June Tea Time Strawberry Shortcut Cake & Cucumber Sandwiches

Here is another one of my pretty Royal Albert Old Country Roses Tea Cups, Saucers and Dessert Plate Trios!  Tea Cups are just perfect for Hot Tea, but they're also perfect for Iced Tea, if that's what you prefer today.  There are many delicious sandwiches and desserts for you to eat, too.  I hope you like the little Tea Party I put together for you.  It's so much fun to sit around and sip
tea and eat and talk with friends!  Now, this first Tea Set is quite rare...and beautiful.  It was made in England and dated 1962.  The beautiful cascades of Roses, combine with the leafy field along the edges.

This Set was made in England and is 1962 Vintage.  I love the slightly ruffled edge of the plates and cup...and the gold...the shape and the Roses, of course.

This Cake is Perfect to serve along with Tea.

via

Strawberry Shortcut Layer Cake

·                     1 15.25 ounce (432 g) boxed Pillsbury Strawberry cake mix (with pudding in the mix)
·                     4 eggs
·                     1 cup sour cream (not fat reduced)
·                     1/2 cup melted butter

1.            Line two 9 inch pans with parchment paper on the bottom. Preheat oven to 350F.

2.            In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, sour cream and then drizzle in melted butter and beat on medium speed 2 minutes.  Batter will be thick.  Spread evenly into the two pans and bake 25 minutes and then test by sticking a toothpick in the centre.  It should come out clean.

3.            Remove the pans to a wire rack.  Allow to sit a few minutes until cool enough to handle.  Carefully turn the cake out onto your hand and then put parchment paper side down on a wire rack to cool.

Creamy Pudding Strawberry Frosting

·                    

1 package instant vanilla pudding 

·                     1 1/2 cup cold milk

·                     2 cups whipping cream

·                     2 heaping tablespoons strawberry jam

1.            Beat together instant pudding and cold mix in a medium mixing bowl for two minutes.

2.            Add whipping cream and beat until fluffy.  Beat in the strawberry jam and then refrigerate until set.

3.            Cut each layer into two layers to make a 4 layer cake.  Spread a thin layer of frosting between each layer and then a thin layer on sides and the remaining on top.  Garnish with sliced strawberries. 

Another pretty Set - Peppermint Damask

Blue Damask...I love the scattered Roses all over!

Soft Pink Lace...perfect for all of us who LOVE Pink!!  If you look closely you can see the lacey effect.

{wink wink Debbie}

The next three Sets are in the Cameo Collection...Green, Violet and Pink.  Pretty!!

This is my Beautiful Old Country Roses Flatware...it's beautiful and goes with everything.  The knives have a serrated edge and the roses are all in gold and raised on the handles.  This is a hefty set...and doesn't require polishing, although I have a few sets of Silverplate Flatware I purchased several years ago at a garage sale.  What a deal they were!!

Ruby Lace

{the color is closer to the color of the next picture, not this one}

Golden Pearl

This set, each piece is a bit heavier and about 1/4" larger in all directions than every other Tea Cup, Saucer and Dessert Plate I have in the Old Country Roses line.  And it has the most beautiful Roses and Gold trim, complete with those Golden Pearl Dots.

Dusky Pink Lace

Cucumber and Lemony Dill Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices good-quality white bread*
1/3 large English seedless cucumber (about 4 inches), thinly sliced
*Cook's Note: Can cut off the bread crusts, if desired.
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, fresh dill, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Lay the slices of bread on your work service and distribute the cream cheese evenly among each slice, spreading into a thin layer. Arrange the cucumber slices in rows over 3 slices of the bread. Top with the remaining bread, and cut into quarters so there are 4 pieces from each sandwich. Serve immediately.

And this pattern is "Holiday" - for your Christmas Tea

I used to have a monthly Tea here at home and then a Tea every other month at Church.  I also would Hostess Baby and Wedding Showers in my home from friends and family.  So, I needed alot of Trio Sets to serve everyone.  I haven't been doing that for a while now and decided it was time to photograph them and put them up for sale in my E-Bay Shop.  That's what I did earlier this week.  I still have a few days until the listings end...but have already sold 2 of them.  {I have multiples of several of the sets I have in this post.}

I hope you've enjoyed your Tea and Sandwiches and Dessert!