These delightful fruity scones are the ones you will find served for afternoon tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace. The recipe pays tribute to Queen Anne, who built the magnificent glass structure to house her collection of citrus trees. Serve them in true British style – with clotted cream and jam.
Makes 8
225g self-raising flour
50g chilled unsalted butter, cubed
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
grated zest of 1 orange
50g currants
100ml buttermilk
50–75ml milk, plus extra for brushing
To serve
clotted cream
jam
Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas 7. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Sift the flour into a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar, orange zest and currants.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk and milk. Use a round-bladed knife to stir everything together to make a rough dough. Bring it together with your hands then tip it gently on to a board and knead it lightly and quickly until the dough is smooth.
Pat down and shape into a round about 2.5cm thick. Cut out rounds using a 6cm cutter, re-rolling the dough as necessary, then place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with a little milk and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until just golden, then remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve with clotted cream and jam. Store in an airtight container for up to three days.
There are many variations of this rich chocolatey cake, which is so simple to make because it is set in the fridge rather than being baked. Our recipe is based on the version thought to be Prince William’s favoured childhood treat.
Serves 12
150g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
100g golden syrup
300g dark chocolate (minimum 50 per cent cocoa solids), chopped
1 tbsp brandy
200g Rich Tea or digestive biscuits
Grease and line a deep 16cm round cake tin with baking parchment.
Melt the butter in a pan with the syrup and 125g of the chocolate. As soon as all the ingredients have melted, stir in the brandy. Heat for 1 minute, then take the pan off the heat.
Use a large chopping knife to crush the biscuits, in batches, into bite-sized chunks. Make sure they’re not too big otherwise the chocolate mixture won’t coat the biscuits properly, or too small, which will make the texture dense.
Stir the biscuits into the chocolate mixture, ensuring they’re all coated. Spoon into the lined tin, making sure there aren’t any holes. Chill in the fridge for one hour or until firm.
Remove the cake from the tin and place on a rack, resting over a tray lined with baking parchment. Melt the remaining chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then spoon all over the cake, ensuring the sides are covered. Cool at room temperature, then serve in thin slices. Store in an airtight container for up to five days.
So great is his fondness for fridge cake that at his wedding Prince William revived a great Victorian tradition and requested to have a ‘groom’s cake’ alongside the traditional fruit cake.
Afternoon tea is still served in today’s royal household every day when the monarch is not banqueting and these miniature jam sandwiches are said to be a particular favourite of Queen Elizabeth II. So simple to prepare, they provide the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.
Serves 4
8 slices white bread
a little softened butter
strawberry or raspberry jam
Use a 4–5cm round cutter to cut out three circles from each slice of bread. Spread a little butter over each piece.
Spoon about half a teaspoon of jam on to 12 rounds, spread it just to the edge then top with the other rounds of bread and press lightly together to secure.
