinkle of tea leaves. I’m so happy with how these macarons turned out- I think they really encapsulate the elaborate, yet classic, opulence of the show’s aesthetic. Also, they taste delicious too, so it all works out!

Ingredients

For the macaron shells, you will need the following ingredients:

• Ground almonds

This gives the macarons their iconic, nutty taste and texture. The almonds need to be very finely ground, so don’t skimp on the sieving/blitzing steps.

• Icing sugar

One of the two types of sugar in the shells, the icing sugar is mixed into a paste with the almonds and half of the egg whites.

• Egg whites

You don’t need the yolks for this recipe, so set them aside for a different recipe. You really do need to weigh your egg whites for this recipe, because macarons are very particular about ratios and quantities!

• Caster sugar

The second type of sugar. Caster sugar is heated with the water to form a sugar syrup, which is used to make the Italian meringue.

• Water

This is heated with the caster sugar to make the sugar syrup.

• Blue food colouring

It’s very important that you use the right food colouring when making macarons- it needs to be a water-based, gel food colouring. It is best to use a darker food colouring than the colour you are aiming for, because the meringue lightens the colour significantly when added. Using a darker colour also means you can use a smaller amount of colouring to achieve the right shade, which in turns means that you are less likely to affect the structure of the macaron batter and more likely to get perfect macarons! For these macarons, I used the Colour Mill Aqua Blend Food Colouring in the shade Denim.

To decorate the shells, you will also need:

• White chocolate

You only need a small amount to drizzle onto the shells- this adds decoration and gives the tea leaves something to stick to!

• Earl Grey tea leaves

Or whatever tea leaves you plan to use in your filling- sprinkling a little pinch of crushed tea leaves onto the tops of the macarons adds a little bit of decoration, but also makes it clear that the macarons are flavoured with tea, so no one gets any unwelcome surprises.

For the Earl Grey Cream Filling, you will need:

• Double cream

In the US, use heavy cream.

• Earl Grey tea leaves

Or your choice of black tea leaves. It’s important to use loose leaf tea here, not tea bags, to impart the best flavour, but also to keep the amount of cream the same- the cream tends to stick to teabags, so you end up losing quite a bit when you remove them. You may have to strain out the tea leaves, but it’s much more efficient than using tea bags!

• Corn flour

This helps to thicken the filling, making it extra smooth and creamy.

• Caster sugar

Caster sugar adds sweetness to the filling.

• White chocolate

A small amount of white chocolate is added to both sweeten the filling and help it set to a nice, firm and pipeable consistency.

• Unsalted butter

Like the white chocolate, this helps the filling to firm up, but it also emulsifies into the mixture to create a super creamy, silky texture.

Making the Macaron Shells

I have done a lot of posts on making macaron shells here on the blog, so I won’t be doing a deep dive into that here. If you want a complete walkthrough of the process, you can find my master macaron post here. For this post, though, I’ll be focusing on two things: 1) getting the shells the perfect shade of Bridgerton Blue and 2) decorating them with the white chocolate drizzle and tea leaf sprinkle.

I did make these macarons a little smaller than I usually make them, just to make them even daintier! When piping them, I used a template with 2.5 cm diameter circles as a guide. This means that this recipe makes more macarons in total than my other recipes, despite using the same amount of each ingredient, but the finished macarons are ever so slightly smaller. Just something to be aware of!

Achieving the Perfect Blue Colour

As I mentioned earlier, the food colouring you use is incredibly important when it comes to colouring macaron shells. Your food colouring must be water-based (oil is the enemy of the macaron!) and in gel form, otherwise it will affect the consistency of your batter, which will, in turn, affect your finished macarons. For the same reason, it’s important to use as little food colouring as possible, so I always use a darker food colouring than the shade I want my finished macarons to be. That way, you can add fewer drops of colouring to achieve the same colour.

For these macarons, I used Colour Mill’s Aqua Blend Food Colouring, in the shade Denim. This brand of food colouring is my absolute favourite for macarons, because they have such a broad range of colours and work perfectly. Make sure you are using the Aqua Blend range, which is the water-based alternative to the standard Colour Mill oil-based colouring. The standard range won’t work for macarons!

I like to add the food colouring to the almond, icing sugar and egg white paste. Adding it at this stage means you can ensure that it is fully incorporated, so the colour of your shells will be consistent, and you don’t have to worry about over-mixing your macaron batter later.

When I made these macarons, I made a half batch (there were a lot of other sweet snacks around at the time) and used 15 drops of Denim food colouring. The reason I specify this is that, logically, that should mean a full batch of macarons would require 30 drops of colouring, but, unfortunately, colouring isn’t usually vey logical. I would recommend starting with 15 and adding more if needed to achieve your desired shade. For reference, my almond/icing sugar/egg white mixture was this colour after 15 drops:

I know, I know- it looks DARK but, as I mentioned, once you mix in the meringue the colour lightens drastically. For comparison, this is how the macarons look once piped:

And this is how the piped macarons look once they’re baked:

A much more palatable colour, right?

One final thing regarding colouring macaron shells: it’s particularly important that you keep an eye on them while they’re baking and don’t over-bake them! If they start to brown at all, it will affect the colour of the shells and all your hard work might be ruined…

Decorating the Shells

As I mentioned, I decided to decorate these shells, just to make them extra fancy. This is so easy to do, but it makes a big difference!

Melt a small amount of white chocolate (I do this in the microwave) until it is completely smooth and quite thin, so that you can easily drizzle it over the shells (I find that you don’t need to worry about tempering when you’re using such a small quantity).

I used a spoon to drizzle the liquid chocolate back and forth over half of the macaron shells- keeping my drizzles to one side of the shells. If you want a bit more control, you could use a always piping bag with a small, round nozzle (or even just snip the tip off!). I like to pair up my macaron shells before doing this, to ensure I have even macarons and know which half of the shells to decorate!

While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle over a few tea leaves, crushing them between your fingertips as you scatter them on.

Allow the shells to sit at room temperature until the chocolate has hardened. Once they’re set, you can get on with filling them!

Making the Earl Grey Cream Filling

This Earl Grey Cream Filling is a slightly adapted version of the Ladurée vanilla cream filling I made for my Heart-Shaped Macarons back in February. This version is infused with Earl Grey tea and piped into the shells, to give the macarons a classy look and flavour!

The first step is to infuse the cream. Place the cream into a small saucepan and bring to just below a simmer over medium-low heat.

Once the cream is hot, add the loose leaf Earl Grey tea.

Stir to combine, then cover and set aside to infuse for 15 minutes.

Once the cream has infused, strain it through a sieve to remove the tea leaves. Press down with the back of a spoon to extract as much of the flavour (and cream) as possible.

Gradually add 1-2 tbsp of the infused cream to the cornflour, stirring well until it forms a smooth, creamy paste.

