Yesterday I had the hungries for Tea Cakes. I’ve been thinking about my great grandma’s tea cakes and decided I’m going to make every tea cake recipe I can find til I get it right. By then, I’ll be big as the side of the barn but at least I’ll have a good tea cake recipe. Some folks have sent me their recipes, some I’ve tried and some I haven’t.
Yesterday, I made Paula Deen’s recipe.
Tea Cakes
They’re good but they’re nowhere near what I’m looking for. These were more like a chewy sugar cookie. My grandma’s were more like a sweet, tender biscuit/cookie. As far as this recipe, I think it needs at least a pinch of salt and it’s way too buttery. My great grandma probably used lard or a combination of lard and butter.
I’ll keep trying recipes.
Sue Lord says
Please keep trying. I baked them over the weekend and the recipe was not how I remembered them. I used The Magnolia Room 1800’s tea cake recipe. If you find a really good one please post it.
Kynomi says
My mother made what she called tea cakes. She made them in a cupcake tin and they were very dense. She also iced them (they were not a deep cake either). My mother died with none of us knowing how she made them. She had not written her recipe down anywhere. I have tried various things, but have never been able to duplicate. All this to say, keep trying – you might just luck up and find the right recipe.
Susan says
My grandmother used Crisco in everything. She made the best everything, too. =) I look forward to the recipe you finally decide is right.
Rhonda says
You, too. I just found that recipe and made 4 dozen which are now all gone and “no” I didn’t eat them all.
Using buttermilk instead of milk really made the difference with my T-cakes.
I did manage to gain a couple of pounds, don’t know how that happened….LOL
Betty Edwards says
I have my Great-Aunts recipe and I’d be happy to,share. She made the best tea cakes but she would not cut them into circle, she would roll her dough out on the cookie sheet, then slice into rectangles and bake them!
Where do you want me to post the recipe?
Hugs, Betty
Gwen says
Old Time Tea Cakes
3 cups sugar
1 cup lard
1 cup clabber
3 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
2 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
8 cups flour
Mix everything except flour. Use enough of the flour to make soft dough. Roll out with flour and cut with round cutter. Bake at 400* 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar while warm.
Jane says
What is clabber?.
JudyL says
As Helen would say . . google that! 🙂 For today’s times, I would use buttermilk.
wanda says
My Great grandmother used buttermilk, and butter in hers. I’ve got the recipe here too. Makes a big bunch. My mother said she always had them at her house. made them each day when she made biscuits. They are soft and have nutmeg in them if I remember. I made them and won a contest one year for Adams flavoring. Had to have 2 Adams flavoring in the product you made. I used butter and almond flavoring. Got a trip and newspaper space. Wow to be in 9th grade again….
Lee says
I don’t know that I’ve ever had tea cakes, they must be a Southern thing? I chuckled when I read that you used Paula Dean’s recipe and found it too buttery – since her claim to fame, is butter,
JudyL says
Good grief, Lee. I think you just admitted that you’re not a southern girl. We won’t hold that against you! 🙂 Paula Deen’s recipe is good but it was more buttery than my grandma’s were. I don’t remember hers tasting like butter but I don’t remember a whole lot about anything about her!
Joan S says
Glenda’s Tea Cakes
3 sticks of butter
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
4 cups of plain flour (maybe more)
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder. Add flour until dough is like pie dough. Chill. Roll out 1/4 inch thick and cut into 3 inch rounds. Bake at 375 degrees until light brown.
Joan S says
Oops!! Add a pinch of salt!
barbara woods says
I have a hundred year old receipe that uses buttermilk
AngieG9 says
I used to make Mexican tea cakes, but they were made with ground almonds and rolled in powdered sugar after being taken out of the oven. Really good, really fattening. The kids loved them, thank goodness, or I would have been as big as a barn.
Andrea F. says
Sounds good, may try! Thanks! 🙂