Let them eat cake (and drink tea)…

We’re spoilt for choice when it comes to decadent afternoon teas and fancy desserts, but sometimes all it takes is a slice of cake and a good cuppa to make us feel all warm and glowy. Here are eight of the most delicious arrangements of sponge, jam and icing and their perfect partner brews…

London Dairy Café – Tuscan olive oil cake (Dhs130 for a whole cake)

This dessert has garnered a range of diehard fans all over the world and for good reason. The revolutionary olive oil cake is light and incredibly moist with a sweet, soft base and a surprise sour twist.  We love the flavours of zesty Valencia orange and Greek extra virgin olive oil. It really is a melt in your mouth delight.

London Dairy Café, La Mer North, Sat to Thur 9am to 1am and Thur to Fri 9am to 2am. Tel: (04) 349 4584. londondairycafe.com

Circle Café – Four-layer chocolate cake (Dhs24)

Four layers of chocolate? Now you’re talking. The portions here are generous but once you’ve had a bite of this gooey creation, all thoughts of sharing go out the window. We especially love the icing, which steers away from the thick buttercream that sometimes overwhelms these cakes. The filling here is much gooier and moreish. Try it with a latte and expect some quirky coffee art. If you’re not a chocolate fiend, go for the light-as-a-feather vanilla fudge butter cream cake.

Circle Café, Jumeirah Islands Pavilion, daily 8am to 10pm. Tel: (04) 572 6107. circle-cafe.com

Marks & Spencer – Victoria sponge (Dhs17)

It’s said that the Victoria sponge was named after Queen Victoria, who ate a slice each afternoon with a cup of tea. We like her style and, in our mind, you can’t beat a mid-shopping pitstop at your local M&S cafe for a slice of this British classic, alongside a cup of English breakfast tea from their fairtrade selection. In fact, they do a great deal where you get a cake and a cuppa for just Dhs19. Now, if they’d only put Colin the Caterpillar on the menu…

Springs Souk, Sun to Wed 8am to 10pm and Thur to Sat 8am to 12am. Tel: (04) 425 1815. marksandspencer.com/ae

Mirzam – Aseeda Terrine cake (Dhs45)

An homage to the chocolate terrine cake, which was originally developed by pastry chefs in Tokyo, Mirzam’s version is made with a generous amount of caramelised white Aseeda chocolate and is infused with warming cardamom. It’s creamy and gooey texture makes it perfect to eat slightly warm with a scoop of saffron ice cream on the side. Wash it down with a relaxing cup of Shan Lin Xi Winter Sprout tea (Dhs25).

Mirzam Chocolate Factory, Al Quoz 3, 4th Street, daily 9am to 9pm. Tel: (04) 335 9988. mirzam.com

Roseleaf Café – Carrot cake (Dhs28)

We’re long-time fans of Roseleaf Café and absolutely adore its homemade carrot cake. It strikes just the right balance of fluffy cream cheese frosting to light sponge, is crammed full of walnuts and grated carrots, and has a perfect level of spice. We take ours with a lovely cup of Avantcha Earl Grey (Dhs18) but there’s a large selection of other interesting tea blends to choose from.

Roseleaf Café, Dubai Garden Centre, daily 9am to 6pm. Tel:(050) 5711944. roseleafcafe.com

Magnolia Bakery – Red velvet cake (Dhs28)

According to the menu, Magnolia’s speciality cake is made red with cocoa, vanilla, and ‘a little southern mystery’. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser and provides that instant sugar high. We love the generous amounts of classic American vanilla frosting which add some much-needed moisture to the dense sponge. This is definitely one that the kids will enjoy too.

Dubai Festival City Mall, daily 9am to midnight. Tel: (04) 288 1539. magnoliabakery.com

Lime Tree Café – Lemon and lavender tea cake (Dhs24)

Think Lime Tree, think carrot cake. But don’t be afraid to branch out and try one of the other tempting treats in the display cabinet. We’re big fans of this vegan and gluten-free tea cake, which is topped with a small amount of piped, creamy frosting sprinkled with lavender flowers. The delicate floral notes in this mini loaf work perfectly alongside the strong punch of citrus. This is one to be enjoyed mid-morning,
with a cup of tea.

Springs Souk, daily 10am to 10pm. Tel: (04) 566 7967. thelimetreecafe.com

Al Mandhar Lounge, Jumeirah Al Naseem – Millefeuille (Dhs60)

We can confirm the Parisian-style pastries are as good as the view at this beautiful café that overlooks Burj Al Arab. Whilst not strictly a cake, our favourite bake on the menu is the classic raspberry Millefeuille pastry. It’s impossible not to get messy as you plough through the rich layers of flaky pastry, smooth custard and sharp raspberry. This is a delicately stacked masterpiece to be enjoyed with the signature mocha coffee mixed with Valhrona chocolate (Dhs45).

Jumeirah Al Naseem, daily 8pm to 10pm. jumeirah.com

Images: Supplied