An afternoon tea In Style

When Ellie Aitken, the designer behind the luxurious label Aitken & Co, hosted an afternoon tea for seven of her closest friends, she turned to our own Kate White to create something beautifully modern in a relaxed setting.

Featured in this month’s In Style magazine, Kate put together a menu that was fresh and seasonal yet exuded a feel that was both homely and personal.

Held at Ellie’s beautiful home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, guests were served champagne, French martinis and canapés that included salmon gravlax, mushroom tarts and a delicious Hummingbird cake.

Why not spend an afternoon baking with Katering’s traditional Hummingbird cake receipe below.

Hummingbird cake

3 x 20cm. round cake tins are needed for this recipe

375g plain flour

500g caster sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp bi-carbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon or garam masala

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 ½ cups vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

1 x 225g can crushed pineapple, undrained

2 cups (about 4 large) mashed ripe bananas

fresh flowers, to decorate, optional

 Cream cheese icing

125g soft butter, chopped

250g cream cheese, chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

500g icing sugar

Heat oven to 180C.

For cake, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and vegetable oil, stirring until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not beat. Stir in vanilla, crushed pineapple and bananas.

Spoon the cake batter evenly between 3 x 20cm. well greased and floured cake tins. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a cake skewer comes out clean. Rest cakes in the tins for 10 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool.

For icing, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla together. Gradually beat in icing sugar (adding a little milk if necessary). Alternatively, process butter, cream cheese and vanilla briefly in a food processor. Add icing sugar and process briefly until combined.

Spread a thin layer of  icing on tops of two cakes and place one on top of the other. Top with remaining cake and spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.

Decorate with fresh flowers, if desired.

Serves 8-10