Rhododendron or Azalea Tea with Amond Cake

I hope your Memorial Day was full of remembrance of those who have sacrificed to insure our freedom to gather and enjoy the bounty of American freedom, food and family.

But, this still is my hope for the future...

We are finally both pretty well recovered... and a good thing to as our daughter and husband are expected from out of state by June 3rd for a week, and we didn't want to be ill!

I baked an almond cake over the weekend, one of my favorites, and so have a small tea to memorialize the end of the Rhododendron season here....

Most we have are this vibrant color, but we also have....

This one... which reminded me of a Royal Ptrician teapot with a design of Azaleas or Rhododendrons... which are close cousins...

This is a Royal Ptrician, England old stock teapot from 2002... that was lost in the warehuse during a move. It's an unusually shaped tea-for-two teapot and has pink and lavender or mauve Rhododendrons.

Royal Patrician closed in 2009, which was so sad.
But I love the shape of the teapot!

And recently I also found a teacup with a Rhododendron design too... very unusual for a teacup too!

This was another of the short-lived English potteries. Society was only alive from 1962 until 1969, and there are few records anywhere about it. But lovely quality, and an unusual design!

To brighten things up, I added a Royal Winton Grimwades, England sugar, creamer and tray set in the Golden Age pattern from the 1960s.

This pattern is always a favorite, and this set was no exception... selling 1 hour after I posted it. That happens everytime I find something in the pattern. Definitely gorgeous!

And here is my Almond cake, with almond paste...I LOVE almond paste... on my family Noritake Revenna china...
I found the recipe in 2011 drom The English Kitchen (then Oak Cottage) which was perfect to replace the recipe from my English Nnan that I had somehow lost... it was just as I remembered it...

The cake baked in my springform tart pan....

and we served it with local fresh organic blueberries and strawberries. Absolutely delicious! 

Here is the recipe from The English Kitchen:
Quick, easy and very tasty.  It's very light and has a lovely almond flavour.  I like to serve it dusted with icing sugar and some fruit compote.  Delicious!

7 ounces almond paste
3 1/2 ounces sugar (1/2 cup)
4 ounces butter, softened (1/2 cup)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 ounces of flour, sifted twice (a scant 1/2 cup)
icing sugar to dust

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter a 10 inch tart pan very well.  Set aside.

Put the almond paste into a food processor with the sugar.  Blitz to mix together well.  Add the butter.  Again blitz to cream well together.  Slowly add the eggs with the motor running, until they are completely amalgamated.  Scrap into a bowl and then carefully fold in the flour.  Pour into the prepared pan and then bake for 30 minutes, or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.  

To serve, dust with icing sugar and cut into slices.  Fruit compote is optional but very nice with this as is a sour cherry jam.

Or see it here:
https://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/11/simple-almond-cake.html#more

For info on the teapot or teacup at Antiques And Teacups, click on the photos.

Thanks for joining me for tea, and have a lovely week!