Tea Cake

Spring is approaching and I'm craving classic, simple and fresh flavors. This quick and easy Tea Cake is light, fluffy and sweet and every bite melts in your mouth. Sheer perfection!

I left home at the tender age of twenty-one, exhilarated with the prospect of becoming a wife and sometime in the future, a mum. Tucked safely in my belongings was a leather recipe book containing written copies my mother's recipes.

Mum wasn't a prolific baker, so it was rare to come home from school to something straight from the oven, but when she did bake it was a memorable experience. 

Her recipes take me back to simpler times - afternoons in the sunshine, long chats over coffee, crafting together and flavors that were delicate, homely and comforting. Her Tea Cake was one of my favorites and today I thought I'd share her recipe.

Depending on where you live, Tea Cakes can mean something different, but for us it's a wonderfully light, fluffy and sweet cake that's perfect with a cup of tea. 

Topped with delicious and crunchy cinnamon and sugar, its classic flavours done simply yet beautifully.

Spring is on the way in the southern hemisphere, so it's time for light, delicate flavors and mum's Tea Cake recipe makes afternoons in the sunshine a poetic experience. 

This Tea Cake recipe is super easy and very adaptable, and I have tweaked it over the years, but it still tastes like childhood and home. 

Generally, you bake the cake, smear the top with melted butter and then add the topping, but I bake my topping with the cake releasing those delicious, delicate caramel flavors. I also use demerara sugar for the topping as I love the flavour and the crunchy top it adds to the cake.

You can also add sliced apple to the cake batter or some plump juicy sultanas - both options elevate this simple recipe to something even more delectable.

Look how fluffy and delicate that cake is! It literally melts in your mouth and paired with that crunchy top and soft tender crumb, it's pure perfection.

If you want to teach the kids how to bake, then start with this Tea Cake recipe. It's basic ingredients and they'll learn how to cream butter and sugar, mix a batter and prepare a cake tin. It's reasonably fool proof and there's no need to be delicate so it's a good one to entice them to fall in love with baking.

It's one of those cakes that looks like you've spent time slaving away in the kitchen, but it comes together very quickly and with minimal fuss.

Tea Cake can be served warm or fully cooled and it's a lovely cake to share with family and friends.

Trust me, it's best eaten outdoors with a steaming hot cup of tea on a sunny afternoon. Sit back, listen to the birds, feel the breeze on your skin, and savour every bite of this classic Tea Cake.

If you would like to bake your own Tea Cake, simply click on the link to download and print the recipe card or right click on the photo below and save it to your computer.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. With spring approaching I'm craving flavors that invigorate and excite me, and this Tea Cake certainly delivers.

Enjoy!

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Happy baking :)