Happy Friday! Earlier this week, Alice in Wonderland celebrated it’s 70th anniversary! Since I love tea parties and Alice in Wonderland, I knew I wanted to go all out for this week’s bake and I’m so excited to share Alice’s Unbirthday Tea Party! These super fun treats are inspired by characters from Wonderland including the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts.
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Afternoon tea, with all of the scones, sandwiches, and pastries, is one of my favorite meals. As a tea lover, I like any meal that features tea, but there’s something so fun about the entire afternoon tea experience. I’d been thinking a lot about an Alice in Wonderland themed tea and with the 70th anniversary this week, it seemed like the perfect time. Since I’m a couple days off of the actual anniversary, I took a cue from the Mad Hatter and am celebrating Alice’s Unbirthday.
Alice’s Unbirthday Tea Party features Playing Card Tea Sandwiches, Mad Hatter’s Tea Scones, Queen of Hearts’ Jam Tarts, and Cheshire Cat Cupcakes. Recipes for everything are listed below!
Playing Card Tea Sandwiches
I made two different kinds of tea sandwiches–cucumber and cream cheese and ham and mustard. For the sandwiches, I used white bread, as it’s more traditional, but you could substitute your favorite kind of bread.
For the cucumber sandwiches, spread a layer of cream cheese on two slices of bread. Place the cucumber slices on one piece of the bread. Add salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Place the second piece of bread on top and then cut into playing card shapes using cookie cutters. I used this four piece cookie cutter set and alternated the shapes.
For the ham sandwiches, spread a layer of dijon mustard on one slice of bread and a layer of butter on a second slice of bread. Add the ham to buttered piece of bread. Place the other slice of bread on top of the ham and cut into shapes using the same cookie cutters.
Given the size of the bread slices I was using, I found one full size sandwich made one playing card tea sandwich. Repeat these steps until you’ve reached the desired amount of tea sandwiches.
Mad Hatter’s Tea Scones
To make the tea scones, place the flour in a medium bowl. Use your hands to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar. Break the egg into a liquid measuring cup and then fill the measuring cup with milk until it reaches the 2/3 cup line. Stir the mixture with a fork to break up the egg and combine.
Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine. The dough will be sticky. Transfer the dough to a well floured surface and lightly knead until smooth, adding more flour as needed.
Roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Use a round or fluted cookie cutter to cut out the scones. I used a fluted cookie cutter about 3 inches in diameter. Place the scones on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush the tops of the scones with milk. Bake at 425 F until the scones are well risen and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve scones with clotted cream or butter and jam.
Queen of Hearts’ Jam Tarts
To make the jam tarts, start by making the dough. Place the flour into a medium bowl. Use your hands to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar. Add the water and knead lightly until a soft dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Roll the chilled dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Press the dough into the tart pans. For these, I used mini heart shaped tart pans. They’re a bit larger than I usually think of jam tarts being, but I liked the heart shaped. You could also use round tart pans. Reserve some of the dough to cut out heart shapes to place on the jam tarts. I cut the hearts out by freehand but you could also use a small heart shaped cookie cutter.
Fill the tears with jam, spreading it into an even layer. For these tarts I used seedless red raspberry jam, but you can use your favorite. Just remember to make it red! Place some of the heart shaped dough pieces on top of the jam and bak for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let cool before serving.
Cheshire Cat Cupcakes
Finally, the Cheshire Cat Cupcakes. These vanilla cupcakes are dyed purple and pink and topped with vanilla buttercream. To make cupcakes, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until combined. Then, add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and whisk together. Add the milk and the second half of the flour mixture. Whisk until smooth.
Separate the batter into two bowls. Add a couple drops of pink gel food coloring to one of the bowls, stirring until well combined. Add a couple drops of purple gel food coloring to the other bowl and stir until well combined. For the colors, I used the pink and purple from Wilton’s Neon Gel Food Coloring Set.
Transfer the batter to a muffin pan lined with cupcake liners. For these cupcakes I used purple and pink polka dot cupcake liners but you could use plain colors or non colored lines instead. To make the swirl pattern in the batter, spoon the batter into each muffin pan cup, alternating the colors. Bake the cupcakes for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting, beat the butter and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the sugar and milk and beat until combined. Then, beat the frosting on high speed until fluffy. Separate the frosting into two bowls. Add the same pink gel food coloring to one of the bowls and the same purple get food coloring to the other bowl. Stir both until the color is well distributed. Transfer the frostings to separate piping bags. Cut off the tips of the smaller piping bags and place them into the larger piping bag. Press firmly on the larger piping bag so that both colors of frosting come out of the tip at the same time. Frost the cupcakes by piping the frosting in a swirl around the top of each cupcake.
