Tea time treats

I think if I could choose a favourite meal it would have to be afternoon tea. Every year in the local magazine we run a feature on the best afternoon teas in our area, and the job of testing them has to be the best gig ever. They vary hugely of course: this year my favourite was a savoury afternoon tea with cheese scones, warm slivers of quiche and tiny sandwiches. Anyway, I've also been trying out some afternoon tea baking at home recently. The first item was the lemon and oat cookies, above, taken from Nigel Slater's new cook book which is called Eat. The cookies are absolutely delicious, and they are sandwiched together with marscapone and lemon curd....a lethally good combination.

Next on the list are these cheese biscuits (from a Good Housekeeping recipe).

I used my old cookie cutters for these, love this rectangular shaped one. 

This banana and chocolate cake is the thriftiest cake recipe ever, it is simple, and uses up the black bananas in the fruit bowl. My neighbour gave me this and I've made it so many times. It improves with keeping (if you can keep your family away from it), becoming softer and stickier over time....

I have a new poster for the kitchen. It's a vintage one that I bought in Totnes this summer and which I've finally framed and put on the wall. The frame is from Dunelm. They have a brilliant selection, especially larger ones. 

Teas for one shilling and a six course dinner for 3/6. I'm checking in!

* P.S A couple of people have asked for the cake recipe, so I'll put it here. I only have it in imperial measurements, it's one of those recipes that is passed around on scraps of paper....

Banana and chocolate cake
6oz margarine
8oz granulated sugar
2 -3 over ripe bananas
10 oz self raising flour
half level teaspoon salt
half level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3 eggs
2oz plain chocolate, chopped into small pieces 

Demerara sugar to sprinkle on top

Heat oven to 325F, 160C or gas 3. Grease a round 8in cake tin and line with greaseproof paper. 
Melt the margarine and sugar in a saucepan over a low heat until the margarine has just melted. Remove from  heat. Peel and mash the bananas on a plate with the vanilla. Sift flour, salt and bicarb of soda into the saucepan and mix with the marg and sugar. Beat the eggs and add to the pan with the banana. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate pieces. Pour into the tin. 
Sprinkle over some demerara sugar and bake for about one hour 15 - one hour 30 mins. 
When cool, wrap in foil. 
Apparently it keeps for up to 3 weeks, but it barely lasts for three days in our house