Put the remaining cream back into the saucepan and add the sugar. Bring the mixture back up to just below a simmer, again over medium-low heat, stirring every now and then to help the sugar dissolve and prevent the cream from catching.

Once the sugar has dissolved and the cream is hot, gradually whisk in the cornflour mixture. Turn the heat to low and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture has thickened.

Pour the thickened mixture into a bowl and stir in the chocolate, a little at a time, ensuring that each addition is fully melted before adding more. The mixture will start to thicken a little as the chocolate is incorporated.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor (I use a mini one, for ease!) and add a cube of butter. Pulse until the butter is incorporated, then add another cube and pulse again. Repeat this process until all of the butter has been incorporated and you have a thick, emulsified mixture.

Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and cover the surface directly with clingfilm. Place into the fridge to chill for 1-2 hours, until pipeable. If left for too long, the mixture will firm up too much to pipe, so keep an eye on it! If this does happen, you can either just spread/spoon it onto the shells, or warm it ever so slightly in the microwave to bring it back to a pipeable consistency.

Assembling the Macarons

When you’re ready to assemble the macarons, transfer the Earl Grey filling to a piping bag, fitted with a medium, open-star nozzle.

Pipe a rosette of filling onto the underside of one of the undecorated shells.

Complete the sandwich with a decorated macaron shell, gently pressing the two shells together to keep everything together.

Repeat for the remaining macarons, then serve. The macarons can be kept out of the fridge for several hours, but should be kept in the fridge if they are made any further ahead than that. If stored in an airtight container in the fridge, the filled macarons should keep for a couple of days.

Earl Grey Macaron Recipe

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Earl Grey Macarons

Bridgerton Blue macaron shells, drizzled with white chocolate and sprinkled with Earl Grey tea leaves, are filled with an Earl Grey-infused cream filling to make the perfect, fancy treat for parties, afternoon teas and watching Bridgerton!

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Keyword Earl Grey, Italian macarons, macaron, White Chocolate

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 11 minutes minutes

Chill Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 11 minutes minutes

Servings 24 macarons

Equipment

• 1 small(ish), round piping nozzle
• 1 medium, open-star piping nozzle
• 2 piping bags

Ingredients

For the macaron shells:

• 95 g ground almonds
• 103 g icing sugar
• 72 g egg whites, split into two equal portions (2x36g).
• 95 g caster sugar
• 30 ml water
• Blue water-based gel food colouring (see Note 1).

For the Earl Grey cream filling:

• 150 ml double cream
• 1 1/2 tbsp loose leaf Earl Grey tea
• 2 1/2 tsp cornflour
• 75 g caster sugar
• 25 g white chocolate, finely chopped.
• 35 g unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature.

To decorate:

• 40 g white chocolate, melted.
• Loose leaf Earl Grey tea

Instructions

Make the macaron shells:

• Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Fit a piping bag with a small(ish), round nozzle (mine was 6mm in diameter) and set aside.
• Place the ground almonds and icing sugar into a food processor. Pulse 10 times, then sift into a large bowl, discarding any large lumps. Repeat this process once more, so that you are left with a very fine powder.
• Add one of the 36g portions of egg white to the almond/icing sugar mixture, along with about 15 drops of blue food colouring. Mix well to form a paste with an even, dark blue colour, then set aside. If needed, add more food colouring to achieve desired shade.
• Place the remaining 36g of egg white into the clean (see Note 2), metal bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Leave aside while you make the sugar syrup.
• Place the caster sugar into a small saucepan with the 30ml of water. Place over a medium heat and bring to a boil. Do not stir- swirl gently if necessary. Allow the syrup to continue bubbling, while monitoring the temperature with a digital sugar thermometer.
• When the syrup has reached 114°C, turn the stand mixer to high speed and begin to whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Keep the syrup over the heat.
• Once the sugar syrup reaches 118°C, the egg whites should have reached soft peaks. With the mixer still running on high speed, carefully pour the syrup down the side of the bowl in a slow, steady stream. Once all of the syrup has been added, turn the mixer up to full speed and beat for 5 minutes, or until stiff peaks are achieved and the metal bowl has come to room temperature.
• When the meringue is ready, add 1/3 of it to the blue almond mixture. Mix vigorously to combine the two mixtures and loosen the thick paste.
• Add the rest of the meringue and fold it in, using a figure of eight motion, until the mixture is cohesive and comes off the spatula in ribbons- if you leave those ribbons for 30 seconds they should level themselves out into the rest of the mixture.
• Transfer the macaron batter to the prepared piping bag. Holding the bag vertically to the baking tray, pipe macarons about 2.5cm in diameter.
• Once the macarons are piped, lift the whole tray and drop it down onto the work surface a few times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Use a sharp knife/cocktail stick to burst any remaining bubbles, letting the mixture fall back on itself.
• Set the macarons aside at room temperature to form a skin- on a relatively dry day, this should take about 30-40 minutes, but can take less time on drier, warmer days and more time on cold, humid days. Check on the macarons every 10-15 minutes or so, if unsure. The macarons will be ready when you can gently touch their surfaces without any batter coming off on your finger.
• When the macarons are almost ready, preheat the oven to 165°C fan. When the macarons are ready and the oven is hot, bake the macarons in the centre of the oven, one tray at a time, for 11 minutes. To check if they are done, place a finger on top of the shells and wiggle gently. When done, the tops of the macarons should not wobble. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the tray before decorating/filling.

Make the Earl Grey cream filling:

• Place the cream into a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to just below a simmer. Add the Earl Grey tea, stir to combine, then cover and set aside to infuse at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes strain the cream through a fine mesh sieve to remove the tea, pressing it to extract even more flavour.
• Gradually mix 1-2 tbsp of the cream into the cornflour, until it forms a smooth, creamy paste. Set aside.
• Return the cream to the saucepan and add the sugar. Heat on medium-low, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture comes to just below a simmer again.
• With the pan still on the heat, whisk in the cornflour mixture until it is completely incorporated. Turn the heat down to low and keep cooking the mixture, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes, until it becomes thick and glossy.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add a small amount of the finely chopped white chocolate. Stir to combine and, once that chocolate has melted into the mixture, add a little more. Repeat this process until all of the chocolate has been incorporated.
• Pour the mixture into the bowl of a food processor and add a cube of the diced butter. Pulse until the butter has been completely incorporated, then add another cube and repeat. Keep going until all of the butter has been incorporated.
• Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and cover the surface directly with clingfilm. Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours, until firm and pipeable. If left for too long, the mixture will become stiff and hard to pipe. If needed, gently reheat the mixture to bring it back down to the right consistency.

