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One-time Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes is a classic, vintage recipe. A cantankerous between a cookie and cake, not too sweet, and utterly delicious.

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes on a white serving plate.

Teacakes are an old-fashioned southern cookie - not too sweet and utterly delicious. https://www.lanascooking.com/old-fashioned-southern-teacakes-and-a-lifetime-of-food-memories/

Teacakes are an old-fashioned southern cookie - not too sweet and utterly delicious. https://www.lanascooking.com/old-fashioned-southern-teacakes-and-a-lifetime-of-food-memories/

Teacakes are an old-fashioned southern cookie - not too sweet and utterly delicious. https://www.lanascooking.com/old-fashioned-southern-teacakes-and-a-lifetime-of-food-memories/

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes on a white serving plate.

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes on a white serving plate.

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes is a classic, vintage recipe. It'southward a bit of a cross between a cookie and block, non likewise sweet, and utterly delicious. Tea cakes are the perfect ending to any meal or a peachy mid-afternoon snack with coffee, tea, or milk.

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes on a white serving plate.

Everything that I know of babyhood comes from one tiny, rural town in Southwest Georgia. When I call back back on information technology now, information technology seems almost like a fairytale. It was a place where children could roam around the neighborhood playing all day or ride their bikes "uptown" without a second thought.

At that place were very few worries there. People never locked their machine doors and rarely locked their homes. It really was like growing upward in the fictitious boondocks of Mayberry. Or perchance I'chiliad only remembering it through a child's eye.

I can't say why, but there are simply sure smells and tastes that bring childhood back vividly to heed. I seem to have and then many memories that are inextricably associated with sure old recipes.

These onetime fashioned Southern Tea Cakes are i of those recipes. Anyone near my historic period who grew up close to where I did knows exactly what a tea block is. It's not a block, merely information technology's not quite a cookie either. And it's not overly sweetness – merely barely enough sugar to telephone call it a dessert, really.

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They're delicious with a loving cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk. And, if yous grew up in southwest Georgia, you tin take i seize with teeth of a teacake and in your heed, you're five years former again.

I recently saw a comment questioning why anyone would make a detail recipe because information technology was "so 1965." Maybe I see cooking a little differently from other people. For me, the preparation of good nutrient is a mode of showing dear. And making those erstwhile recipes honors our ancestors.

Cooking is not always just a fashion to get nutrient on the table so you can get on with something else. It's near fellowship, as well. A time to be together and enjoy each other'due south company. And if you have an old family recipe like my Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes to bask, all the better.

What are Tea Cakes?

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes are a slightly sweetness cookie enjoyed throughout the southeast. Many southern families laissez passer heirloom recipes for tea cakes from i generation to the side by side.

Their texture is soft and tender in the center with but a hint of a crispy outside. The curt list of ingredients results in a unproblematic season contour of butter, saccharide, and vanilla. I've known older cooks who used them as a substitute for vanilla wafers in banana pudding and as the base of operations for cheesecake crusts.

Old Fashioned Southern Teacakes on a white serving plate.
  • Cookies that sense of taste like cake
  • Perfect texture
  • Not besides sugariness
  • Simple to make
  • Easily accessible ingredients

Ingredients You'll Need

  • Butter
  • Saccharide
  • Eggs
  • Buttermilk (here's how to make a substitute if you don't take it on hand)
  • Flour (plain, all-purpose)
  • Blistering soda
  • Vanilla

There's nil at all fancy in this recipe considering it originated in a time and identify when people made practice with the petty they had on hand. Very smart and frugal folks!

You lot'll observe detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this mail.

How to Make Former Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes

Let'due south Get Step-by-Step

I always like to show you the photos and step-by-stride instructions for my recipes to help you lot film how to make them in your own kitchen. If you only want to print out a copy, you can skip to the bottom of the post where you'll find the recipe card.

Mix the Dough

Photo collage showing the six steps of mixing the dough.

Using a hand or stand mixer, foam the butter until soft and pale yellow in color. Gradually add the sugar to the butter, chirapsia well.

Adjacent, add the eggs one at a time, chirapsia well afterwards each addition.

Add the buttermilk and beat well again.

In a medium basin, combine the flour and soda.

Turn the mixer down to the slowest speed and gradually add the flour and soda mixture into the creamed mixture.

Add in the vanilla.

Shape and Chill the Dough

Finished dough shaped into a rectangle and wrapped in plastic wrap.

Shape the dough into a round or rectangle, cover with plastic wrap, and chill several hours or overnight.

Cut Out and Broil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets.

Photo collage showing the process of rolling out and cutting the dough into rounds.

If you lot chill your dough overnight, remove it from the fridge about 15 minutes before rolling then that it very slightly softens.

Working with 1/iv to 1/three of the dough at a time, curl the dough to a 1/four" thickness on a lightly floured surface.

Cut the dough into rounds using a large biscuit cutter or a glass dipped into flour. Gather the scraps together, re-curlicue, and cut until all dough is used.

Place the rounds 1 inch apart on lightly greased baking sheets.

Sprinkle tops lightly with boosted carbohydrate.

Cooked tea cakes on a baking sheet.

