Cakes in cafes in older books

[Tanaqui]

Just reading an Agatha Christie, and Miss Marple and an acquaintance are "pressing cakes on each other", and it occurred to me that I have often been puzzled by this in books set before about 1960- did people buy a whole plate of cakes? Did they pay for the plate, or what they ate? Or did the waitress bring a hostess trolley or tray over? It's just there often seems to be a selection, or discussion on who will have the last one; and in children's books, often a feeling of being stuffed afterwards. So how did it work?! It sounds much nicer than the 'order one cake each' we do now!

I'm reminded of one of the Jennings books, where Jennings and Darbishire are stranded in a tea-room while another friend goes to get the money to pay the bill, and they have to go on and on eating cakes until they practically burst.

My mother sometimes put caraways in soda bread. It was delicious.

@Tanaqui

Just reading an Agatha Christie, and Miss Marple and an acquaintance are "pressing cakes on each other", and it occurred to me that I have often been puzzled by this in books set before about 1960- did people buy a whole plate of cakes? Did they pay for the plate, or what they ate? Or did the waitress bring a hostess trolley or tray over? It's just there often seems to be a selection, or discussion on who will have the last one; and in children's books, often a feeling of being stuffed afterwards. So how did it work?! It sounds much nicer than the 'order one cake each' we do now!

So I'm old, lol. Not as long ago as Miss Marple but my mother preferred old fashioned tea shops to the more modern cafes. Anyway I remember

• Waitress would hold a cake stand or plate with an assortment, customer would point to a cake (or maybe more) and waitress would serve it.

In some other establishments a cake stand laden with cakes would be placed on the table. There must have been a set number of cakes on them. You would help yourselves to the cakes you wanted for the duration of your afternoon tea. When you had finished the waitress would count up how many cakes you had eaten. I seem to think that the different plates on the cake stand had cakes of differing cost. Eg some had plainer things with the cream cakes costing more.

I remember as a child thinking it was a huge treat when all these cakes arrived, but we were only allowed one each.

I was a waitress in a restaurant in Minehead during University vacations. The cakes were priced at 6d and 8d. I thought they were expensive, so only charged the cheaper price whatever they had.

I think there was also a middle sort of cake eaten in the afternoon that we don't have so much as "cake" nowadays, which was much more a food to keep you going than just sugar and fat.
That would include scones, malt loaf, seed cake, pound cake, fruit cake, all the regional variations of crumpets/drop cakes etc.

@eddiemairswife

I was a waitress in a restaurant in Minehead during University vacations. The cakes were priced at 6d and 8d. I thought they were expensive, so only charged the cheaper price whatever they had.

I hope they left an appreciative tip!

@AtlasPine

The meal of afternoon tea seemed to be much more standard in some types of home before the 50s. Jane Eyre is given seed cake in Miss Temple’s room. I think they would have had a cake which may have been different each week. Bread and butter, maybe scones. Not loads of different individual cakes unless it was a full on party.

But Jane Eyre is being semi-starved at a school for orphan girls in about 1798, and the tea Miss Temple gives her and Helen Burns consists of tea and a small amount of toast (the cook won’t give her any extra for the girls), so she takes out her own personal cake out of a drawer — presumably sent to her by someone…. (I’m actually not sure Charlotte Bronte wasn't being totally anachronistic by having Miss Temple have afternoon tea, anyway — I don’t think it became widespread till the mid-19th c).

But I think pps are right — you were brought a selection of cakes and paid for what you ate at the end.

@CMOTDibbler in a bio I learnt that Sayers was pretty hard up at times when she was writing and I think it shows sometimes in the food descriptions!

I remember cakes being brought on a trolley to pick, maybe that? Or else seeing the cake display and encouraging each other to have one? And I have been to houses that would entertain you to afternoon tea and have a few cakes on offer.
But I agree it sounds lovely, and wish my friends had time to indulge with me!