Decorate the macaron shells:

• While the filling is chilling, decorate the macaron shells. Pair up the macarons, matching them as well as possible in terms of size/shape.
• Drizzle one side of half of the shells (one from each pair) with white chocolate. I used a spoon to do this, but you can use a piping bag with the tip snipped off, if you prefer.
• While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with Earl Grey tea leaves, crushing the leaves between your fingers as you sprinkle them. Allow the shells to sit at room temperature until the chocolate has set, before assembling.

Assemble the macarons:

• Transfer the filling to a piping bag, fitted with a medium, open-star tip, ready to fill the macarons.
• Pipe a rosette of filling onto the underside of each of the undecorated macarons. Press the decorated macaron shells on top, sandwiching the filling in the middle and serve. The filled macarons can sit at room temperature for several hours, but any longer and they should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, where they will keep for a couple of days.

Notes

1. You must use a water-based, gel food colouring when making macarons. I like Colour Mill’s Aqua Blend range. For these macarons, I used the shade Denim. 
2. To clean the bowl and the whisk for meringue, rub a small amount of white wine vinegar over both using a piece of kitchen roll. This will remove any traces of fat/residue that might prevent your meringue from whipping up properly.

Today’s recipe is for these Mini Orange & Olive Oil Layer Cakes with Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing! The name may be a bit of a mouthful, but they’re so delicious that I don’t even mind!

Table of Contents

• Inspiration
• Ingredients
• Making the Orange and Olive Oil Cakes
• Making the Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing
• Assembling the Mini Layer Cakes
• Mini Orange and Olive Oil Layer Cakes with Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing Recipe

Inspiration

These layer cakes are inspired by the male lead of the upcoming season: Colin Bridgerton. Colin’s love of travelling is a recurring theme throughout the series, and he seems to have a particular fondness for exploring the Mediterranean, so I wanted to create a cake that felt fresh, sunny and incorporated some of the flavours and ingredients that I associate with the region. I ended up with this moist, light orange cake, which is made using olive oil (as a little nod to Colin’s olive joke in Season 2 that makes me giggle every time). I also decided to turn the sponges into these little mini layer cakes, to make them extra special and fit for an afternoon tea-style dessert table. I actually used my Moroccan Meskouta recipe as a starting point for the cake recipe- I just adapted it ever so slightly to use olive oil (instead of regular oil), and for baking in mini sandwich tins (as opposed to a bundt tin). While I don’t think Colin ever mentions going to Morocco, it is technically a Mediterranean country, so I’m rolling with it.

I filled and decorated each cake with a light and tangy Greek yoghurt icing, to really drive home the Mediterranean theming (though my research tells me Greek yoghurt is really just strained yoghurt and not necessarily Greek at all, which is kind of embarrassing for me, but also, what can you do?). Instead of using sugar to sweeten the icing, I opted to use honey, as a nod to one of the most iconic recurring motifs in the show: the bee. The resulting icing is a light, creamy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet topping that marries perfectly with the bright, zesty cake.

Ingredients

To make the orange and olive oil cake batter, you will need:

• Caster sugar

It’s best to use caster sugar, as opposed to granulated sugar, because it dissolves more easily as you beat it into the eggs.

• Oranges

For this recipe, you need both the zest and the juice. You’ll need the zest of two large oranges, but only 60ml of freshly squeezed juice, which is about one orange’s worth, so you’ll have some fruit leftover.

• Eggs

As always, I’m using large eggs.

• Extra virgin olive oil

It’s important to use a strong olive oil here, to impart both flavour and colour. The stronger the olive oil, the more noticeable it will be in the finished cake. Whatever you use, though, it will lend a lovely moistness to the cake- so you’ll be happy either way!

• Plain flour

I use plain flour to ensure I have control over the amount of baking powder in the batter. If you only have self-raising flour to hand, I would recommend omitting the baking powder.

• Baking powder

Baking powder helps the cakes to rise and develop a light and fluffy texture.

• Salt

Just a pinch- to help bring out the other flavours.

For the icing, you will need:

• Greek yoghurt

For a Greek yoghurt icing, you obviously need Greek yoghurt! I recommend using full-fat yoghurt for the best results.

• Double cream

This is mixed with the Greek yoghurt to give the icing a lovely, light texture, but also stiffens the icing, so that it can be piped. If you’re in the US, use heavy cream.

• Honey

To sweeten the icing. Use a honey that you like the taste of, because it will also flavour the icing. I recommend using a runny honey for this recipe.

I decorated my mini layer cakes with some edible dried flowers, which you can find here (though this pack contains a variety of sizes and some are a little too big for these mini cakes! You could also try this pack, which contains fewer large flowers!). However, you can obviously decorate these cakes however you like- you could leave them plain, dust them with icing sugar, sprinkle over some more orange zest or even place on a few pieces of candied orange peel on top. It’s completely up to you!

Making the Orange and Olive Oil Cakes

To make these mini layer cakes, you need the right tin. This mini sandwich tin from Lakeland is essentially a 12-hole cupcake tin, except each cavity has straight sides and an individual, removable base. If you don’t want to buy a whole new tin, you can absolutely just make these cakes in cupcake form, or make a big cake and stamp out the circles using a cookie cutter.

Once you have the tin, you need to prepare it. I like to use my DIY Cake Release to grease the tin for this recipe, because this cake batter does have a tendency to stick to the sides of the tin without it. Just use a pastry brush to cover each cavity with a thin layer of cake release, which will help to ensure your cakes come out easily and have a perfectly golden edge all around (which is important, because these mini layer cakes will have naked sides!). I like to cut little circles of greaseproof paper and stick them onto the bottom of each cavity, too, just to make it even easier to get the cakes out, but this is optional.

Now, you can get to baking! Set the prepared tin aside and preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional oven).

Place the caster sugar and orange zest into a large bowl and mix together, using the back of a spoon to really press the ingredients into each other, until the zest is evenly distributed throughout the sugar. This helps to extract every bit of flavour from the zest.

Then, add the eggs and whisk (I like to use a handheld electric whisk for this, but you could use a freestanding mixer, if you prefer) until the ribbon stage is achieved. When the mixture is ready, it should be pale and creamy. The mixture should be falling off the beaters in ‘ribbons’ (hence the ‘ribbon’ stage), with which you should be able to draw a figure of eight before they settle back into the rest of the mixture.

At this point, you can add the olive oil. With the mixer going, add the oil to the mixture in a slow, continuous stream and mix until completely incorporated.

Next, add the freshly squeezed orange juice and mix again, to combine.

Finally, sift in the dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder and salt). Use a large, metal spoon to carefully fold them into the mixture, until no streaks of flour remain.

Divide the mixture between the 12 holes of the prepared tin, then bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes have turned a deep, golden colour and a sharp knife/skewer comes out clean (or with only a few moist crumbs).

