Once Upon a Teatime Trivia Quiz

Answer: Croque-monsieur

In New Zealand we call it a "custard square". The French name "mille-feuille" is short for "gâteau de mille-feuilles" which means "cake of a thousand leaves". It was well known by the time La Varenne described it in 1651, in the book "Cuisinier françois", which means that it couldn't have been named for the Emperor Napoleon, because he came later. It is more likely that name "Napoleon" came from "napolitaine" which means "of Naples" in French. Croque-monsieur is a kind of toasted sandwich.

Answer: Choux pastry

An éclair may be iced with chocolate or coffee icing, and should be filled with crème pâtissière (or perhaps custard or whipped cream). In the US, a form of doughnut called a "long john" is sometimes called an éclair, although it really isn't the same as the French original. The éclair was probably invented during the nineteenth century in France, possibly by Antoine Carême. Why it was given the name "éclair" (meaning lightning) nobody knows!

Answer: Madeira Cake

Madeira cake does not actually contain Madeira, but is similar to a pound cake in texture and usually flavoured with lemon. It is said to have been invented in Bristol, England, and was traditionally served with Madeira - a fortified wine from Portugal.

Answer: Coconut

Lamingtons are common throughout Australasia, but were named for Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901. The story goes that his chef, Armand Gallad, had to provide cakes for unexpected guests, so he took some left-over sponge cake, dipped it in chocolate sauce, and then into coconut. The result proved instantly popular, except with Lord Lamington, who is said to have called them "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits"!

Answer: Battenberg cake

It's generally thought that this cake is named for the German town of Battenburg, but the actual connection is less certain. The most likely story is that it was created in 1884 of Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Victoria of Hesse, to Prince Louis of Battenberg. There were four squares in the cake because there were four princes of Battenberg. Prince Louis of Battenberg went on to be the father of Lord Louis Mountbatten, and grandfather of Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. So, this is one right royal cake!

Answer: It has one half iced in one colour, the other half iced in another colour

They may also be filled with sweetened cream set with gelatin, or with custard. The topping is most often half vanilla, half chocolate. These distinctively Australasian treats were probably invented in Australia in the early twentieth century, and how they got their name is another culinary mystery.

Answer: Swiss roll

A Swiss roll may be a plain sponge cake filled with lemon curd or jam (Americans call this a "jelly roll"). Or it may be a chocolate cake filled with butter cream. In any case, nobody is sure why it's called a Swiss roll, especially since it seems to have originated not in Switzerland, but further east, most likely in Hungary or Germany.

Answer: Shell-like

Madeleines originated in France during the 18th or 19th century, and are probably named for a pastry cook named Madeleine though exactly for whom (and when) is a matter of opinion. Their distinctive shape comes from the pan in which they are cooked, which has scallop-shell shaped depressions.

Answer: Chelsea buns

Chelsea buns were invented during the eighteenth century at the Chelsea Bun House in London, in Pimlico Road near Sloane Square. Most famous among its clientele were King George II, and later King George III and Queen Charlotte. Chelsea buns are quite similar to the cinnamon rolls found in bakeries across northern Europe and America.

Answer: Chocolate

Red velvet cake is actually a chocolate cake. When made with natural acidic (not Dutch-processed) cocoa powder, the cake would have a reddish colour. Using acidic buttermilk in the ingredients also brings out the red colour in cocoa. During World War II, the cake was often coloured with red beetroot pulp. These days most recipes have copious amounts of red food colouring added to make sure the red velvet cake is good and red!