In Britain, the summer solstice falls tomorrow (21st June), and if you’d like to make a delicious cake to celebrate the longest day of the year, then Tea at the Palace* by Carolyn Robb is filled with many tempting options. I was lucky enough to be given a press copy of the book, and the publisher also kindly gave me permission to share one of the recipes. I’ve chosen Carolyn Robb’s ‘Lemon and Thyme Cake’ as the perfect summer tea party treat (scroll down for recipe). This cake is damp, fragrant and delicious: the perfect lemon cake, bursting with flavour and with just the right amount of tartness. I baked it a week or so ago, and it went down very well with the gardener and volunteers who look after the grounds surrounding our rental home. Mum and I enjoyed the remaining slices sitting outside with our tea and books. 

Not only am I looking forward to Midsummer, but it is also my Mum’s birthday at the end of the week, and we have dear friends visiting from France very soon, so there is much to celebrate at the moment, and plenty of excuses to make this cake again. It is, however, also tempting to try another of Carolyn’s recipes, as Tea at the Palace offers a wealth of afternoon tea inspiration, with fifty recipes included in the book. The former personal chef to TRH the Prince and Princess of Wales, Carolyn has drawn on thirteen years’ experience as a royal chef  to create afternoon tea menus inspired by twelve of Britain’s most beautiful palaces and residences, from Buckingham Palace to Balmoral Castle. Each of Carolyn’s tea menus reflect their settings: for Crofter’s Fare, a remote castle in Caithness favoured by Prince Charles, traditional Scottish recipes are given, such as Scotch Pancakes and Highlanders (shortbread biscuits). I’m very keen to try the Chilled Lime Tartlets, inspired by Kew Palace, which Carolyn assures are ideal for an alfresco summer afternoon tea, and apparently take only minutes to make. There are several savoury recipes mixed in with the sweet (Goat Cheese, Courgette and Chive Muffins are high on my list to try), and I also enjoyed the anecdotes that introduced each chapter and recipe.

Tea at the Palace was a brilliant book to read around the time of the Platinum Jubilee, but it’s a cookbook I intend to return to all through the summer and autumn months ahead, as there are lots of fabulous sounding recipes I want to try, and I was so impressed by how well the Lemon and Thyme Cake turned out. Carolyn’s instructions are straightforward and easy to follow, and I was thrilled to bits when the cake slid out from its bundt tin looking phenomenal (I didn’t have a regular ring-tin, so used a fancier bundt tin, but the cake fortunately still turned out well). Filled with a mix of berries in the middle, this cake is a deceptively easy show-stopper, and I know I’ll be making it many times throughout the summer.

The Lemon and Thyme cake was inspired by Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, the principal residence of Princes Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. Much attention has been given to the gardens of the house, with a particularly impressive walled kitchen garden and a Thyme Walk which apparently features over twenty thyme varieties. Carolyn Robb spent time cooking at Highgrove, gathering herbs from the garden, and she writes that ‘the aroma of fresh thyme will always bring back indelible memories of the gardens at Highgrove and the joy of being able to pick fresh herbs just moments before they were put into a cake or into a salad.’ I’ve been inspired to plant thyme (only two varieties - lemon and common!) in our own tiny garden, as I found it difficult to track down this herb in Yorkshire shops. Thyme is one of my favourite herbs, so I hope it grows well for us, and I’ll be pleased to have a regular supply on hand for this cake! The taste is not at all overpowering in the syrup; it simply adds to the delicious aroma.

Lemon and Thyme Cake

(serves 10-12)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

Vegetable oil, for greasing

300g plain flour, plus more for dusting

180ml light olive oil

2 free-range eggs (I used large eggs)

200g plain Greek yogurt

250g caster sugar

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon baking powder

For the syrup:

60ml fresh lemon juice

6 fresh lemon thyme or common thyme sprigs

125g granulated sugar

For the decoration:

225g mixed strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and / or other seasonal berries

6 fresh lemon thyme or common thyme sprigs

Icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

1/ To make the cake, preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas mark 4). Oil a 23-cm ring cake tin, carefully covering the entire interior surface, then dust evenly with flour, tapping out the excess.

2/ In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, eggs, yogurt, caster sugar and lemon zest until well blended. Sift together the flour and baking powder directly into the bowl. Using a large metal spoon or a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture just until fully incorporated.

3/ Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake the cake for about 30-35 minutes until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean.

4/ While the cake is baking, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the lemon juice just until hot. Remove from the heat, add the thyme and leave to infuse for 20 minutes until cool. Remove and discard the thyme, then stir in the sugar until dissolved (I had to put the saucepan back on a low heat to dissolve the sugar  -  Miranda).

5/ When the cake is ready, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, while the cake is still hot, carefully invert it onto a serving plate. Spoon the syrup over the warm cake, allowing it to run down the sides. Leave to stand until the syrup sets and the cake has cooled completely.

6/ To decorate, fill the centre with the fruits, scatter the thyme on top and dust lightly with icing sugar. Serve at once.

This recipe makes quite a big cake, but I found it kept well in an air-tight tin; in fact, it tasted even better the next day!

Tea at the Palace is a lovely book for anyone who appreciates a sumptuous afternoon tea. You may order the book here, and you may keep up with Carolyn Robb’s latest news on Instagram.

*Note: affiliate links used for Blackwells.