Old fashioned Southern tea cakes are soft, buttery cookies with a cake-like crumb, flavored simply with vanilla and a pinch of nutmeg. Despite the name, they’re not cake at all: the dough is creamed butter and sugar, eggs and flour, chilled, rolled into balls, pressed flat and baked until the edges just turn golden. The recipe makes 24 tea cakes.
How to make them: Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, beat in the eggs and vanilla, and stir in the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg to make a stiff dough. Chill it for at least 1 hour, roll it into 1-inch balls, flatten them with the bottom of a glass and bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Eight pantry ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, baking soda and nutmeg.
- Soft and tender: lightly crisp at the edges, soft and cakey in the middle.
- Not too sweet: a simple vanilla cookie that’s perfect with tea or coffee.
- A Southern classic: the kind of plain, buttery cookie passed down on handwritten recipe cards.
What Is a Southern Tea Cake?
A Southern tea cake is a soft, lightly sweet butter cookie, larger and puffier than a sugar cookie, with a tender, cake-like crumb. They were made from the few ingredients most kitchens always had, and they’re often flavored with vanilla, nutmeg or lemon. They’re different from a British tea cake, which is a yeasted bun with dried fruit, and from a scone, which is a flaky quick bread made by cutting cold butter into flour. Southern tea cakes are mixed like cookies and eaten plain.
Ingredient Notes
Flour: 3 cups of plain (all-purpose) flour. Spoon it into the cup and level it so the dough doesn’t get dry.
Butter: 1 cup, softened, for flavor and tenderness.
Sugar: 1¾ cups granulated sugar.
Eggs and vanilla: 2 large eggs and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
Salt, baking soda and nutmeg: 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg for that old-fashioned warmth.
Ingredients
- 3 cups plain flour
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered nutmeg
How to Make Old Fashioned Tea Cakes
1. Heat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it to prevent sticking.
2. Cream. In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1 cup of softened butter and 1¾ cups of granulated sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer on medium speed.
3. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
4. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups of plain flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon powdered nutmeg.
5. Make the dough. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, stirring until a stiff dough forms.
6. Chill. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
7. Shape and bake. Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass or cookie stamp. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden brown.
8. Cool. Let the tea cakes cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for Soft Tea Cakes
- Cream well. Beating the butter and sugar until light and fluffy gives the tea cakes their soft, cakey texture.
- Don’t skip the chill. Cold dough is easier to roll and spreads less in the oven.
- Flatten evenly. Press each ball to the same thickness so they bake at the same rate. Dip the glass in sugar so it doesn’t stick.
- Pull them early. Take them out when the edges are just golden and the centers look set but pale. They firm up as they cool.
- Bake one sheet at a time. The middle rack gives the most even color.
Variations
- Lemon: add lemon zest to the dough.
- Cinnamon sugar: sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar before baking.
- Buttermilk: some old recipes add a splash of buttermilk for an even softer crumb; add a little more flour if the dough gets sticky.
- Glazed: drizzle cooled tea cakes with a thin vanilla or lemon glaze.
- Cut-outs: roll the chilled dough and cut shapes with a cookie cutter.
Storage
Store cooled tea cakes in an airtight container at room temperature. Layer them with parchment so they don’t stick together. For longer storage, freeze baked tea cakes, or freeze balls of dough and bake them straight from frozen, adding a minute or two.
What to Serve With Them
Serve them with hot tea, coffee or a glass of cold milk. They’re also good with fresh berries and whipped cream, like a quick shortcake.
More Southern desserts: Southern pineapple cake, Southern peach crumb cake, chocolate cobbler, salted caramel Kentucky butter cake, Texas sheet cake and white almond wedding cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you do with a tea cake?
Eat it plain with tea, coffee or milk, or serve it with berries and whipped cream for dessert.
What is the difference between a scone and a tea cake?
A scone is a flaky quick bread made by cutting cold butter into flour. A Southern tea cake is a soft cookie made by creaming butter and sugar.
Are tea cakes cookies or cakes?
Southern tea cakes are cookies with a soft, cake-like texture.
Why are my tea cakes hard?
They were overbaked or the flour was packed. Pull them when the edges are just golden.
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes. Keep it wrapped in the refrigerator for up to a day, or freeze portioned balls.
Can I leave out the nutmeg?
Yes. They’ll be plain vanilla tea cakes, which is just as traditional.
Final Notes
Cream the butter well, chill the dough and take the tea cakes out while the centers are still pale. If you try them with lemon zest or a cinnamon sugar top, tell me in the comments how they turned out.
Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes
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Ingredients
- 3 cups plain flour
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it to prevent sticking.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1 cup of softened butter and 1¾ cups of granulated sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer on medium speed.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups of plain flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon powdered nutmeg.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, stirring until a stiff dough forms.
- Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass or cookie stamp. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden brown.
- Let the tea cakes cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