Allow the cakes to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before using your fingers to gently pull the cakes away from the side of the tin. Once the tray is cool enough to handle, push the cakes out from the bottom, using the removable bases of the tin to help you, and transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and decorating.

Making the Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing

This icing is super quick and easy to make- you literally put all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk! Again, I like to use a handheld electric whisk for this, but you can use a freestanding mixer, if you prefer. You can even use a hand whisk, if you’re feeling particularly energetic!

Place the Greek yoghurt, cream and honey into a large bowl.

Whip on high speed until the mixture is thick and just about holding a stiff peak- you want it to hold its shape when piped, but not to be over-whipped and turn into a strange, tangy butter hybrid situation. Not the vibe.

And that’s it! You can always add more/less honey if you want to make it more/less sweet, so do whatever works for you. Transfer the icing to a piping bag, fitted with a small(ish), round nozzle and you can get to assembling!

Assembling the Mini Layer Cakes

Once the cakes are completely cool and your icing is whipped and ready to go, you can assemble your cakes.

Start by using a small, serrated knife to cut each cake into 3 horizontal layers. The cakes are pretty sturdy, but you still want to use a gentle, sawing motion here to prevent any breakage.

To fill the cakes, I opted to pipe little dollops of icing all around the circumference of the layers, then filled the remaining space in the middle with one, bigger dollop. This gives the cakes are super pretty, professional look once they are stacked up, but you can fill them however you like- if you don’t have a piping bag, you could always just spread the icing on with the back of a spoon! It’s completely up to you.

Pipe the icing onto the bottom layer of each cake, then sandwich the middle layers right on top. Repeat the piping process all over again, before finishing off each cake with their final, domed top layer.

Once the cakes are filled, it’s time to ice the tops. I used the same icing pattern for the top, and pressed one edible dried flower onto the larger, middle dollop on each cake, as decoration.

And that’s it! Your mini layer cakes are ready! Once filled, they are best eaten right away, but will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days (as long as the icing ingredients are still within their use by dates, of course).

Mini Orange and Olive Oil Layer Cakes with Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing Recipe

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Mini Orange and Olive Oil Layer Cakes with Greek Yoghurt and Honey Icing

Inspired by Colin Bridgerton's travels around the Mediterranean, these mini layer cakes are the perfect, summer-y afternoon treat to enjoy while watching an episode of Bridgerton!

Course Dessert, Snack

Keyword Greek yoghurt, Honey, Mini layer cakes, Olive oil, Orange

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 12 cakes

Equipment

• 1 x 12-hole mini sandwich tin (see Note 1).

Ingredients

For the orange and olive oil cakes:

• 150 g caster sugar
• 2 oranges, zested.
• 2 eggs
• 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 60 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed (about 1 orange).
• 125 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt

For the Greek yoghurt and honey icing:

• 340 g full-fat Greek yoghurt
• 170 ml double cream
• 2 tbsp runny honey (or to taste).

Instructions

Make the orange and olive oil cakes:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Brush each cavity of the mini sandwich tin with a thin layer of DIY Cake Release (see Note 2) and line the bases with a circle of greaseproof paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and the orange zest, using the back of a spoon to press the ingredients into each other, until the zest is evenly distributed throughout the sugar.
• Add the eggs to the sugar and zest mixture, then beat, using an electric whisk on high speed, until the mixture reaches the ribbon stage.
• With the mixer running, add the oil to the mixture in a slow and steady stream, whisking until it is completely incorporated.
• Add the orange juice and whisk again to combine.
• Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, then fold in using a large, metal spoon until no streaks of flour remain.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 cavities of the prepared tin, then bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes have turned a deep, golden colour and a sharp knife/skewer comes out clean (or with only a few moist crumbs).
• Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then use your fingertips to gently pry each one away from the edges of the tin. Once the tin is cool enough to handle, remove the cakes from the tin, using the removable bases to push them out from the bottom, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and decorating.

Make the Greek yoghurt and honey icing:

• Place the Greek yoghurt, double cream and honey into a large bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer (or your preferred utensil), whip on high speed until the icing just about holds stiff peaks.
• Transfer the icing to a piping bag, fitted with a small, round nozzle, ready to fill the cakes.

Assemble the mini layer cakes:

• Use a small, serrated knife to cut each of the cooled cakes into 3 horizontal layers.
• Pipe a concentric circle of icing dollops around the circumference of each of the bottom cake layers, then fill the gap in the middle with one larger dollop.
• Sandwich the middle cake layers on top of the bottom layers, then repeat the piping process again and top with the final, domed cake layers.
• Pipe a final layer of icing on top of each cake, then decorate with an edible dried flower, or your choice of decoration, and serve. The cakes are best served on the day they are assembled, but will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days (as long as the icing ingredients are within their use by dates).

Notes

1. I got my mini sandwich tin from Lakeland. You can find it here.
2. You can find my recipe for DIY Cake Release here. I strongly recommend using this for these cakes, as they have a tendency to stick to the tins without it!

Next up are these Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes. They’re fresh, zingy and my ode to Penelope Featherington, the female lead of Bridgerton Season 3!

Table of Contents

• Inspiration
• Ingredients
• Making the Lemon & Elderflower Curd
• Making the Lemon Fairy Cakes
• Making the Elderflower Ermine Buttercream
• Assembling the Butterfly Cakes
• Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes Recipe

Inspiration

As I mentioned, this cake is inspired by the female lead of Bridgerton Season 3: Penelope Featherington. In the first two seasons, it’s a running joke that Penelope’s outfits are all very… yellow… so I thought lemon would be a fitting flavour for her cake. I wanted to make these cakes extra fancy, so I added some elderflower flavour too (with the help of elderflower cordial). Lemon and elderflower is a flavour combination that has become super popular in recent years (particularly after the 2018 Royal Wedding!), and it just tastes so light and fresh and sweet- exactly the right vibe for my Bridgerton Watch Party!

There are numerous motifs that run throughout the Bridgerton series and make their way into the costumes, hairstyles and settings. Penelope Featherington (indeed, the whole Featherington family) is typically paired with the motif of a butterfly, so it couldn’t not turn these lemon and elderflower cakes into butterfly cakes. Butterfly cakes are such a nostalgic treat to me- I’m not sure if they’re particularly common outside of the UK, but I grew up baking them. Essentially, a butterfly cake is just a fairy cake (not a cupcake- fairy cakes are kind of… squatter versions of cupcakes?), with the top cut off in a shallow cone shape. The cut-off piece of cake is then cut in half, down the middle, to make two ‘wings’. The hollow left in the cake is filled- usually with jam and cream, but it can be with anything (in this case, with a lemon and elderflower curd, along with an elderflower buttercream)- and the cake ‘wings’ are placed back on top at an angle, to make the cakes look like a little butterflies. It’s such an effective way of making a simple cake look super pretty!

