I have no idea what little Dru usually served her dollies at teatime, and I don't want to know. Something tells me that if she offered you a ladyfinger, you'd need to watch out for the bones. However, this recipe, which is based on a Victorian one that would have been around back when Drusilla was still sane and mortal, is pretty dang good. It was originally called a Victoria Sandwich because the layers are sandwiched together with jam and whipped cream.
1 stick (8 tablespoons) of butter (margarine will work)
1/2 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup of self-rising flour (regular will not work)
4 tablespoons of strawberry jam
1 can of whipped cream (sure you can whip your own... but why?)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.
2. Beat the two eggs until the whites and yolks are combined.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. The result should be very fluffy and delicate.
4. Add the eggs a little bit at a time, making sure they are beaten into the sugar and butter well.
5. Add the flour, but do NOT use the electric mixer for this. The original recipe insists on using a large, metal spoon. I've never tried using a wooden spoon. It might have some sort of dire repercussions. Just go with it. Don't over stir. Just mix until it's combined.
6. Now here's the tricky part. The recipe called for two seven inch, thin cake tins. You won't find them. I use a pair of tart pans that are eight inches. Grease them with shortening (butter or Crisco), and then line the bottoms with a piece of wax paper. Evenly divide the batter between the two pans. The batter will pretty much keep its own shape. Smooth it out to a circle in the middle of the pan rounghly 7 inches wide. It'll produce a very rustic, sort of uneven border. That's fine. I actually rather like that effect.
7. Bake the layers for 20 minutes. They should be a remarkably sunny shade of yellow.
8. Take the cakes out and cool them completely. I usually remove them from the pans after a couple minutes. When they're cool, slather the strawberry jam on one of the layers, then top the jam with a ring of whipped cream sprayed about an inch from the outside edge of the layer. Sandwich the other layer on top. Feel free to squirt a few rosettes of whipped cream on top, perhaps with another small dollop of strawberry jam in the center of each.
9. Refrigerate anything that isn't eaten immediately. I'd be extremely surprised to see anything left of this, though. It's so good that it's downright naughty.
Serves about 4 or 5, or a couple fairly gluttonous people.