Broil for 7-9 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and permit the tea cakes to cool for several minutes earlier transferring to wire racks to absurd completely.

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes on a white serving plate.

Tips for Making Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes

  • When rolling out the dough, information technology's important that it's at least 1/4″ thick to give the tea cakes a "cake-y" interior texture.
  • To brand rolling the dough easier, y'all tin use either waxed paper or parchment paper. Identify 1 piece on your countertop, sprinkle it lightly with flour. Put a portion of the dough on the newspaper and sprinkle its height with flour besides. Add another piece of paper to the height (making a sandwich of the newspaper and dough) and curlicue out.
  • To prevent the tea cakes from spreading while baking, brand sure the dough is still quite cold every bit you scroll and cut it. Then put the tea cakes directly into the oven to bake. Keep whatever extra dough covered in the fridge until needed.

Variations and Options

  • Yous can vary your tea cakes by adding lemon zest, nutmeg, or cinnamon. But I'd propose you try the classic recipe first to estimate which additional flavors you might like best.
  • Other flavorings tin be added to the dough. Endeavour half almond and half vanilla flavoring or substitute rum flavoring.
  • Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar while still warm.
  • To be really vintage and authentic, use one-half butter and half lard (or shortening) in your recipe. The lard volition give the tea cakes an incredible texture.

FAQs

How do I shop tea cakes?

Shop tea cakes at room temperature in a covered container.

Any serving suggestions?

Tea cakes are great with water ice foam, mixed fresh fruit, or fruit jams and preserves.

Any ideas for dressing them up a bit?

Endeavor dipping the tea cakes halfway in melted chocolate for a real treat!

Take you tried this recipe? I'd beloved for you to give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card and/or in the comments department farther downwards. You can always stay in affect on social media past following me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest and Sign Up to Become my Newsletter, likewise!

Recipe

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes on a white serving plate.

  • ane cup butter softened (2 sticks)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • three eggs room temperature
  • two tablespoons buttermilk
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Additional carbohydrate for sprinkling

  • Using a hand or stand mixer, foam the butter until soft and pale yellow in color.

  • Gradually add the sugar to the butter, beating well.

  • Next, add the eggs one at a fourth dimension, beating well afterward each add-on.

  • Add the buttermilk and trounce well again.

  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour and soda.

  • Turn the mixer downwards to the slowest speed and gradually add the flour and soda mixture into the creamed mixture.

  • Add together in the vanilla.

  • Shape the dough into a circular or rectangle, cover with plastic wrap, and arctic several hours or overnight.

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease two cookie sheets.

  • If you chill your dough overnight, remove it from the fridge about 15 minutes before rolling.

  • Working with 1/4 to 1/three of the dough at a fourth dimension, scroll dough to i/4" thickness on a lightly floured surface.

  • Cut the dough into rounds using a big biscuit cutter or a drinking glass dipped into flour. Gather the scraps together, re-roll, and cutting until all dough is used.

  • Identify the rounds ane inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheets.

  • Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar.

  • Bake for 7-ix minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned.

  • Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and allow tea cakes to absurd for several minutes earlier transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

TIPS:

  • When rolling out the dough, it's important that it'due south at least ¼" thick to give the tea cakes a "cake-y" interior texture.
  • To make rolling the dough easier, use either waxed paper or parchment paper. Place one slice on your countertop, sprinkle information technology lightly with flour. Put a portion of the dough on the paper and sprinkle its peak with flour also. Add together another slice of newspaper to the acme (making a sandwich of the paper and dough) and whorl out.
  • To prevent the tea cakes from spreading while baking, make certain the dough is still quite cold as you scroll and cut information technology. Then put the tea cakes straight into the oven to bake. Keep any extra dough covered in the refrigerator until needed.

VARIATIONS:

  • Y'all tin can vary your tea cakes by adding lemon zest, nutmeg, or cinnamon.
  • Other flavorings can exist added to the dough. Try half almond and half vanilla flavoring or substitute rum flavoring.
  • Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon carbohydrate while still warm.
  • To exist really vintage and authentic, use half butter and half lard (or shortening) in your recipe. The lard will give the tea cakes an incredible texture.

More than HINTS:

  • Store tea cakes at room temperature in a covered container.
  • Pair your tea cakes with ice cream, mixed fresh fruit, or fruit jams and preserves.
  • Endeavor dipping them halfway in melted chocolate for a existent care for!

Serving: 1 | Calories: 189 kcal | Carbohydrates: 29 g | Poly peptide: 3 k | Fat: vii g | Saturated Fat: 4 m | Trans Fat: 1 one thousand | Cholesterol: 33 mg | Sodium: 104 mg | Potassium: 32 mg | Fiber: i g | Sugar: 13 g | Vitamin A: 215 IU | Calcium: 9 mg | Iron: 1 mg

Diet information is calculated past software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate merely and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health intendance provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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— This postal service was originally published on March i, 2011.

Lana Stuart is the cook, author, and founder of Lana's Cooking. Lana has been cooking since she was tall enough to accomplish the stove and started this weblog in 2009 to share her delicious home cooking recipes. You lot'll find nigh 700 recipes hither so at that place's certain to be something your family unit will like!
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