Southern Tea Cakes Recipe (2024)

Southern Tea Cakes are old-fashioned, simple sugar cookies. Tender and delicious, these classic cookies are a family favorite!

Looking for more easy cookie recipes? I think you’ll love my Chewy Sugar Cookies, Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, and easy Peanut Butter Cookies.

Southern Tea Cakes Recipe (1)

Count your blessings if you have ever had a traditional Southern tea cake! They are one of my all-time favorite cookies – and I’ve tried my fair share! They are so tender while not being too overly sweet. They are perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea, coffee, or even a mug of hot cocoa.

What are Tea Cakes?

Tea Cakes is an heirloom recipe for a slightly sweetened sweet treat made of simple ingredients that most people have on hand. Tea Cake recipes are handed down through families, as is this one from my Grandmother. Some tea cakes are more cake than cookie, while others are more cookie than cake – it depends on the ratios of the ingredients included in the recipe. My family’s recipe is more cookie than cake, which I love.

Southern Tea Cakes Recipe (2)

How Do You Make Tea Cakes?

To make them, you’ll use the following ingredients:

  • Butter – use good quality butter, as it lends so much flavor to these cookies. Use softened butter to cream together with the sugar.
  • Sugar – granulated sugar is used in these cookies.
  • Vanilla Extract – use good quality vanilla extract in this recipe and in all baking. I like to use my homemade vanilla extract. Do not use vanilla flavoring, as it can leave a bitter aftertaste in some recipes.
  • Eggs – allow your eggs to reach room temperature to combine more evenly into the cookie dough.
  • Buttermilk – your buttermilk should also be at room temperature for the best results. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use a buttermilk substitute. You’ll only need a little buttermilk in this recipe, but it serves an important part of the recipe for flavor and texture.
  • Flour – you’ll use all-purpose flour for this cookie recipe.
  • Baking Soda – works as a leavener in this cookie recipe.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  • Cream together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and the eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Stir in the buttermilk.
  • Gradually add the flour and baking soda until well combined.
  • Divide the dough in half, wrap each half well in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour to overnight.
  • When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before rolling out on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a cookie cutter and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • Bake in 350º F oven until lightly golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before transferring from the baking sheet.

Can You Decorate Tea Cakes?

Growing up, we never added a frosting to our tea cakes, but you certainly can if you wish to. I’d recommend my cookie icing recipe, which is so easy and delicious!

You may also consider adding other flavorings to your cookie dough, such as cinnamon or lemon zest, or substituting half of the vanilla extract with almond extract. You can also sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a dust of cinnamon sugar when you remove them from the oven, if you like.

How to Store

These tea cakes keep well on the counter in an airtight container for a few days.

Southern Tea Cakes Recipe (3)

Other Favorite Cookie Recipes

No Bake Cookies

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Buttery Spritz Cookies

Here’s my family’s Southern Tea Cakes recipe. I hope you love them as much as we do!

Southern Tea Cakes

Robyn Stone

5 from 10 votes

Southern Tea Cakes are old-fashioned, simple sugar cookies. These classic cookies are a family favorite!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 40

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (226 g) butter, softened
  • 2 cups (396 g) sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g) vanilla extract
  • 3 large (150 g) eggs
  • 2 tablespoons (28.4 g) buttermilk
  • 4 cups (480 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda

Instructions

  • Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract and then add the eggs, one at a time. Add buttermilk until incorporated.

  • Gradually add the flour and baking soda into the creamed butter mixture until just combined.

  • Divide the dough in half and wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour to overnight.

  • When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350º. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 15 minutes before rolling out on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough with cookie cutters and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Notes

These tea cakes keep well on the counter in an airtight container for a few days.

Nutrition

Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 162IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Categorized as:30 Minutes or Less Recipes, All Recipes, By Cooking Style, Christmas Recipes, Cookie Recipes, Cooking, Dessert Recipes, Easter Recipes, Game Day Recipes, Holiday and Occasion Recipes, Mother’s Day Recipes, Recipes, Shower Recipes, Simple Recipes, Southern Favorites, Valentine’s Day Recipes

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Southern Tea Cakes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my tea cakes dry? ›

Adding extra flour for rolling can result in a drier, cracked tea cake and we want a smooth, pretty, tender, fluffy, picture-perfect tea cakes! Chill the dough. Cold dough is what you want! Chilling the dough will keep the tea cakes from spreading too much in the oven and getting all weird shaped.

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.

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.

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.

Why is my cake not moist enough? ›

A dry cake is usually the result of one of the following pitfalls: using the wrong ingredients, making mistakes while measuring or mixing the batter, or baking the cake too long or at too high a temperature. Once you understand which common cake-baking blunders to avoid, you'll know how to bake a moist cake every time.

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

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.

What is another name for tea cake? ›

Although they are widely known, tea cakes have not always gone by this name. They are referred to as currant buns or spiced buns in some regions of the UK. Similar baked goods have different names in other nations.

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.

Are tea cakes African American? ›

An African American Southern dessert, Black folks tea cake is a sweet little biscuit. Light, airy, and sometimes compared to soda bread or pound cake. Tea cakes are a traditional African American treat that dates back to the 1600s.

Why is a Tea Cake called a Tea Cake? ›

Tea cakes originated in Britain and were served, as the name implies, with afternoon tea. But in the South, the cookies evolved into a special snack. In some families they were served only on holidays.

What is the difference between travel cake and Tea Cake? ›

Travel cake also known as tea cake is topped with goodness of chocolate, vanilla or dry fruits, makes it a great bite for kids school snacks as well as adults over balcony coffee/ tea occasions.

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.

Do you dip tea cakes in tea? ›

Yes, it is a common practice in Britain to dunk cakes, biscuits (cookies), or slices of cake in tea. The practice is called "dunking" or "dunking biscuits," and it is a way to soften the cake or biscuit and add flavor to the tea.

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.

How do I stop my cake from being dry? ›

Using an air-tight container is the best and easiest way to keep your cake from getting exposed to air. However, if you don't have one of those, you can wrap your cake in cling film, or if it's iced, place a large inverted bowl over it to trap the air.

How do you fix a cake that is too dry? ›

The 4 Best Ways to Fix a Dry Cake
  1. Brush the cake with a simple syrup glaze.
  2. Soak your cake in milk or cream.
  3. Add frosting.
  4. Fill your cake with mousse or jam.
May 14, 2023

How can I make my cake not dry? ›

  1. Follow recipe directions and measure ingredients carefully, especially leavening (usually baking powder and/or baking soda). ...
  2. Add an extra egg and reduce the other liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup. ...
  3. Don't overbake the cake. ...
  4. If your cake is dry after baking, you can use a simple syrup to moisten it.
May 13, 2023

How do you make dry cake moist again? ›

If your cake is dry, there are a few things you can do to fix it. One option is to add a wet ingredient, like water, milk, or fruit juice. You can also try heating the cake in the oven for a few minutes. If your cake is really dry, you may need to add some oil or melted butter as well.

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