Ingredients

For these Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes, you will need:

• Eggs

You need eggs for both the lemon cake batter and the lemon & elderflower curd. As always, I use large eggs.

• Lemons

For a lemon cake, you need lemons! You’ll need the zest and juice for both the curd and the cake batter.

• Caster sugar

You’ll need caster sugar for all three elements of these cakes, so it’s pretty important!

• Unsalted butter

You will need unsalted butter for both the curd and the buttercream. While I use Stork for my cake batters, I don’t recommend using it for curd/buttercream- stick to regular butter for these elements.

• Stork

As always, I like to use Stork for my cake batters, because I think it gives a lighter, fluffier cake. If you can’t find Stork, or would prefer not to use it, you can substitute it for an equal amount of softened, unsalted butter.

• Elderflower cordial

Elderflower cordial is a super easy, year-round way of getting elderflower flavour into baked goods. You’ll be adding this to both the curd and the buttercream to impart a lovely, floral flavour.

• Plain flour

Plain flour is used in the cake batter, but it is also an important ingredient in the ermine buttercream (I know it sounds weird, but trust me! It’s delicious).

• Baking powder

This helps the fairy cakes to rise, making them light and fluffy.

• Salt

Just a little pinch- to bring out all of the other flavours.

• Milk

Milk is used in both the cake batter and the buttercream to help achieve the right consistency for each one. While you absolutely can use skimmed milk in both elements (and I usually do because that’s what we typically have in the house!), using whole milk, particularly for the buttercream, will make it extra creamy and luxurious, so use that if you have it.

• Icing sugar

Just a small amount, for dusting over the finished butterfly cakes.

Making the Lemon & Elderflower Curd

The lemon & elderflower curd needs time to chill in the fridge, so get that out of the way first, before you make the cupcakes. You can even make it a few days in advance, if you like, and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. This recipe makes significantly more lemon curd than you will need to fill the fairy cakes, but, unless you fancy attempting to split an egg (which, admittedly, I have done in the past- so it’s not impossible if you’re desperate!), it’s for the best. In fact, the curd is delicious on toast, pancakes (the list goes on), so it won’t be wasted!

A quick confession before we start: I make curd in a bit of a sacrilegious way- I make the whole thing in a saucepan, straight over direct heat. I know you’re supposed to make it over a bain marie, so that you don’t scramble the eggs, but… I’ve never successfully made curd like that… I’ve just never been very good with double boilers. Sigh. Anyway, the point: if you’re used to making curd over a bain marie- do that! The quantities and everything will be exactly the same. In this post, however, I’ll be explaining how I make it in a saucepan.

Start by whisking together the egg, caster sugar, lemon zest and juice in a small saucepan. By whisking these ingredients together really well at this stage, you reduce the possibility of there being any big pieces of egg that might scramble.

Then, add the diced butter. Dicing the butter helps it to melt more quickly and adding it to the pan afterwards just makes it easier to whisk the initial ingredients together.

Put the pan over a medium-low heat and stir constantly with a heatproof spatula as the butter melts. I prefer to use a spatula, because sometimes I get carried away with my stirring and make my curd frothy if I use a whisk, but you can use a whisk if you prefer.

When the butter has melted, keep the pan over the heat and keep stirring. After a few minutes, the curd will start to thicken. Keep stirring until it is nice and thick, then remove it from the heat.

At this point, you want to push the curd through a fine, heatproof sieve into a small bowl, just to remove any pieces of egg that you might have missed. Honestly, I always do this, even when I attempt to make curd over a bain marie, so I don’t feel like it’s an extra faff or anything. I usually get a couple of pieces of egg left in the sieve, along with the zest (but that’s okay, because, by this point, the zest has already imparted all of its zestiness) and am left with a super smooth, super luscious (and, most importantly, super speedy) lemon curd.

Once you have a silky-smooth curd, add the elderflower cordial and stir it through. By adding the cordial at this stage, after the cooking process, you preserve its fresh, zingy flavour.

Cover with cling film, making sure to press it directly onto the surface of the curd, to prevent a skin from forming, then place it into the fridge for at least an hour, to chill and thicken up even more, before using.

Making the Lemon Fairy Cakes

For these cakes, I’ve used the reverse-creaming method. The reason for this is two-fold: firstly, this method gives a slightly more close-textured cake, which makes it easier to cut out the ‘wings’ from the cakes later. Secondly, the reverse-creaming method requires a higher proportion of liquid ingredients, which means you can add extra lemon juice to the cake batter and get a more intense lemon flavour in your cupcakes. It’s a win-win, right?

Start by preheating the oven to 180°C (conventional oven). Line a fairy cake tray with fairy cake cases and set aside. A quick note here: fairy cake cases are not the same as cupcake cases- in the photo above, the cupcake case is on the left, whereas the fairy cake case is on the right. As you can see, the cupcake case is significantly taller. You can find fairy cake cases in most supermarkets.

For the cake batter, place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest into the bowl of a freestanding mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed briefly, just to combine all of the ingredients, then add the Stork (or softened unsalted butter, if you’re using that instead).

Mix on low-medium speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, milk and lemon juice in a jug. When the flour mixture is ready, keep the mixer running while you gradually pour in the wet ingredients.

Once you have added all of the liquid, turn the mixer up to high speed and beat for 30-60 seconds, until the cake batter looks smooth and silky.

Divide the batter evenly between the 12 fairy cake cases (they should be about 3/4 full). The batter is quite liquid, so I find it easiest to transfer it to a jug first and then pour it into the cases. Once the cases are filled, bake the cakes in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown and spring back when pressed gently.

As always, I like to remove the cakes from the tin as soon as they come out of the oven, to prevent the bottoms from becoming greasy. Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before assembling the cakes.

Making the Elderflower Ermine Buttercream

Ermine buttercream, also known as ‘boiled milk’ or ‘flour’ buttercream, is a little kooky, but it’s silky-smooth and significantly less sweet than a typical American buttercream, so I’m a big fan of it. It works particularly well in this recipe, because it can take the extra sweetness of the elderflower cordial. To make ermine buttercream, you make a sweet, flour-based ‘pudding’, which you then whisk into softened butter to make the buttercream. I know it sounds weird, but it works!

You need to make the pudding element ahead of time, so that it has enough time to cool down to room temperature (though this doesn’t take very long- only about 30-40 minutes). I usually make it before I make the fairy cakes themselves, then finish the buttercream off once it’s time to assemble them. To make it, place the flour, caster sugar, salt and milk into a small saucepan over medium heat.

Whisk the ingredients together as they melt, then keep whisking until the mixture turns into a thick pudding. Please don’t be alarmed by the fact that it looks vaguely grey at this stage- I promise that the finished icing won’t be grey!

