Tea Cabinet, Earl Grey Tea and Charcuterie Board

I'm happily preparing for a guest for tea and lunch on Saturday.  My menu is established:  Wild Rice Soup with Corn Madeleines, Broccoli, Ham, and Mushroom Quiche with Spring Salad, Earl Grey Tea Cake garnished with Sugared Walnuts and, of course, tea.  I'm thinking I'd like to serve a London Fog Latte to go with the cake.   I asked my guest if she had any food dislikes, and she said only calves liver. ;-)  Definitely no worries there!

My tea friend, Angela, at Tea With Friends blog mentioned the Earl Grey Tea Cake on Facebook.  It was posted by the New York Times, and sounded like a perfect dessert.  I knew I had enough Earl Grey tea in my tea cabinet.  Do you have a designated tea cupboard or cabinet?  Mine is a repro oak icebox.  

One project always seems to lead to another.  When I went to the icebox to look for some Earl Grey tea, I decided it was time [past time really] to clean it out and put it in some semblance of order.  A lot went in the trash, but a lot was left.

I discovered I had five tins of Earl Grey tea!  It's my hubby's favorite, so I better get busy using it.

I put all the empty tins in a tote and took them to the basement.  I always save the larger ones because they make great flower containers for centerpieces at a tea party.  The photo below shows how I used them at a tea for my aunt's 86th birthday.  A guest from each table took one home.   

The tea will taste better in a neater cabinet. ;-)  If not, at least I'll feel better!  I shouldn't buy any more tea for a long time!

I don't normally serve my guests something I've never made before, but I really wanted to try the Earl Grey cake.  If I don't like it there's always ice cream with hot fudge sauce! Below is a picture of the cake out of the oven.  The recipe makes one 8-inch layer.  The large dark spots are mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, and the lighter specks are loose tea.

The frosted cake below.  I can't wait to try it and will definitely let you know if the recipe is a keeper. 

My new charcuterie tray was delivered today.  The one at Hobby Lobby wasn't food save without a liner so I didn't get it, but I found one I liked even better online at Target.  It's made of Mango wood and is 22" in diameter with a 2" ridge.   I'm so eager to use it.