~How my travels to Australia and England inspired my spring bakes~
When I was eighteen years old, I took a “gap year” before starting college, and I lived with my aunt and uncle in Australia.
This was my second time out of America.
Straight off the airplane, I remember taking note of all the differences, as well as the things that were similar to what I knew.
I suppose it is a natural response your brain has when trying to connect with a new environment.
One of the first things I noticed (aside from the cars being on the opposite side of the road- and the drivers on the opposite side of the car), was just how different the plants and trees looked compared to the American varieties I was so accustomed to. I also remember thinking that if you put a blind fold on me and plopped me in any other country, I would know I was somewhere new based solely on what the native foliage looked like.
Of course, there were more obvious differences like the architecture, the layout of the cities and towns, the paper money, and the grocery store products… to name but a few.
I mention the grocery store products because for some reason I always enjoy going into grocery stores, especially in other countries, just to see the products that line the shelves. Exciting, I know.
The Australian, white, sharp, cheddar cheese-the crackers and bakery breads- the cakes- the chocolate- the biscuits (cookies)- the hot tea with milk and sugar, all were so delicious and different to my American examples.
The Australian bakeries and coffee shops were also a pleasure to pop in, have a seat, and enjoy some of the most delicious baked cakes and treats.
Aside from visiting the bakeries and grocery stores, my aunt and I enjoyed going into the local secondhand shops. It was both interesting and educational to see the different- previously loved- items that were for sale in Australia.
Little did I know, that almost eleven years later, I was about to acclimate to another country that was similar to Australia in many ways.
(Just a little re-cap on my story: I am an American and my husband is an Englishman. When we married, I moved over to England and lived there for a little over two years.)
~My Time in England~
The English chesses, the crackers and bakery breads, the cakes, the chocolate, the biscuits (cookies), the hot tea with milk and sugar were all akin to the Australian varieties, and I was thrilled to experience similar delicacies in England again.
England, like Australia, is a beautiful country full of history and charm.
One of my favorite activities, that combined both eating and thrifting, was strolling through the villages and window shopping.
In England, Craig and I would stop in at the local charity shops (similar to our thrift stores). After a mooch about, we would go into the adorable, quaint bakeries and coffee shops.
I loved looking at the baked treats behind the glass display cases. I am getting hungry now just thinking about them…
England has beautiful cakes to be purchased by the slice with a cuppa tea or a coffee. One (new to me) cake that England is famous for is the Victoria Sponge. It is a light and fluffy layer cake with a cream and jam filling- sandwiched in the middle.
I found a lot of cakes and baked treats in England are filled with jam-and I thought this was a delicious, ingenious idea. The idea of filling baked goods with jam has been something I have tried to incorporate into our kitchen treats. (I will be posting more jam-filled recipes in future posts).
I always say that I am trying to give a “nod to England,” when I try to bring the English ideas and culinary creations into our American kitchen.
~Enter…The Victoria Sponge~
Victoria sponge is a cake that can be enjoyed in any season, but I think it is especially fitting for a spring or summer treat.
I wanted to celebrate spring with my family by making a Victoria sponge cake. It reminds me of an idyllic, lazy Saturday in England where the day is best enjoyed with a slice of fresh cake and a “cuppa” or a coffee.
If you enjoy baking, you may like to bake a weekend cake to share with an unexpected visitor. If this surprise should arise, there is no need to be caught off guard-as you would have a slice of cake to offer them.
I like to store our Victoria sponge cake on a thrifted, glass cake cloche, but I like to display it on a tiered cake stand that belonged to my grandmother. I think the glassware looks beautiful and inviting on the dining table and encourages family and friends to have a seat and stay for a while.
When I bake a Victoria Sponge I like to use raspberry jam, but I enjoy strawberry jam as a close second. I also make a buttercream to go inside the sandwich, but some recipes use whipped cream. You can garnish with powdered sugar (icing sugar in England), and a few strawberries or fresh raspberries.
I also made some muffins and purchased some English biscuits (cookies) to have on our tiered tea server to accommodate our little ones who prefer finger food treats.
~An English-Inspired, Outside Tablescape~
Seeing as this Victoria sponge cake was made as a celebration of Spring, my husband and I decided that we would set the tablescape outside in our backyard.
The table was skillfully made by my husband, Craig, in the style of the refractory tables seen in many old English homes.
By displaying the table and cake outdoors it gives the atmosphere of an English pub garden. I was able to incorporate my thrifted candlesticks and a few other treasures to top the handmade table
The English pub is often a restaurant as well as a place to sit in a lovely garden and have a refreshing drink with the whole family around.
So we thought-If we can’t go into an English pub currently to celebrate spring- we might as well bring the English -inspired table and Victoria sponge cake into our own garden space.
Plus, if you ever want to entertain, but do not have time to clean the house, no one has to go indoors. Now that is a win-win for a mom with four young children who love to dump out baskets of toys and make a seemingly, endless amount of clutter and mess! (But that—well, that is “a whole ‘nother” blog post).
I hope you all enjoyed seeing another way that my family and I celebrate Springtime and England in America
