This article is about a type of bread or cake. Tea cake can also be used to describe Compressed tea. For the chocolate-covered teacake, see Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats.
A teacake is a light yeast-based sweet bun containing dried fruit, typically served toasted and buttered.[1]
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In East Lancashire, some parts of Yorkshire, and some other northern parts of England, a teacake is a round bread roll which is cut in half to make sandwiches. They do not usually contain any sort of dried fruit. They can be made with either white, brown, wholemeal or granary flour. A favourite way to eat them is to slice them into fingers, toast and then spread with butter and Bovril or Marmite.
In other parts of England, a teacake is a light, sweet, yeast-based bun containing dried fruits, most usually currants, sultanas or peel. It is typically split, toasted, buttered, and served with tea. It is flat and circular, with a smooth brown upper surface and a somewhat lighter underside. Although most people refer to a tea cake as a cake containing fruit, in East Lancashire, certain areas of Yorkshire and Cumbria the name currant teacake is used to distinguish fruited 'cakes' from plain bread rolls. In west Yorkshire, a large plain white or brown teacake 9 inches or 225 mm diameter is usually called a breadcake and is used to make very large sandwiches. Many cafes sell these for breakfast or midmorning snacks. In Kent, the tea cake is known as a "huffkin", which is often flavoured with hops, especially at the time of harvesting hops in September. In Sussex, a luxurious version of the tea cake with added aromatics such as nutmeg, cinamon and rose water is still sometimes made and called a manchet or Lady Arundel's Manchet. In North East England, areas of Newcastle Upon Tyne and Northumberland, some teacakes are called "Singing Hinnies" due to the addition of a glaze. [2]
In Sweden, the word for teacake (tekaka) refers to a sweetened wheat soda bread, resembling a farl and served warm with butter and jam. It is often served with cheese as well.
In the Southeastern United States, a tea cake is a traditional dense large cookie, made with sugar, butter, eggs, flour, milk, and flavoring.[3]
In the rest of the United States, a tea cake is a spice cake topped with powdered sugar. Sometimes it may contain fruits such as apricots, blueberries, or cranberries.
In Australia, a teacake is typically a heavier sponge cake. A quick and easy cake to make, typically ready to serve warm from the oven in less than 30 minutes. Ingredients usually consist of always available ingredients in the kitchen cupboard and they are typically flour, eggs, butter, cinnamon and sugar. It is traditionally served warm as an accompaniment to tea. Australian teacakes are sprinkled with cinnamon and fine (caster) sugar, and are usually served warm from the oven.
"Tea Cake" is the name of one of the characters in the Zora Neale Hurston novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.