Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (2024)

Unassuming though they might look, Southern Tea Cakes are special cookies.It’s said that these sweet little cake-like cookies were served at tea parties hosted by Juliette Gordon Low in her efforts to form the Girl Scouts of America.Leave it to Southerners to create an empire out of butter and sugar.Make a pot of tea for two and nibble on these soft, cakey cookies lightly scented with nutmeg.

Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (1)

What is a Tea Cake in America?

If you've never heard of tea cakes, you should know exactly what you're dealing with. Tea cakes are soft roll-out cookies that are tender, chewy and pleasantly dense. They are a cookie with a cake-like texture. The ingredients are very simple (flour, sugar, butter, milk, nutmeg, and eggs), and the gentle flavor of nutmeg is what makes these so special.

I first came across tea cakes in Southern Living magazine, and gave them a try one holiday season. I'm happy to report that we make these year after year, because they're simplicity makes them so approachable yet still delicious.

Favorite way to serve Tea Cakes

We typically make these around Christmas time, because they're so great with hot cocoa or a warm mug of tea. My gingerbread latte and a chai hot chocolate are some of our favorite drinks to serve alongside.

Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (2)

What you'll need for this Tea Cake Recipe

Southern tea cakes have simple ingredients, so be sure to use high-quality butter and ensure your nutmeg is freshly grated.

  • Butter. When baking, I reach for European-style butter, because it has less water and slightly more fat. I explain this in my puff pastry recipe post very well.
  • Sugar. Plain, white granulated sugar is all we need.
  • Vanilla. Always bake with pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla. In simple recipes with very few ingredients, the flavor of the vanilla really shines. Also, vanilla extract makes things taste sweeter without any additional sugar.
  • Egg Yolks. We only need the egg yolks, not the egg whites. Separate two eggs, and save the egg whites for other things, like my baked Pumpkin Donut Holes.
  • Milk. A very small amount of milk (just one teaspoon) makes this dough soft and cake-like, rather than crisp like a cookie. The extra egg yolk does the same thing.
  • Flour. The best way to measure all-purpose flour for baking is to fluff it with a spoon, scoop the cup into the flour, and then scrape off the surface with a butter knife.
  • Salt.
  • Baking Soda.
  • Nutmeg. These tea cakes have a sprinkling of sugar and freshly grated nutmeg on top before baking, and it is the key to their incredible flavor. If possible, try to use fresh whole nutmeg that you grate fresh on a microplane.

Equipment needed for making Tea Cookies

This Southern tea cakes cookie recipe requires a few standard baking tools.

  • Hand Mixer for bringing the cookie dough together.
  • Microplane for grating the fresh nutmeg on top.
  • Small Rolling Pin for rolling out the dough before cutting out the circle shapes.
  • Circle cookie cutter set, though you can always use a water glass to keep things super simple! For the tea cakes in the photos, I use the 2.5-inch size circle cutter.

How to make Tea Cakes

This dough comes together quickly in one bowl using a hand-held mixer, and then it is rolled out and cut into perfect circles. The cookie cutter is the key to the iconic perfect circle shape of the tea cake.

Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (3)
Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (4)

1. In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugar together, and beat, using a handheld electric mixer, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

2. Next, add the vanilla, egg yolks and milk. Beat well. Remember that you're only using the egg yolks, not the whole egg!

Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (5)
Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (6)

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl.

4. Pour one-third of the flour mixture into the butter and beat until just combined. Add another ⅓ of the flour and continue beating lightly. Finally, add the last flour and beat until just combined—do not overmix.

Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (7)
Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (8)

5. Shape the dough into a square disk that roughly measures 6 inches, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.

6. Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough out onto it. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a ¼” rectangle and cut out 8 circles with a 2 ½” round cookie or biscuit cutter. Then, gather and re-roll the scraps to get 4 more cookies, for a total of 12 cookies.

Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (9)
Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (10)

7. Place cookies a greased baking sheet, sprinkle lightly with sugar and freshly grated nutmeg, and bake for 9 minutes. The cookies should not have any brownness around the edges; they will be puffed in the middle.

8. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy immediately, or keep in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.

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Tea Cookies storage

Since these are holiday cookies, you should know that they are great when made in advance! However, they need to be stored in an airtight container so that they can stay fresh for up to 5 days. You can make and freeze the dough in advance at the dough chill step, but let it rest at room temperature until it's soft enough to roll out and cut circles. You can freeze already baked cookies months in advance, and then let them thaw at room temperature before serving.

Tea Cakes Recipe FAQs

Why are they called tea cakes?

While I wish we still had the tradition of pausing every afternoon for tea and a sweet treat, we simply do not anymore. I believe the name 'tea cake' comes from their affinity for afternoon tea parties.

What are tea cakes made of?

Tea cakes are simple roll-out sugar cookies with a slightly dense, cake-like texture sprinkled with nutmeg and sugar. They are elegant cookies that are always perfectly shaped in circles.

What is a tea cake in America vs England?

A tea cake in America is what you see here: a soft sugar cookie with a light dusting of nutmeg on top before baking. In England, a tea cake is similar to a soft sweet bun but it can even be a scone!

How are Southern tea cakes different from sugar cookies?

If you look closely in the photos, I think you'll see that these cookies are a much brighter yellow than regular sugar cookies. This is because the dough contains only egg yolks. The egg yolks along with the small splash of milk make these cookies, soft, dense and cake-like. In contract, a sugar cookie is typically crisp around the edges and soft maybe in the center only. It often contains cracks, like my Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe.

What kind of cookies do you eat with tea?

The best types of cookies to eat with tea are simple cookies that don’t overpower the taste of the delicate fragrant tea. Anything small, pretty and buttery is always a safe bet. I like to serve an assortment of shortbread (like mylemon shortbread), these tea cakes, andstrawberry jam cookies.

Yield: 1 dozen

Tea Cakes

Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (12)

Perfect tea time sweet cookies to enjoy with a cup of tea! They're Southern tea cakes!

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time9 minutes

Total Time29 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon milk
  • 1 cup flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • Sugar & freshly grated nutmeg for sprinkling on top

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the vanilla, egg yolks and milk; beat well.
  3. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a separate small bowl. Pour ⅓ of the flour mixture into the butter and beat until just combined. Add another ⅓ of the flour and continue beating lightly. Finally, add the last flour and beat until just combined—do not overmix.
  4. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  5. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°.
  6. Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough out onto it. Then, using a small rolling pin, roll the dough into a ¼” rectangle and cut out 8 circles with a 2 ½” round cookie or biscuit cutter.
  7. Reroll the scraps to get 4 more cookies. Place cookies a greased (or parchment paper lined) baking sheet, sprinkle lightly with sugar and freshly grated nutmeg, and bake for 9 minutes. The cookies should not have any brownness around the edges, however, they will be puffed in the middle. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy with tea.

Notes

Storage/ Make-Ahead: Since these are holiday cookies, you should know that they are great when made in advance! However, they need to be stored in an airtight container so that they can stay fresh for up to 5 days. You can make and freeze the dough in advance at the dough chill step, but let it rest at room temperature until its soft enough to roll out and cut circles. You can freeze already baked cookies months in advance, and then let them thaw at room temperature before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 124Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 84mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g

Did you make this recipe?

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Old Fashioned Tea Cakes Recipe - Dessert for Two (2024)

FAQs

What are tea cakes made of? ›

Tea cakes are soft roll-out cookies that are tender, chewy and pleasantly dense. They are a cookie with a cake-like texture. The ingredients are very simple (flour, sugar, butter, milk, nutmeg, and eggs), and the gentle flavor of nutmeg is what makes these so special.

What is a Tea Cake in England? ›

England. In most of England, a teacake is a light, sweet, yeast-based bun containing dried fruits, most usually currants, sultanas or peel. It is typically split, toasted, buttered, and served with tea. It is flat and circular, with a smooth brown upper surface and a somewhat lighter underside.

