To the Moon!

It was an arduous journey, but, after many complications, from stubborn robots to an outer-space collision with Santa Claus, I have at long last arrived on the moon!

Ah, pardon me--I'm afraid I got Tesla Con III confused with reality. It was that immersive. Even the signs for the bathrooms were themed. Likewise, the staff remained in character throughout the event--I was at one point approached by a doctor asking if I had any symtoms of hysteria--and the attendees naturally followed suit.

The voyage itself did not start until late in the evening, but there were plenty of amusements until then. I attended a panel on Victorian music, failed dissmally at a tea duel, (remind me to post on these subjects later on) and had a lovely dinner of fish and chips. At present, due to technical issues, I cannot post any pictures, but I promise to get them up as soon as possible.

Jam Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

At long last I have returned! I must apologize for my rather long and unexpected absence, so I promise to do extra posts for a little while.
In any case, continuing with my food theme for this month, I have a recipie of my own accidental creation, which actually turned out pretty well. This cake is rich and heavy and simply wonderful with a cup of tea.

Ingredients: 1 cup sugar
                     1.5 cup butter
                     1 cup flour
                     1 cup mixed jams (Currant and lingdonberry are especially good together)
                     1 package cream cheese
                     About 2 cups of powdered sugar
                     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
                      Fresh fruit for decorative purposes
                   
1. Using an electric mixer Dr. Farliegh's Patented Steam Powered Mixing Device, blend the sugar and one cup of the butter. Keeping the mixer on, add in the eggs, jam, and flour, and blend until the batter is smooth.

2. Pour the batter into a well-greased pan and bake it at 350 degrees for about half and hour.

3. To make the frosting, blend the cream cheese and remaining butter until smooth. Add in the vanilla extract, and then gradually mix in the powdered sugar.

4. When the cake is baked and mostly cooled, spread on the frosting and arrange the fruit in a nice pattern on top. A bit of whipped cream around the edges gives it a lovely finished look.

Afternoon Tea Recipies

If you, like myself, are not lucky enough to have any awesome little cafes withing walking distance, you'll probably have to end up baking your own food, or *gasp* going without. To prevent your next tea from turning into a disaster, I've found this fantastic list of recipes. 

Blaa Kannan Cafe in Akureyri, Iceland

Finding the ideal spot for a cup of tea (or coffee, if you insist) and a good slice of cake is of utmost importance to every steampunk. The best place for such, at least that I've encountered, is the Blaa Kannan (Icelandic for "Blue Teapot") Cafe, located in a dramatic Edwardian-era building in Akureyri, Iceland. I've visited it several times throughout the four days I've been here.
The food is fantastic, consisting of a daily lunch buffet, as well as more traditional cafe foods like sandwiches and some very good cake, accompanied by a reasonably large selection of teas. The rustic/steampunk decor is nearly as drool-worthy as the food.

Professor Elemental

A rap about tea? Two words: Epic win.

Official site: http://www.professorelemental.com/fr_home.cfm