We’re in love with these long sunny summer days! And who better to celebrate them with than a gaggle of young girls gathered for a simple, pretty tea party. From the sparkles to the home-made treats, Anna Getty and friends have thrown a fete fit for any little princess. Find inspiration and throw your own outdoor party for the little ones in your own life this summer! Here’s Anna…
This summer my daughter and I decided to host an end-of-the-school-year tea party for twelve of her closest friends. We toyed around with various themes…Mad Hatter, fairies… but we settled on Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights Dream. I enlisted my very dear and talented friend Ariana Nakata, an event designer, and her friend Simone LeBlanc to pull it all together. The setting was my backyard in Los Feliz, and Ariana and Simone (a gifting guru) went the extra mile creating a Shakespearean wonderland!
There was tea service served from a precious vintage tea cart, complete with scones, jam and homemade almond milk – lace napkins and all. We had crafting tables stuffed with supplies so that the girls could make beautiful hair clips and whimsical flower hair wreaths. Pink lemonade was served in small mason jars with swirly paper straws. Our long list of sweets most notably included lavender shortbread cookies and gluten-free strawberry cupcakes made by the local baking company Let’s Teaspoon!
The girls sat for tea along a huge vintage wooden table strewn with pink flowers and green vines, each with their very own name card and menu. The moms, meanwhile, lounged on pillows and rugs under umbrellas, drank champagne and ate an organic feast made by Bread and Water! As a party favor and keepsake, each girl was given a beautiful tea cup and saucer which had been carefully wrapped in linen and fastened with a colorful paper bird. It was an enchanting afternoon – even the Bard would have been impressed!
Most of us moms believe in keeping recipes as simple and as natural as possible. I love to make mini desserts, and these cupcakes by Let’s Teaspoon are a perfect little sweet bite without overdoing it! Bake up a batch for your own midsummers day dream!
Mini Gluten-Free Strawberry Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
3 eggs
1/4 cup your sweetener of choice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberry purée (I made purée from fresh strawberries)
1/4 cup organic milk
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare mini muffin tin. Sift dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar of your choice, milk, vanilla and vinegar. Fold in strawberry puree.
Blend the wet and dry ingredients.
In the muffin tin place a spoonful of the mixture in each muffin case, filled 2/3 of the way. Bake for approximately 4-5 mins. Rotate pan and bake an addition 4-5 min. Leave the cupcakes to cool.
Frost and enjoy!
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup heavy organic cream, whipped to stiff peaks
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sweetener of your choice
strawberry puree to taste
1/2 cup of diced fresh strawberries
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, whip heavy cream into stiff peaks using a whisk or a handheld mixer. In a separate large bowl, whip the cream cheese, sweetener, and strawberry puree together until smooth and pliable. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Fold until evenly combined.
Spread onto cooled cupcakes or place in a piping bag to pipe over cupcakes.
Sprinkle with small diced strawberries.
