Tea Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, eggs, sugar, butter, shortening, lemon extract, nutmeg and water. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2-inch circle biscuit cutter.
• Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in oven for 15 to 25 minutes, or until slightly golden on the edges. Serve.

Steps:

• Warm the milk with the butter in a pan until the butter has melted, then add 100ml water to cool the mixture to room temp. Tip the flour, yeast, sugar, spice and 1 tsp salt into a bowl, making sure the yeast is on the other side of the bowl to the salt. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the milk and butter in, mixing until it forms big flakes, then bring together with your hands. Tip on a surface and knead until smooth (about 5 mins). Put the dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave until doubled in size, so about 1-1 ½ hours.
• Line a tray with baking paper. Tip the mixed dried fruits into the dough and knead them in, trying to disperse them evenly throughout the dough. Cut your dough into 6 even-sized balls, take each ball and, using the cup of your hand, and pressing down a little with your palm, roll the ball in a circular motion on the surface to create tension across the top of the bun and a neat round shape. Place onto a tray about 5cm away from each other and press down with your palm to flatten the dough down a little, creating the teacake shape. Cover loosely with an oiled sheet of cling film, for a further 45 mins, or until they have doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Brush the top of each bun liberally with the egg wash, then bake for 20 mins on the top shelf of the oven, until the buns are golden and well risen. Allow to cool on a wire rack, then slice in half, toast and slather with butter if you like.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture (the dough will be soft). , Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 7-8 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Steps:

• Beat butter until light and fluffy; beat in the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, egg yolk and almonds.
• Gradually add flour to make a soft dough that you can shape with your hands.
• Pinch off pieces of dough the size of a large walnut and roll between your hands into round balls or form half moons.
• Place about 1 1/2" apart on ungreased baking sheets and bake in a 275 degree oven 45 minutes or until very lightly browned.
• Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets until lukewarm.
• Sift about 1/2 of the 1 pound powdered sugar over butcher paper; arranged in a shallow pan, and carefully transfer cookies from baking sheet to sugar.
• Sift more powdered sugar over tops and sides; completely coating cookies at least 1/8" thick with sugar.
• Let stand until cool; store in an airtight container with waxed paper between layers of cookies.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Beat butter and sugar in a bowl until creamy. Stir in flour, vanilla extract, baking powder, and baking soda until dough is well mixed. Drop spoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; stir into the creamed mixture. Knead dough for a few turnns on a floured board until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cream the butter and sugar, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly. Then add the milk and gradually add the flour, making a light, soft dough. Roll the dough out so it¿s very thin. Cut into rounds and put on a buttered baking pan. Bake until the cakes are yellowish in color, about 8 minutes.

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk together the flour,baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, then beat in the buttermilk and vanilla.
• Gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until smooth and well blended. Divide the dough in half. Flatten each half into a disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled and slightly stiff, at least 1 hour, but overnight ideally.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, working with one portion at a time, roll the dough to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 1½-inch round biscuit cutter. Gather the scraps, reroll, and cut again. Sprinkle lightly with demerara sugar. Transfer the tea cakes to the baking sheets and space them about 1 inch apart.
• Bake until the tea cakes are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the pan for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The tea cakes will keep for about 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon chamomile to a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot melted butter over the chamomile and stir. Set aside to steep and cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Use the same saucepan (without washing it out) to bring the milk to a simmer over medium-high heat, keeping watch so it doesn't boil over. Remove from the heat, and stir the remaining 1 tablespoon chamomile into the hot milk. Set aside to steep and cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with the nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper so the long sides of the pan have a couple of inches of overhang to make lifting the finished cake out easier.
• Add the sugar and salt to the bowl with the butter, and whisk until smooth and thick, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, vigorously whisking to combine after each addition. Zest the lemon into the bowl; add the baking powder and vanilla, and whisk until incorporated. Add the flour and stream in the milk mixture while whisking continuously until no streaks of flour remain.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a skewer or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are OK, but you should see no wet batter), 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes.
• While the cake cools, make the icing: Into a medium bowl, squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from the zested lemon, then add the confectioners' sugar. Place the dehydrated strawberries in a fine-mesh sieve set over the bowl and, using your fingers, crush the brittle berries and press the red-pink powder through the sieve and into the sugar. (The more you do this, the redder your icing will be.) Whisk until smooth.
• If needed, run a knife along the edges of the cake to release it from the pan. Holding the 2 sides of overhanging parchment, lift the cake out and place it on a plate, cake stand or cutting board. Discard the parchment. Pour the icing over the cake, using a spoon to push the icing to the edges of the cake to encourage the icing to drip down the sides dramatically. Cool the cake completely and let the icing set.

Steps:

• Cakes:.
• Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°F Grease the wells of the mini tea cake pan and dust with flour. Tap out excess.
• To make the cakes, over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 30 seconds.
• Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, occasionally stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, about 1 minute.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition until just incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Spoon 2 teaspoons of the batter into each well of the prepared pan. Tap the pan on the counter top to eliminate any air bubbles.
• Bake just until cakes are no longer sticky on top, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cakes cool in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes. Invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Let the cakes cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, wash and dry the pan, grease and flour the wells, and repeat with the remaining batter.
• If desired, using a serrated knife, cut the cakes horizontally. Spoon 1/4 teaspoons of jam on the bottom half of each cake, then cover with the top half.
• Glaze:.
• To make the glaze, in a large bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, egg whites, milk and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in the food coloring, one small drop at a time, until the desired color is reached.
• Slowly drizzle the glaze over each cake, allowing it to completely cover the top and sides before glazing the next cake. Tap the wire rack on the counter top to remove excess glaze.
• Let the glaze dry completely, about 1 hour, before serving.
• Variations:.
• Lemon - make the cake batter as directed above, adding 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract along with the vanilla. For the glaze, substitute 4 teaspoons lemon extract for the vanilla.
• Almond - Make the cake batter as directed above, adding 3/4 teaspoons almond extract along with the vanilla. For the glaze, substitute 1/2 teaspoons almond extract for the vanilla.