Transfer the pudding to a shallow dish and cover the surface directly with cling film, then leave it to cool down to room temperature before proceeding with the buttercream.

Once the pudding has cooled to room temperature and you’re ready to assemble the cupcakes, you can finish making the buttercream. Place the softened butter into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft, fluffy and significantly paler in colour.

Add a spoonful of the cooled pudding mixture and whisk until completely combined.

Keep going, adding a spoonful of pudding at a time and whisking between each addition, until all of the pudding has been incorporated.

At this point, you can add the elderflower cordial. Mix again to incorporate the cordial fully and then your elderflower ermine icing is ready to go!

Assembling the Butterfly Cakes

Once your cupcakes are cool, your buttercream is ready and your curd is nice and chilled, you can assemble your cupcakes!

The first thing you need to do is cut out the cake for the wings. Use a small, sharp knife, at an angle, like in the photo.

Carve a shallow cone shape from the centre of each cupcake, like this.

Cut each of the cone-shaped pieces of cake in half, leaving you with two little cake ‘wings’ per cake.

Next, add a generous amount of lemon & elderflower curd into the hollow of each of the cakes.

Add a big dollop of elderflower buttercream right on top of the curd and spread it out so that it completely conceals the hollow beneath, but doesn’t go right to the edges of the cake itself. You can absolutely pipe the buttercream, if you prefer (I would recommend using a large, round nozzle for this), but I kept things simple by just using a spoon.

Once all of the cakes are filled, you can add the ‘wings’ back on. Push them into the buttercream at a slight angle, so the straight edges are aligned in the centre, making your fairy cakes look like little butterflies.

To finish off the butterfly cakes, I like to dust them with a little bit of icing sugar. After that final flourish, they’re done! As with most cakes, they’re best served on the day they’re made, but they will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes Recipe

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Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes

Inspired by Penelope Featherington, these lemon fairy cakes are filled with a lemon & elderflower curd, topped with an elderflower ermine buttercream and made to look like little butterflies with a simple trick. They're perfect for afternoon tea, birthday parties and, of course, for snacking on while watching Bridgerton!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine British

Keyword Butterfly cake, Elderflower, Ermine buttercream, Fairy cake, Lemon, Lemon curd

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Chill Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12 fairy cakes

Ingredients

For the lemon & elderflower curd:

• 1 egg
• 75 g caster sugar
• 1 lemon, zest and juice.
• 55 g unsalted butter, diced.
• 1 tbsp elderflower cordial

For the lemon fairy cakes:

• 125 g plain flour
• 125 g caster sugar
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 lemon, zest and juice.
• 50 g Stork (see Note 1).
• 1 egg
• 90 ml milk

For the elderflower ermine buttercream:

• 10 g plain flour
• 30 g caster sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 90 ml milk
• 75 g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp elderflower cordial (or to taste).

To serve:

• Icing sugar, for dusting.

Instructions

Make the lemon & elderflower curd:

• Place the egg, sugar, lemon zest and juice into a small saucepan. Whisk together until fully combined, then add the butter.
• Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir constantly with a spatula as the butter melts. Once melted, keep stirring over the heat until the curd becomes thick and smooth.
• Pass the curd through a heatproof, fine mesh sieve into a small bowl, to remove any bits of egg. Add the elderflower cordial to the strained curd and stir through to incorporate.
• Cover the surface of the curd directly with clingfilm, then place into the fridge to chill and thicken up even more (about an hour, but, if you prefer, you can make the curd in advance and store it like this in the fridge for 4-5 days).

Make the pudding base for the elderflower ermine buttercream:

• Place the flour, caster sugar, salt and milk into a small saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until the sugar has melted and the mixture has thickened into a smooth pudding.
• Pour the pudding into a shallow dish and cover the surface directly with clingfilm. Set aside to cool to room temperature while you make the lemon cakes.

Make the lemon fairy cakes:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional oven). Line a 12-hole fairy cake tray with fairy cake cases and set aside (see Note 2).
• Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest into the bowl of a freestanding mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly on low speed to combine.
• Add the Stork and mix again, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• In a jug, whisk together the egg, milk and lemon juice. With the mixer running, add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture in a slow, steady stream.
• Once all of the milk mixture has been added, turn the speed up to high and beat for 30-60 seconds, until a smooth batter has formed.
• Divide the mixture between the prepared fairy cake cases, then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown and spring back when their surfaces are pressed gently.
• As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely (this will prevent the cases from becoming greasy) before assembling.

Finish preparing the elderflower ermine buttercream:

• Place the softened butter into a large bowl and beat, using a handheld electric mixer, until soft, smooth and significantly paler in colour.
• Add a spoonful of the cooled pudding base to the whipped butter and whisk well to incorporate.
• Continue adding the pudding to the butter, a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition, until all of the pudding has been added.
• Add the elderflower cordial and whisk again to finish off the buttercream.

Assemble the butterfly cakes:

• Use a small, sharp knife to carve out a shallow, cone shape from the top of each fairy cake. Cut each of these cone shapes in half to make two 'wings'.
• Place a generous amount of lemon & elderflower curd in the cut-out hollow of each cake, then top with a dollop of elderflower buttercream. Use the back of a spoon to spread the buttercream out, so that it completely conceals the hollow beneath.
• For each cake, press the two 'wings' into the buttercream at an angle, so that their straight sides line up in the centre, like a butterfly.
• Dust the cakes with a small amount of sifted icing sugar and serve. The cakes are best served the day they are made, but will keep in an airtight container in the fridge, for 2-3 days, if needed.

Notes

1. As always, I like to use Stork in my cakes because I think it makes for a lighter, fluffier cake. If you cannot find Stork, or would prefer not to use it, use an equal amount of softened unsalted butter.
2. Fairy cake trays/cases are not the same as cupcake trays/cases. They are much flatter, so take a lot less batter and bake more quickly. You can find fairy cake cases at most supermarkets.

Today’s post is all about these super easy, 5-ingredient Lavender Shortbread Hearts. They’re quick to make, perfect for this time of year and super delicious- what’s not to love?

Table of Contents

• Inspiration
• Ingredients
• How to Make Lavender Shortbread Hearts
• Tips & Tricks for Perfect Shortbread
• Lavender Shortbread Hearts Recipe

Inspiration

I knew that I wanted to include some sort of biscuit on my dessert table and shortbread felt like the perfect choice! Not only is it delicious, it’s also a great, neutral base for incorporating other flavours. As well as this, from the promotional content I’ve seen so far, it looks like the newly recast Francesca Bridgerton will be playing a significant role in this season, after taking a bit of a backseat over the first two seasons. While I haven’t actually read the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn yet (I’m all confused because I usually read books before watching the tv/film adaptations, but I didn’t know these books existed at first and now I don’t want to ruin the series for myself by reading the books- especially because I’ve heard the show changes a lot? So I’m very much all in a pickle), from what I gather, Francesca ends up living in Scotland, so my Bridgerton-inspired spin on this classic, Scottish biscuit is my little ode to her character (and her new actress: Hannah Dodd!).

