Afternoon tea is at the core of British tradition. Others can imitate it, but nobody can do it quite as well as we do. And that’s a fact! It’s the height of elegance and sophistication; right up until the point you get a big lump of cream on your face from going at a cake with too much gusto.

So if you’re planning on having your friends over for a delicious afternoon bite and a cup of tea or coffee, what cakes should you be serving? Remember, if you have a lot of people coming round, it’s likely they’ll have a variety of different tastes and cravings.

This doesn’t only relate to cakes, but to drinks too. Make sure you’ve got a number of different coffee pods and teabags in the house to cater for all their afternoon tea desires. Luckily, you can make a number of delicious coffees using Tassimo coffee pods, while you can also find pods that make tea and hot chocolate.

Here are the most popular afternoon tea cakes that will go perfectly with a round of tea and coffees.

Classic scones

How can you have afternoon tea without these little beauties? Of course, you could have cheese scones, or fruit scones, but the classic versions of the little teatime treats are perhaps most delectable when served with cream and jam.

Make sure you have plentiful dollops of clotted cream available and lay out strawberry or raspberry jam, or both!

Fruity teacake

Possibly a more acquired taste, but those who do love a fruity teacake are sure to gobble it up in an instant. And it’s great with a cup of tea!

Make with a selection of delicious dried fruits, demerera sugar, light brown sugar, self-raising flour, an egg, and butter. Great with orange juice or hot tea and remember you can make the tea with Tassimo coffee pods.

For a great recipe using the ingredients listed above, check out BBC Good Food.

Cappuccino cake

This is another type of cake where coffee pods could come in extremely handy. To get a real strong and vibrant coffee taste, be sure to make a cup of cappuccino to dunk in the mixture. When it’s baked, slice it up and serve with a couple of cups of Joe for a more Italian-style afternoon tea!

Strawberry cream tea cake

We’re going back to good old British basics now with the strawberry cream tea cake. A definite favourite at your afternoon tea party, this simple yet scrumptious cake is sure to delight your visitors.

Just make sure you pile the cream and strawberries high!

Cherry Bakewell cake

Just the way this thing looks makes you want to eat it all in one sitting. Two slices of cake sandwiching a layer of cherry conserve, drizzled in icing sugar and topped with tasty toasted almonds; tell me you don’t want to take a bite? Or several.

Remember, nothing goes better with a gorgeous slice of cake than a warming hot drink, so make sure you have the coffee machine primed and ready to fill up a few mugs.

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