What is the shelf life of tea cakes? ›

Tea Cakes and brownies have average shelf life of 3-4 days if kept outside in AC room, wheres in fridge they will last for around 10 days. Other items have long shelf life of 40-80days.

How to make tea from a Tea Cake? ›

To brew, bring fresh, filtered water to about 190℉, dislodge 1 teaspoon of the Pu-erh cake and steep for 3 minutes. Discard the leaves and enjoy.

What is the white stuff in tea cakes? ›

The Tunnock's Teacake is a sweet food often served with a cup of tea or coffee. It was developed by Sir Boyd Tunnock in 1956. The product consists of a small round shortbread biscuit covered with a dome of Italian meringue, a whipped egg white concoction similar to marshmallow, although somewhat lighter in texture.

Who made the original tea cakes? ›

Tea cakes were initially made by plantation cooks for the guest of white slave owners. These tea cakes, which Etha Robinson describes as rustic approximations of European teacakes1, were typically made with simple ingredients such as sugar, molasses, eggs, and vanilla when available.

What is a tea cake in USA? ›

Outside the South, the words “tea cake” mean any cake served with tea. But to Southerners, tea cakes are more than that. They are the nostalgic cookies—crispy and golden around the edges, soft and cake-like inside—that are perfect for tea, or just about anything else you choose to drink.

What is a Scottish tea cake? ›

The iconic Scottish teacake - delicious chocolate covered marshmallow and biscuit wrapped in distinctive silver and red foil.

What's another name for tea cakes? ›

What is another word for teacake?
huffkinsweet bread roll
currant teacakeraisin bread
raisin bunsweet bun

Can you eat tea cakes out of date? ›

Food that has passed its best before date is safe to eat. Best before should be considered a rough guide rather than a strict rule. There is no reason to throw away food that goes past its best before date, it is perfectly safe to eat and will often taste just as good.

How do you keep tea cake moist? ›

How to Keep Cake Moist
  1. Use cake flour. Making a moist cake starts with the cake mix. ...
  2. Avoid overmixing. ...
  3. Maintain the right baking temperature. ...
  4. Avoid overbaking the cake. ...
  5. Soak the cake. ...
  6. Add moisture between the cake layers. ...
  7. Frost the cake right away. ...
  8. Store the cake properly.
Dec 20, 2021

Should tea cake be refrigerated? ›

Tea cakes are best consumed at room temperature (approx. 22°C to 25°C). Tea cakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Why is my tea cake crumbly? ›

Why Is My Cake Crumbly? Your cake may be dry and crumbly from adding too much flour, undermixing, or baking your cake in too hot of an oven.

Why do people put baking soda in tea? ›

Adding a little baking soda to your tea will clear away any cloudiness left from the mixing process, and it's also thought to cut down on any lingering bitter tastes from the steeping tea bags, leaving your tea clarified and smooth and providing your get-together with one fantastic pitcher of tea.

What's the difference between tea cake and regular cake? ›

Tea cakesare typically denser than sponge cakes as they contain more butter and are often made with a lower amount of rising agents like baking powder.

Are tea cakes healthy? ›

Tea cakes contains 120 calories per 28 g serving. This serving contains 7 g of fat, 1 g of protein and 15 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 11 g sugar and 0 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate. Tea cakes contains 3 g of saturated fat and 10 mg of cholesterol per serving.

Why are they called tea cakes? ›

Outside the South, the words “tea cake” mean any cake served with tea. But to Southerners, tea cakes are more than that. They are the nostalgic cookies—crispy and golden around the edges, soft and cake-like inside—that are perfect for tea, or just about anything else you choose to drink.

What is the difference between cake and tea cake? ›

English tea cakes: This sweet, yeasted bun studded with dried fruit accompanies afternoon tea in England. Toast the bun and spread it with butter. These buns differ from traditional cakes because the recipe uses yeast as a leavening agent instead of baking soda or baking powder.

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