Southern Tea Cakes (Plus Video)

Contents… Recipe Ingredients and Substitutes How to Make Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions FAQs What to Serve More Afternoon Snacks to Enjoy Watch How To Make It

What is a Tea Cake?

Classic Southern tea cakes are usually made with a few simple ingredients, such as butter, sugar, all-purpose flour, and egg. They’re perfect for an afternoon snack with lemonade, coffee, or, yes, you guessed right, tea.

As with any Southern recipe, the ingredient list is pretty controversial. Purists would like to keep the ingredients short and straightforward. Simple means no nutmeg, vanilla, or lemon zest. But the truth is, you can bump up the flavor of this classic treat without losing that authentic taste.

Southern Tea Cakes Recipe Ingredients and Substitutes

Now, you know I can’t leave the ingredient list alone. These Immified tea cookies here are slightly sweetened with faint notes of nutmeg, vanilla, almond extract, and a kiss of lemon to tickle your taste buds. Those flavors perfectly complement a hot cup of coffee or an afternoon tea. 

Here’s what you’ll need to make these old-fashioned tea cakes:

• All-Purpose Flour – This essential baking staple serves as the base or foundation of our baked goodies. A gluten-free all-purpose flour will work, too.
• Lemon Zest – The added citrusy notes give our tea cakes a refreshing vibe with every bite. Yum! ❤
• Nutmeg – Incredible nutmeg gives a hint of warm and cozy flavors in the background that is not too overpowering. And it delivers a holiday feel any time of year.
• Butter – Aside from adding lovely buttery flavor, butter also makes our cookies moist and soft. You can replace it with good-quality margarine if you need to avoid dairy.
• Eggs – The perfect binder holds our tea cakes together while adding more flavor and creaminess. They also help the leavening agents give them a good rise. Here are a couple of egg substitutes to make our Southern tea cakes recipe eggless.
• Buttermilk – The acidity in buttermilk activates our leavening agents and adds fantastic flavor and moisture. It’s super easy to make buttermilk, but you can replace it with sour cream or a dairy-free alternative.
• Vanilla and Almond Extract – Legendary flavor enhancers that you simply can’t live without. They have a subtle taste, yet your tea cakes’ flavor will be noticeably different without them. Homemade Vanilla Extract is even better.

How to Make Southern Tea Cakes

Make the Cookie Dough

1. Mix the Dry Ingredients – Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon zest, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Make a well at the center of the bowl and set it aside.
2. Mix the Wet Ingredients – In a separate medium bowl, cream together sugar and butter until smooth. Then add in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix together until all the wet ingredients are thoroughly combined. (Photos 1-2)
3. Combine and Mix – Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until it forms into a soft dough. (Photos 3-4)

Shape the Cookie Dough and Bake

1. Form and Chill – Put the dough on a smooth, floured surface and divide it into two. Roll each dough ball into a disc, cover them with plastic wrap, and place them in the refrigerator for one hour. This gives the flour and gluten some time to rest and firm up before baking. If the dough is not chilled, the cookies won’t hold their shape.
2. Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃ – Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, spray the surface of parchment paper with cooking spray and set aside.
3. Cut the Dough into Small Discs – Remove dough from the fridge and plastic wrap, then place dough on the floured surface and roll it out to ¼-inch thick. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter or a glass to cut out the tea cakes, and place them out on a prepared baking sheet about an inch apart. (Photos 5-7)
4. Bake – for 8-10 minutes until the bottoms are slightly browned. (Photos 8)
5. Cool and Serve – Remove the tea cakes from the oven, and place them on a cooling rack until they are cool.

Recipe Variations

• Rum-Infused – A splash of rum will instantly make these baked treats extra fancy, indeed, the best Southern Tea Cakes recipe you’ll ever have. 👌
• Fudgy Chocolate – Chocolate makes everything better! Replace a couple of tablespoons of the flour with cocoa powder, and you’re good to go. Or throw in some mini chocolate chips to make these tea cakes fudgier. And, of course, to make them even more delightful, try dipping them in chocolate ganache. So heavenly, indeed! ❤
• Nutty Delight – You can also add more crunch and texture with a handful of your favorite nuts, such as cashew, pecan, walnut, and almond. Just finely chop or grind them first. Oh yes!
• More Spices – And if you think nutmeg is a little lonely without its friends joining the party, why not add a dash of ground ginger and cinnamon to the mix? It’ll undoubtedly spice up our Southern tea cakes with style. 🤩

Tips and Tricks

• The cookies should be cold when going into the oven. So if you need to, place the cut cookies into the fridge to chill them again. (If you work at a steady pace, you probably won’t need to chill it again since it does stay cold for a while).
• Be careful not to overcook the cookies! They will continue to cook as they cool.
• Do not add extra flour if the dough is too sticky to handle. Simply roll it between parchment papers because extra flour can result in a drier, cracked tea cake.
• The dough can also be chilled overnight, but you will need to take it out 20-30 minutes before rolling because it can be challenging to roll out when it is super cold.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Like any other cookie recipe, our Southern tea cakes can be made ahead and stored for later use. Just wrap the raw cookie dough with plastic wrap and another layer of aluminum foil. Then you can safely store the dough in the freezer for up to two (2) months.

Simply thaw the dough when you’re ready to bake by placing it in the fridge overnight. Or let it thaw on the counter until it is still cold but not frozen (just soft enough to flatten or shape).

You could also skip the thawing part, slice the dough log about ¼-inch thick, arrange the tea cakes in a cookie sheet with spaces in between, and bake away.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Now that summer break is almost here, kids will surely love snacking on these baked treats paired with ice-cold lemonade. You can also add sprinkles of cinnamon sugar or drizzle some caramel sauce on top to add a personalized touch to our tea cookies. Oh yes!

• Store – Place the baked cookies in an airtight container or zip-lock bag, and they should stay delicious for up to three days at room temperature.
• Refrigerate – Placing them inside the fridge will extend their freshness for up to a week.
• Freeze – You can also store them in the freezer for up to three (3) months. Then thaw them on the counter until they come to room temperature.

FAQs

What to Serve with Southern Tea Cakes

These cookies are also great with rum raisin pineapple ice cream, lemon curd (oh, yeah!), and Creme Anglaise.

I tried them, too, with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream, and they’re simply amazing. And, of course, to complete our tea time snacking, you can serve them with these refreshing beverages below.

• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Southern Sweet Tea
• Passion Fruit Juice
• Ginger Tea
• Pineapple Ginger Juice

More Afternoon Snacks to Enjoy

• Coconut Macaroons
• Biscotti
• Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Raspberry White Chocolate Scone
• Homemade Brownies

These timeless tea cakes are not only classic comfort food, but they’re also are a tradition worth passing on. Creating memories is part of being family, and baking together will strengthen important bonds that last a lifetime.

Watch How To Make It

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This blog post was first published in May 2019 and has been updated with an additional write-up, and an ingredient photo.