The other day, Natalie and I were on a bus from Angel into the city. As we passed Bea's of Bloomsbury, Natalie mentioned that she had always wanted to go there. Bea's of Bloomsbury is famous for its afternoon tea. It was named by Timeout as one of London's best tea rooms.

It was an easy decision. We got off the bus at the next stop and walked back to Bea's for a spot of afternoon tea.

Natalie and I decided to share so we could try a few of their cupcakes. We decided to try the Red Velvet, the Victoria Sponge and the Chocolate Caramel Explosion (I've just made that name up as I can't actually remember its name. It was a chocolate fudge cupcake with a gooey caramel centre.) We decided to eat them in order of richest to lightest.

What was the verdict?

The Caramel Explosion was far too rich for my tastes. The caramel centre didn't really work either as it has sunk to the bottom of the cake and was just a congealed mess at the bottom of the patty.

Next up, Red Velvet. We picked this one because it is our favourite flavour from our favourite cupcake store, The Hummingbird Bakery in Notting Hill. Bea's Red Velvet did not measure up. Although the cake bit was quite tasty the cream cheese icing (which is really what the cupcake is all about) wasn't as good. Bea's went with a fancier mascarpone icing. I wasn't a fan.

Finally, we tried the Victoria Sponge. A light vanilla sponge, with cream and jam in the middle. Just like a normal sponge cake but in an individual serving. Perfect! This was definitely the favourite of the day. So much so that I might just try to bake them for a picnic this weekend.



Thanks to Caitlin for featuring this post on her blog, Goosberry Fool. Check out all the other great foodie links in her weekly round up.