One of the things I love about Bridgerton is all the flowers. I know there’s a lot of artificial blooms and rather scandalous out-of-season situations (it drives my botanist parents INSANE), but I just love the whole flower-y, OTT vibe. I wanted to include some sort of floral flavour in this series, so I opted to flavour my shortbread biscuits with lavender. I associate lavender with the eldest Bridgerton sister, Daphne, mainly because of her gorgeous lilac dresses in Seasons 1 and 2 (I loved her purple outfits so much so that I actually knitted myself a lilac Daphne Top!). Francesca’s new look in the Season 3 promotional material feels very similar to Daphne’s style, so this shortbread recipe is kind of like my ode to those two debutante sisters (…sorry Eloise).

Also, I decided to cut my shortbread into heart shapes, because, you know, Bridgerton is a romantic series. Obviously, though, you can choose any shape you want for your shortbread!

Ingredients

To make these Lavender Shortbread Hearts, you only need 5 ingredients:

• Dried lavender

Make sure you buy culinary-grade dried lavender. I use this brand.

• Butter

You can use either salted or unsalted- whichever you have on hand. I tend to use unsalted, but, to be honest, it doesn’t make that much of a difference.

• Caster sugar

This gets creamed into the butter for the dough, then more is sprinkled on top of the baked biscuits to give them their characteristic, sparkly look and crunchy texture.

• Plain flour

Don’t use self-raising flour- you don’t want the cookies to rise, you want them to be crisp and snappy.

• Rice flour

Rice flour helps to give the shortbread its characteristic crumbly (or ‘short’, hence the name) texture. You can find rice flour in most supermarkets- try looking in the Free From aisle if you’re having trouble.

How to Make Lavender Shortbread Hearts

Start by preheating the oven to 180°C (conventional oven). Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and set aside.

Next, prepare your lavender by grinding it into a powder. This will ensure that the lavender flavour is evenly distributed throughout the shortbread (and that the texture of the biscuits stays consistent). I do this in a mortar and pestle, but you could use a spice grinder, if you prefer.

Once your lavender is prepared, you can start the shortbread dough. Place the softened butter and sugar into a large bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. You can do this by hand, with a wooden spoon, but I prefer to use a handheld electric mixer (you could also use a freestanding mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, if you have one).

When the butter and sugar are well-combined and the mixture is pale and fluffy, sift in both flours, then add the ground lavender.

Mix until the dough starts to come together.

Use your hands to finish bringing the dough together into a smooth ball, being careful not to overwork it (otherwise your shortbread might end up being a bit tough, which isn’t what you’re going for!).

Place the ball of dough onto a clean, lightly floured work surface and roll it out, until it’s about 1cm thick.

Using a heart-shaped cutter (or any cutter of your choosing), stamp out the shortbread and transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking tray. Re-roll as necessary (but as little as possible, to prevent over-working the dough).

Use a fork to prick each biscuit all over before baking. The holes will remain after baking, so try to keep them neat.

Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until just golden around the edges.

Dredge the biscuits with caster sugar as soon as you take them out of the oven (doing this straight away helps the sugar to stick), then allow them to cool completely on the tray before shaking off any excess sugar and serving. The shortbread can be made in advance- stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, it will keep for about 3-4 days.

Tips & Tricks for Perfect Shortbread

• Don’t overwork the dough

Overworking the dough can make your shortbread tough and oily, instead of soft and crumbly. Bring it together until it just forms a smooth ball, then re-roll the dough as little as possible by cutting out the individual biscuits as close together as you can. It’s not quite as important here as it is with, say, scones, but it is something to keep in mind.

• Always prick the biscuits before baking

Also known as ‘docking’, pricking shortbread before it bakes is a really important step. If you don’t, your shortbread will bubble up and bake unevenly- not only will it look a bit strange, but the structure of your biscuit will be all over the place! Make sure to prick the whole surface evenly- for these heart-shaped shortbread biscuits, I made 5 vertical lines of fork pricks on each biscuit, spacing them out so that no part of the biscuit would bubble. Just remember that these holes will stay after baking, so try and keep things looking pretty and even!

Lavender Shortbread Hearts Recipe

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Lavender Shortbread Hearts

Classic, crumbly shortbread with a fun twist- the lavender flavour and cute heart shape make these biscuits perfect for a Bridgerton-themed watch party.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Scottish

Keyword Lavender, Shortbread

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 10 – 12 biscuits

Equipment

• Heart-shaped cookie cutter

Ingredients

• 1/4 tsp dried lavender, (see Note 1).
• 60 g butter, softened (see Note 2).
• 30 g caster sugar, plus extra for dredging.
• 60 g plain flour
• 30 g rice flour

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional oven) Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and set aside.
• Grind the dried lavender into a powder. I use a mortar and pestle for this, but you could also use a spice grinder. Set aside.
• Place the softened butter into a medium-sized bowl, along with the caster sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy. I use an handheld electric whisk for this, but you could use a freestanding mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment) or a wooden spoon, if you prefer.
• Sift both flours into the butter mixture, then add the ground lavender. Mix briefly until a dough starts to form, then switch to your hands to bring the dough together into a smooth ball.
• Roll the dough out on a clean, lightly floured work surface, until it is about 1cm thick. Using the heart-shaped cutter, stamp out as many biscuits as possible and transfer them to the prepared baking tray. Re-roll and cut more shapes as needed, trying you best not to overwork the dough.
• Use a fork to prick the surface of each biscuit, to prevent the shortbread from bubbling up, then bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until just golden around the edges.
• As soon as the shortbread comes out of the oven, dredge each biscuit with extra caster sugar before allowing to cool completely on the tray. Once cool, shake off any excess sugar and serve. The shortbread will keep in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 3-4 days.

Notes

1. Make sure the dried lavender that you use is culinary-grade. I use this brand.
2. You can use either salted or unsalted butter for this recipe (the difference is barely noticeable), though I tend to use unsalted by preference. 

First up: these super tasty, fun and fruity Pear & Almond Scones (because you can’t have afternoon tea without scones, right?).

Let’s get into it!

Table of Contents

• Inspiration
• Ingredients
• Making the Scones
• Tips & Tricks for Making Perfect Scones
• Pear & Almond Scone Recipe

Inspiration

I will try desperately not to waffle here- but because I spent so long crafting these recipes, I did want to give you a little insight into how I was inspired by the show for each one! As I mentioned, you can’t have an afternoon tea without scones, so I knew there had to be some sort of scone recipe in this series.

