Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Recipe below for this savoury make-ahead! This tea sandwich torte is a perfect dish for afternoon tea. Layers of classic finger sandwich flavours are stacked to look like a layer cake. A perfect make-ahead dish to serve for afternoon tea.
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Serves 8 to 10
Prep time: 1 hour
To serve, slice as you would a cake and serve with a side salad or on its own.
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• Ingredients •
Chicken Salad:
½ cup (125 g) cream cheese at room temperature
½ cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
¼ cup (25 g) chopped green onion
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 Tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped sundried tomato
1 tsp (5 mL) tomato paste
2 ½ cups (375 g) finely diced cooked chicken breast
¼ cup (30 g) toasted pine nuts
salt & pepper
Egg Salad:
8 hard boiled eggs, peeled
2/3 cup (160 mL) mayonnaise
1/3 cup (40 g) finely chopped green olives
3 Tbsp (18 g) chopped green onion
salt & pepper
Pesto Cheese:
1 cup (25 g) loosely packed basil leaves
2/3 cup (40 g) loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 Tbsp (45-60 mL) extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp (10 g) grated parmesan cheese
2 cups (500 g) cream cheese at room temperature
salt & pepper
For assembly
1 loaf whole wheat sandwich bread
1 loaf white sandwich bread
Cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes, halved, for garnish
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• Directions •
1. For the chicken salad, stir together mayonnaise, green onion, lemon juice, sundried tomatoes, and tomato paste until well blended. Add the chicken and pine nuts and season to taste. Chill until ready to assemble.
2. For the egg salad, grate eggs coarsely on a box grater. Toss with mayonnaise, olive and green onion and season to taste. Chill until ready to assemble.
3. For the pesto cheese, pulse the basil, parsley, garlic, parmesan and olive oil until a paste. Beat the cream cheese to soften it, and then stir in the pesto in two additions. Season to taste and hold at room temperature until ready to assemble.
4. To assemble the torte, line a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan with parchment paper. Remove crusts from sandwich bread. Cut each crustless slice of bread in half (so they are about the size of ladyfingers). Line the bottom of the pan with bread slices, alternating whole wheat and white bread. Line alternating bread fingers alongside each other on the side of the pan. Spread the chicken salad over the bread-lined bottom of the pan. Layer bread slices over chicken salad (alternating whole wheat and white again) and spread the egg salad over. Cover the egg salad with bread slices. Spread or pipe the pesto cream cream over top. Chill for at least 2 hours and then garnish the top with cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes.
Recipe below for this savoury make-ahead! This tea sandwich torte is a perfect dish for afternoon tea. Layers of classic finger sandwich flavours are stacked to look like a layer cake. A perfect make-ahead dish to serve for afternoon tea.
--------
Serves 8 to 10
Prep time: 1 hour
To serve, slice as you would a cake and serve with a side salad or on its own.
--------
• Ingredients •
Chicken Salad:
½ cup (125 g) cream cheese at room temperature
½ cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
¼ cup (25 g) chopped green onion
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 Tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped sundried tomato
1 tsp (5 mL) tomato paste
2 ½ cups (375 g) finely diced cooked chicken breast
¼ cup (30 g) toasted pine nuts
salt & pepper
Egg Salad:
8 hard boiled eggs, peeled
2/3 cup (160 mL) mayonnaise
1/3 cup (40 g) finely chopped green olives
3 Tbsp (18 g) chopped green onion
salt & pepper
Pesto Cheese:
1 cup (25 g) loosely packed basil leaves
2/3 cup (40 g) loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 Tbsp (45-60 mL) extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp (10 g) grated parmesan cheese
2 cups (500 g) cream cheese at room temperature
salt & pepper
For assembly
1 loaf whole wheat sandwich bread
1 loaf white sandwich bread
Cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes, halved, for garnish
--------
• Directions •
1. For the chicken salad, stir together mayonnaise, green onion, lemon juice, sundried tomatoes, and tomato paste until well blended. Add the chicken and pine nuts and season to taste. Chill until ready to assemble.
2. For the egg salad, grate eggs coarsely on a box grater. Toss with mayonnaise, olive and green onion and season to taste. Chill until ready to assemble.
3. For the pesto cheese, pulse the basil, parsley, garlic, parmesan and olive oil until a paste. Beat the cream cheese to soften it, and then stir in the pesto in two additions. Season to taste and hold at room temperature until ready to assemble.
4. To assemble the torte, line a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan with parchment paper. Remove crusts from sandwich bread. Cut each crustless slice of bread in half (so they are about the size of ladyfingers). Line the bottom of the pan with bread slices, alternating whole wheat and white bread. Line alternating bread fingers alongside each other on the side of the pan. Spread the chicken salad over the bread-lined bottom of the pan. Layer bread slices over chicken salad (alternating whole wheat and white again) and spread the egg salad over. Cover the egg salad with bread slices. Spread or pipe the pesto cream cream over top. Chill for at least 2 hours and then garnish the top with cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes.
