Spirited Away Tea Party Desserts
Course: Dessert, SnacksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: EasySpirited Away Tea Party Desserts ~ These recipes are part of a series recreating Studio Ghibli’s iconic dishes. Check out the other recipes in the collection HERE.
Ingredients:
- Lemon Pound Cake:
6 tablespoons | 85g butter, softened
1/2 cup | 100g sugar
Zest of a lemon
2 eggs
1 cup | 125g all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
Juice of half a lemon
1/3 cup | 80g yogurt or sour cream
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- Thick Lemon Icing Glaze:
Juice of half a lemon
2 cups (250g) powdered sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) milk
Yellow food coloring (optional)
- Chocolate and Vanilla Cookies
⅔ cup | 150g unsalted butter, softened
Little less than 1 cup | 120g powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
1¾ cups + 2 tbsp | 300g all-purpose flour
½ cup | 50g almond flour (you can use more all-purpose flour, about 6 tbsp)
2 tbsp | 15g cocoa powder (or more)
Strawberry Jam
Lemon curd (see notes for recipe)
- Assembly
Red and green jellies
Instructions:
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Preheat the oven to 320ºF (160ºC).
- Line a 6-inch (15cm) cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Gradually add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend until combined.
- Mix in the lemon juice, yogurt (or sour cream), and vanilla extract.
- Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter in the prepared pan.
- 10. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- 11. Once baked, remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Thick Lemon Icing Glaze
- In a bowl, mix together all the glaze ingredients until smooth.
- Once the cakes are completely cooled, pour the lemon icing glaze over the top.
- Allow the glaze to set before serving.
- Chocolate and Vanilla Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/338°F.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, powdered sugar, and salt until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the vanilla extract and egg until well combined.
- Gradually add the all-purpose flour and almond flour to the mixture, mixing until a dough forms.
- Divide the dough in half. Mix cocoa powder into one half of the dough until evenly distributed.
- Wrap both doughs separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Once chilled, roll out each dough on a floured surface to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes from each dough, re-rolling scraps as needed.
- Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them apart.
- Use your thumb or the rounded back of a teaspoon to gently press an indent in the center of each cookie.
- Spoon strawberry jam into the indents of the chocolate dough cookies and lemon curd into the indents of the vanilla dough cookies.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, enjoy these delicious chocolate and vanilla cookies with strawberry jam and lemon curd!
- Assembly
- Arrange the jellies and cookies on a large plate and transfer the lemon cake to a cake stand. Now you are ready for your tea party~
Video
Notes
- Lemon Curd Recipe, Ingredients: 3-4 large lemons (for zest and juice, approx 1/2 cup), 1 cup granulated sugar, 4 eggs and 1/2 cup unsalted butter (cut into small pieces). Instructions: Whisk eggs and sugar in a saucepan. Gradually add lemon juice and zest. Place over medium heat, add butter, and cook, stirring constantly until thickened (5-7 mins). Optionally strain the mixture for smoothness. Transfer to a jar, let cool, then refrigerate. (It lasts for about 1-2 week).