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Southern tea cakes made the old-fashioned way. Simple ingredients just the way Granny made them. In a large bowl cream together butter and shortening until creamy. Mix in sugar until well combined. Mix in egg. Mix in lemon zest and vanilla bean paste. Set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
One of earliest recorded recipes for an American version of tea cakes is found in the cookbook, American Frugal Housewife, published in the 1830s. It contained 3 cups of sugar, 3 eggs, 1 cup butter, 1 cup milk, 4 cups flour and a spoonful of dissolved pearlash – an early form of leavening.
Some people say tea cakes remind them of sugar cookies but I think they remind me more of sweet cornbread or pound cake in cookie-biscuit form. They pretty much BEG for tea or coffee. It seems every Southern family has their own take on the authentic way to make tea cakes and this recipe is how we make it!
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.
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