Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes

Name: Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup butter (softened (2 sticks)); 2 cups sugar; 3 eggs (room temperature); 2 tablespoons buttermilk; 5 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon vanilla; Additional sugar for sprinkling

4.7 from 79 votes

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes is a classic, vintage recipe. A cross between a cookie and cake, not too sweet, and utterly delicious.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

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Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes on a white serving plate.

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes is a classic, vintage recipe. It’s a bit of a cross between a cookie and cake, not too sweet, and utterly delicious. Tea cakes are the perfect ending to any meal or a great mid-afternoon snack with coffee, tea, or milk.

Everything that I know of childhood comes from one tiny, rural town in Southwest Georgia. When I think back on it now, it 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.

There were very few worries there. People never locked their car doors and rarely locked their homes. It really was like growing up in the fictitious town of Mayberry. Or maybe I’m just remembering it through a child’s eye.

I can’t say why, but there are simply certain smells and tastes that bring childhood back vividly to mind. I seem to have so many memories that are inextricably associated with certain old recipes.

These old fashioned Southern Tea Cakes are one of those recipes. Anyone near my age who grew up close to where I did knows exactly what a tea cake is. It’s not a cake, but it’s not quite a cookie either. And it’s not overly sweet – just barely enough sugar to call it a dessert, actually.

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They’re delicious with a cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk. And, if you grew up in southwest Georgia, you can take one bite of a teacake and in your mind, you’re five years old again.

I recently saw a comment questioning why anyone would make a particular recipe because it was “so 1965.” Maybe I see cooking a little differently from other people. For me, the preparation of good food is a way of showing love. And making those old recipes honors our ancestors.

Cooking is not always just a way to get food on the table so you can get on with something else. It’s about fellowship, too. A time to be together and enjoy each other’s company. And if you have an old family recipe like my Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes to enjoy, all the better.

What are Tea Cakes?

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes are a slightly sweet cookie enjoyed throughout the southeast. Many southern families pass heirloom recipes for tea cakes from one generation to the next.

Their texture is soft and tender in the center with just a hint of a crispy exterior. The short list of ingredients results in a simple flavor profile of butter, sugar, and vanilla. I’ve known older cooks who used them as a substitute for vanilla wafers in banana pudding and as the base for cheesecake crusts.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

Cookies that taste like cake
Perfect texture
Not too sweet
Simple to make
Easily accessible ingredients

Ingredients You’ll Need

Butter
Sugar
Eggs
Buttermilk (here’s how to make a substitute if you don’t have it on hand)
Flour (plain, all-purpose)
Baking soda
Vanilla

There’s nothing at all fancy in this recipe because it originated in a time and place when people made do with the little they had on hand. Very smart and frugal folks!

You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.

How to Make Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes

Let’s Go Step-by-Step

I always like to show you the photos and step-by-step instructions for my recipes to help you picture how to make them in your own kitchen. If you just 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, cream 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 time, beating well after each addition.

Add the buttermilk and beat well again.

In a medium bowl, 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 Bake

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

Working with 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough at a time, roll the dough to a 1/4” thickness on a lightly floured surface.

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

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

Sprinkle tops lightly with additional sugar.

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

Tips for Making Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes

When rolling out the dough, it’s important that it’s at least 1/4″ thick to give the tea cakes a “cake-y” interior texture.
To make rolling the dough easier, you can use either waxed paper or parchment paper. Place one piece on your countertop, sprinkle it lightly with flour. Put a portion of the dough on the paper and sprinkle its top with flour as well. Add another piece of paper to the top (making a sandwich of the paper and dough) and roll out.
To prevent the tea cakes from spreading while baking, make sure the dough is still quite cold as you roll and cut it. Then put the tea cakes directly into the oven to bake. Keep any extra dough covered in the refrigerator until needed.

Variations and Options

You can vary your tea cakes by adding lemon zest, nutmeg, or cinnamon. But I’d suggest you try the classic recipe first to judge which additional flavors you might like best.
Other flavorings can be added to the dough. Try 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 half butter and half lard (or shortening) in your recipe. The lard will give the tea cakes an incredible texture.

FAQs

How do I store tea cakes?

Store tea cakes at room temperature in a covered container.

Any serving suggestions?

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

Any ideas for dressing them up a bit?

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

More Southern Heritage Recipes

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