I used to make a seed cake with lemon in it. I can also remember the three tiered cake stands in cake shops - probably during the 70s.

I had a tiered plate of cakes and sandwiches at Fountains Abbey a few years ago. Like stepping back in time… 🙂

@Giggorata

I had a tiered plate of cakes and sandwiches at Fountains Abbey a few years ago. Like stepping back in time… 🙂

The tiered plates are still standard equipment if you’re having afternoon tea. I offer my local café and The Savoy Hotel as examples.

It's afternoon tea basically, you get a tiered plate with lots of small cakes, probably about 1/4 of the size or smaller of the monstrosities you get these days and much more delicious. Or, if you really want to step back in time it's the high tea that featured so regularly in Enid Blyton and my (northern Scotland) childhood. A standard main course followed by a selection of home bakes.

@Giggorata

I had a tiered plate of cakes and sandwiches at Fountains Abbey a few years ago. Like stepping back in time… 🙂

In the past the tiered plated or the larger cake stands (wooden frame on which plates were put) were not usually used in the same way as they are now - so one would just be used for cakes. Sandwiches and savouries would not be on the same ztand as cakes.

When I was a child back in the 70's we used to go a café where they brought around a trolley with cakes and buns. They turned a handle to make them revolve upwards and then you made your choice. It used to be such a treat.

High tea in my 60s-70s childhood was a very light cooked meal like eggs or beans on toast, or tinned salmon with tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce. This was served with bread and butter and maybe a slice of ginger cake or a plate of flapjacks.

@AtlasPine

High tea in my 60s-70s childhood was a very light cooked meal like eggs or beans on toast, or tinned salmon with tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce. This was served with bread and butter and maybe a slice of ginger cake or a plate of flapjacks.

That is the proper meaning of high tea. It is sometimes used wrongly to refer to a fancy afternoon tea.

Yes, @CaptainMyCaptain. I remember as a child being intrigued by this being a big distinction in Enid Blyton’s Six Cousins at Mistletoe Farm between the spoilt, effete ‘townie’ cousins (who ate tiny sandwiches and thin slices of cake with their mother at 4 o’clock) and the farming cousins we’re clearly meant to admire more, who eat a hearty meal together with their farmer father and mother at six, that includes hot food and lots of meat, as well as thick bread and butter and fruit cake and apple tart.

We know the townie cousin Melisande is beginning to integrate when she starts horsing into high tea.

I want an afternoon tea now, with sandwiches and cakes on a 3 tier stand.

What a brilliant thread! I think caraway seed cake is delicious when it's fresh, much more subtle and interesting flavour than these super sweet muffins etc

Seed cake makes me think of the Whit Monday Tea we would have in the chapel vestry after the Whit Monday Walk along the sea front.
Fish paste sandwiches and Angel cake featured geavily too.

I remember the cake stand loaded with scones and eclairs in cafes too - my grandmother would always let me gave the eclair.

So delighted by the stories containing seedcake I made one myself and absolutely hated it. Gutted. Now tempted to try again though...

I never liked seed cake but I don't think I've seen it since the 70s. I only use caraway seeds in goulash.

I'm another one who learnt the difference between afternoon tea (dainty morsels eaten in a ladylike fashion) and high tea (hearty fare like slices of pie and hot buttered crumpets followed by slabs of cake) via Ms. Blyton. Those farmhouse high teas always sounded so delectable.

Sorry, I haven't read through all as I'm pressed for time.

Captain, you are right that some people are confusing high tea with afternoon tea nowadays. I heard someone do it a few days ago.

As I'm in my 70s I remember going for eats with my aunts. If you asked for cakes you would get the three-tier plate brought over and you might choose a cake and then the plate was taken away, but I think sometimes it would be left on the table and you could take as many as you wanted and then be charged for how many had gone. If you touched every single one or coughed near them, no-one thought much about it.
Now I am going to write two words which some people might remember:- Kunzle Cakes.