Enjoy Alice’s Unbirthday Tea Party! Happy 70th Anniversary Alice in Wonderland!
Playing Card Tea Sandwiches
Inspired by the Queen of Hearts' Guards, these two kinds of tea sandwiches are cucumber and cream cheese and ham and mustard!
Ingredients
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
- 8 slices white bread
- cream cheese
- 1 English cucumber peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- salt and pepper
Ham and Mustard Tea Sandwiches
- 8 slices white bread
- ham slices
- dijon mustard
- butter
Equipment
- playing card symbol cookie cutters
Instructions
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
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Spread cream cheese on two pieces of bread.
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Place sliced cucumbers onto one piece of bread until covered in a single layer.
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Squeeze a lemon wedge over the cucumbers and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
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Place the other slice of bread on top and cut the sandwich using one of the playing card cookie cutters.
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Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Ham and Mustard Tea Sandwiches
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Spread butter onto one piece of bread. Spread dijon mustard onto a second piece of bread.
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Place two slices of ham onto the buttered piece of bread.
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Place the other slice of bread on top and cut the sandwich using one of the playing card cookie cutters.
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Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Mad Hatter’s Tea Scones
These classic tea scones are perfect with clotted cream and jam!
Ingredients
Scones
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cut into pieces
- 1 ¾ cup self-rising flour
- 2 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- about 2/3 cup milk
Equipment
- round or fluted cookie cutter
Instructions
Scones
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Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place the flour into a medium bowl. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like bread crumbs.
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Stir in the sugar.
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Break the egg into a liquid measuring cup. Fill the measuring cup with milk until it reaches the ⅔ cup line. Stir with a fork to combine.
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Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine.The dough will be sticky.
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Transfer the dough to a well floured surface and lightly knead until smooth, adding more flour as needed.
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Roll the dough out to ½ inch thickness. Use a round or fluted cookie cutter to cut out the scones.
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Brush the tops of the scones with milk and bake for 10 minutes or until risen and golden brown.
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Top with clotted cream and jam.
Queen of Hearts’ Jam Tarts
Filled with jam and topped with pastry dough hearts, these mini heart shaped jam tarts are a sweet treat!
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons butter cold and cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons water
Filling
- ½ cup jam strawberry, red raspberry, etc.
Equipment
- mini heart shaped tart pans or mini round tart pans
Instructions
Jam Tarts
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Place the flour in a medium bowl. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like bread crumbs.
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Stir in the sugar.
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Add the water and knead lightly until a soft dough forms.
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Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 350 F.
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Roll the chilled dough out to ¼ inch thickness. Press the dough into the tart pans. Reserve some of the dough to cut out heart shapes to place on top the jam tarts.
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Fill the tarts with jam, spreading into an even layer. Place some of the heart shaped dough pieces onto each tart.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Let cool before serving.
Cheshire Cat Cupcakes
Inspired by the Cheshire Cat, these pink and purple swirled vanilla cupcakes are topped with vanilla buttercream!
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
- ¼ cup milk
- pink gel food coloring
- purple gel food coloring
Vanilla Buttercream
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- pink gel food coloring
- purple gel food coloring
Equipment
- 6 cup muffin pan
- cupcake liners
- 2 piping bags
- 1 large piping bag
- large star piping tip
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
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Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the cupcake liners in the muffin pan.
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In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until combined.
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Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and whisk until combined. Add the milk and the second half of the flour mixture. Whisk until smooth.
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Separate the batter into two bowls. Add a couple drops of pink gel food coloring to one bowl and stir until well combined. Add a couple drops of purple gel food coloring to the other bowl and stir until well combined.
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Transfer the batter to the prepared muffin pan by spooning in alternating colors of batter into each muffin cup.
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Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream
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In a medium bowl, beat the butter and vanilla until smooth.
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Add the sugar and the milk. Beat until combined.
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Beat the frosting on high speed until fluffy.
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Separate the frosting until two bowls. Add a couple drops of pink gel food coloring to one bowl and stir until well combined. Add a couple drops of purple gel food coloring to the other bowl and stir until well combined.
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Transfer the frosting to the two smaller piping bags. Place the large star tip into the large piping bag. Cut off the tips of the smaller piping bags and place them into the larger piping bag.
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Press firmly on the larger piping bag so that both colors of frosting come out of the tip at the same time. Frost the cupcakes by piping the frosting in a swirl around the top of each cupcake.