Scones, cakes and bakes for the perfect summer fête
1st Jan 2015 Recipes
The summer fête is a quintessentially British institution. White elephant stalls, coconut shies and welly throwing may all be popular, but nothing beats the homemade produce stalls with their enticing scones, cakes and assorted bakes.
Scones:
Blueberry scones
Image via Lavender and Lovage
Summer is a great time for soft fruit and what better way to enjoy plump, juicy and healthy blueberries than in a traditional scone.
The recipe is based on my mum's recipe and you really need to source fresh blueberries for the best taste and texture.
Cheese scones
Image via Simply Veggie
Scones don’t have to be sweet, and I am rather partial to a cheese scone, so when I saw these delectable cheesy bakes, I just had to add them to the list.
They were so good that they could be entered into the village show.
Raspberry scones with passion fruit and clotted cream
Image via Taming Twins
These scones look and sound utterly dreamy.
Fresh raspberries are added to sweet scone dough and once these beauties are out of the oven, they are sandwiched together with a combination of fresh passion fruit and clotted cream.
Cakes:
Summer cake
Image via Belleau Kitchen
A show-stopper in every sense of the word, this stunning summer cake creation was entered into the local village show and won best in show.
It isn’t hard to see why, with its Pimm’s soaked sponge, fresh fruit and rose scented cream.
Moelleux aux Groseilles (redcurrant cake)
Image via Lavender and Lovage
Making the most of the short redcurrant season, this light and airy French sponge cake recipe has a seasonal topping of juicy redcurrants and a dusting of icing sugar.
Serve in thick slices with crème fraîche or cream for a delightful summer dessert.
Celebration chocolate mousse cake
Image via BBC
No county or village show would be complete without a chocolate cake, and this stunning celebration chocolate mousse cake by Mary Berry would certainly be a top contender for the first prize.
This rich, indulgent dessert is fit for a celebration and makes a stunning centrepiece.
Read more: Our interview with Mary Berry
Fairy and butterfly cakes
Image via Christina's Cucina
Cakes don’t have to be big and every village show always has these wee treats on offer in the tea tent.
These traditional British cakes are far daintier than their larger American cousins, cupcakes.
Bakes and biscuits:
Bunting biscuits
Image via What Kate Baked
These bunting biscuits look so pretty and are perfect for any village show.
As the summer show season approaches, up and down the country, village greens and church halls are gearing up for stiff competition, but I’m sure you'll be onto a winner with these!
Gluten free strawberry blondies
Image via Hungry Hinny
These strawberry blondies are a fabulous idea for a winning cake show bake, and they’re gluten free too.
This recipe looks so summery and has white chocolate as a main ingredient, making them super indulgent as well as very fruity.
Gluten free gooey popcorn bars
Image via Cakeboule
Popcorn always seems frivolous, fun and very suitable for a fête and country show.
Why not bake it into a gooey, decadent tray bake? This is a quick tray bake, with no baking that's is guaranteed to brighten up the day if the sun doesn’t shine and it's also great for big kid’s parties.
Karen Burns-Booth is a freelance recipe developer, food and travel writer and is a member if the Guild of Food Writers. She writes for her own blog Lavender and Lovage.