In terms of the flavour choice, I cycled through a few different options before landing right back where I started, with my family’s favourite Pear & Almond scones. We first had these scones in Ireland, at a café called Avoca (I use the term ‘café’ lightly here- it’s more of an iconic chain of big store/café hybrids? Hard to explain- but they serve cheesecake slices that are, quite literally, the size of my head, so, naturally, it’s one of my favourite places). The Avoca scones are significantly bigger than the ones I make here, but I wanted to keep things dainty for my dessert table, so I fiddled around with the recipe a little to make that possible. The Bridgerton theme isn’t quite as strong with this recipe as some of the others, but I still think the fresh, fruity flavour really fits into the general, spring/summer aesthetic. Also, these scones are DeLiCiOuS, so I kind of just wanted to share the recipe anyway.

Ingredients

These Pear and Almond Scones are made from a sweetened, enriched dough. To make it, you will need:

• Unsalted butter

Cold, diced butter is rubbed into the dry ingredients to create flaky layers in the finished scones.

• Self-raising flour

Self-raising flour gives the scones lift, so they are super soft and fluffy.

• Baking powder

Baking powder gives the scones even more lift (so they’re super super soft and fluffy)!

• Caster sugar

The caster sugar lends a slight sweetness to the scones, making them super moreish.

• Pears

The pears lend sweetness, moisture and flavour to the scones. You can choose whether you want to grate the pears or finely dice them- using grated pears will make it easier to cut perfectly neat scones and produce a slightly moister result, but the pear flavour will be more prominent if you use diced pears. It’s up to you- just make sure to squeeze out any extra moisture from the grated pear, using a tea towel, if you decide to go down that route!

• Egg

This enriches the dough, making it extra delicious.

• Milk

Milk is added to the dough to help bring it together. It is also brushed on top of the scones before baking, to help the flaked almonds adhere.

• Vanilla extract

Vanilla extract nicely complements the pear and almond flavours.

• Flaked almonds

Flaked almonds are sprinkled on top to add almond flavour and a crunchy texture.

Making the Scones

Start by preheating the oven to 210°C (conventional oven). Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and set aside.

Next, prepare the pears. Peel and core each one, then either grate roughly, or finely dice. If you grate the pears, transfer the grated fruit to a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much juice as you can, otherwise the scone dough will be too wet. Set the prepared fruit aside while you get started on the dough.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then add the cold, diced butter.

Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the sugar to the bowl and stir through, then add the prepared pear and mix, just to get the pear evenly distributed throughout.

In a jug, whisk together the egg, milk and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until the mixture starts to come together.

Use your hands to bring the mixture together into a rough dough, then tip the whole lot onto a floured work surface.

Pat or roll out the dough until it is about 3cm thick. Using a 5cm fluted round cutter, and making sure to dip the cutter into some flour in between each cut, stamp out the scones, carefully transferring them to the prepared baking sheet as you go.

Brush the scones with a little milk, then sprinkle generously with flaked almonds.

Bake the scones in the middle of the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve the scones with your choice of accompaniment- I like clotted cream and strawberry jam, but butter, whipped cream and other jams are all popular choices too!

Tips & Tricks for Making Perfect Scones

• Don’t over-handle the dough

This is Scone 101: you want to handle the dough as little as possible for perfect, flaky scones! I like to use a blunt knife to mix the dough, then use my hands to bring it together. I know it’s tempting to knead the dough to get it into a smooth ball, but this will just make your scones tough! Tip the dough out onto your work surface before it has come together completely, then finish bringing it together as you pat it into shape. This way, you’ll end up with perfectly light, flaky scones every time.

• Keep the liquid to a minimum

Pears can be super juicy, so it’s very important that you keep an eye on how much liquid your adding to your dough. If your dough is too wet, your scones won’t rise properly! If you’re grating the pear, make sure to squeeze out as much of the juice as possible before adding the fruit to your mixture. If you’re dicing the pear and notice it’s particularly juicy, I would recommend decreasing the quantity of milk a little to account for the extra liquid.

• Flour the cutter

Scones have these iconic, flaky layers that puff up in the oven, but they can cause you a few problems, if you’re not careful. When you cut out the scones, it’s important that you don’t ‘seal’ the edges with your cutter- that is, that you don’t compress the flaky layers down into each other. If you do this, you run the risk of your scones not puffing up, or even baking up lopsided, like little Leaning Tower(s) of Pisa! To prevent this, make sure to flour your cutter in between each scone. Not only will this prevent the layers from sticking to each other as you press down, it will also make it much easier to get the scones out!

• Bake at a high temperature

Scones require a quick bake at a high temperature for maximum soft, flaky deliciousness. I bake these scones at 210°C (conventional oven), which is significantly higher than the original recipe, but gives perfect, fluffy scones every time.

• Serve the scones on the day you make them

Scones are one of those things that really are at their best on the day that they are baked. It’s a bit of a faff, but it’s worth it for the perfect scone. If you do have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 2-3 days, but they will start to dry out after the first day.

Pear & Almond Scone Recipe

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Pear & Almond Scones

Sweet scones filled with fresh pear and topped with flaked almonds- a perfect treat for an afternoon tea with a twist, or a Bridgerton watch party!

Course Dessert, Snack

Keyword Afternoon tea, almond, Pear, Scone

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 30 scones

Equipment

• 5cm Fluted round cutter

Ingredients

• 2 large pears
• 500 g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting.
• 1 rounded tsp baking powder
• 125 g unsalted butter, cold and diced.
• 65 g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 200 ml whole milk, plus extra for brushing.
• 3 drops vanilla extract
• Large handful of flaked almonds

To serve:

• Clotted cream & jam (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 210°C (conventional oven). Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and set aside.
• Peel and core the pears, then either roughly grate or finely dice (see Note 1). If grating, transfer the grated pear to a clean tea towel and squeeze to remove any excess liquid. Set aside.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub together, using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add the sugar to the bowl and stir through. Add the prepared pear and mix until evenly distributed.
• Whisk together the egg, milk and vanilla extract in a jug, then add to the flour mixture. Mix until the dough starts to come together, then use your hands to bring it into a rough dough, being careful not to overwork it.
• Tip the dough onto a clean, floured surface and pat/roll it into a disk about 3cm thick. Stamp out the scones using a fluted round cutter, making sure to dip the cutter in flour between each cut. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking tray as you go.
• Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk, then sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving with clotted cream and jam, if desired. Scones are best eaten on the day that they are baked, but can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 2-3 days (if you don't mind them drying out a little!).

Notes

1. Grated pear will yield slightly moister scones, whereas the pear flavour will be more pronounced if diced pear is used. Grated pear will also make it easier to cut neat scones.

Recipe adapted from Avoca Tea Time.