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These old fashioned Tea Cakes are soft, buttery, cake-like cookies with a cozy hint of cinnamon and a sweet glaze, exactly like the ones your grandma used to keep in the cookie jar. I baked a batch with Maddie on a slow Sunday and we ate half of them warm off the rack. If you love nostalgic cookies, try our melt-in-your-mouth meltaway lemon cookies next.
Tender, lightly spiced, and finished with a cinnamon glaze, these tea cakes taste just like the Southern classic.
Tea Cakes Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 24 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 204kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery, soft, and lightly spiced with a sweet cinnamon glaze
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, classic baking like our meltaway lemon cookies
Quick Answer
Cream butter and sugar, then beat in eggs, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the flour just until combined and chill the dough for an hour. Roll into balls, bake at 350 degrees until lightly golden, and cool. Whisk powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk into a glaze, then drizzle it over the cooled tea cakes and let it set.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Creaming the butter and sugar. Beating them together first whips in air for a light, tender, cake-like crumb instead of a dense cookie.
- Chilling the dough. Resting the dough firms up the butter so the tea cakes hold their shape and bake up thick and soft.
- Not over-mixing the flour. Adding the flour gently keeps the gluten low so the cookies stay soft and melt-in-your-mouth.
- Baking just to lightly golden. Pulling them when the edges barely color keeps the centers soft and prevents a dry, crumbly cookie.
- The cinnamon glaze. A simple powdered sugar glaze with a hint of cinnamon adds sweetness and a pretty finish that sets to a soft crackle.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are soft, buttery, old-fashioned cookies that taste just like grandma’s.
- The dough comes together in minutes and the cinnamon glaze is foolproof.
- They are perfect with coffee or tea, just like our lunch lady peanut butter cookies.
Key Ingredients
Simple baking staples come together for these soft, old-fashioned tea cakes and their cinnamon glaze.
- Butter: Softened butter creamed with sugar gives the tea cakes their rich, tender, cake-like texture.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the structure. Spoon and level it so the cookies stay soft, not dense.
- Cinnamon: A little in the dough and a little in the glaze gives these tea cakes their cozy, warm flavor.
- Eggs and Vanilla: They bind the dough and add classic bakery flavor.
- Powdered Sugar and Milk: Whisked with cinnamon, they make the sweet glaze that sets on top.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Make these tea cakes your own with a few easy ideas.
- Skip the glaze: Leave them plain or dust with cinnamon sugar for a simpler cookie.
- Add citrus: Stir a little lemon or orange zest into the dough for brightness.
- Change the spice: Try nutmeg, cardamom, or pumpkin pie spice in place of some cinnamon.
- Make them mini: Roll smaller balls for bite-sized tea cakes, reducing the bake time.
- Add a glaze drizzle: Finish with a vanilla glaze like the one on our meltaway lemon cookies.
How to Make Tea Cakes
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium-low speed with the paddle attachment for about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the flour a little at a time until just incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.
- Cover the dough and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight, then preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll the dough into 2-inch balls, about 2 tablespoons each, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Cool on the sheet for 3 to 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- While the cakes cool, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
- Whisk in 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk until the glaze is smooth and pourable.
- Glaze the cooled tea cakes on the rack over a cookie sheet to catch the drips, then let the glaze set for a few minutes.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Chill the dough. Do not skip the chill. It firms the butter so the tea cakes bake up thick and soft instead of spreading thin.
- Do not over-bake. Pull them when the edges are barely golden. They firm up as they cool and stay soft inside.
- Measure flour correctly. Spoon and level it so the cookies stay tender rather than dense and dry.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs. They cream and blend more evenly for a smoother dough.
- Glaze over a sheet pan. Set the rack over a pan to catch the drips for easy cleanup.
- Let the glaze set. Give it a few minutes to firm up before stacking or storing the tea cakes.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These cinnamon tea cakes are made for slowing down with a warm drink. Serve them alongside a hot cup of coffee or a pot of tea for the cozy, old-fashioned experience they are named for.
They are wonderful on a cookie tray next to other classics like our almond cookies or a batch of soft maple cookies for a holiday spread.
Store the cooled, glazed tea cakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days, or freeze the unglazed cookies and glaze them fresh when you are ready to serve.
Tea Cakes FAQs
Tea cakes are soft, buttery, cake-like cookies popular in the Southern United States. They are lightly sweet, often spiced with cinnamon or vanilla, and traditionally served with coffee or tea.
Chilling tea cake dough firms up the butter so the cookies hold their shape and bake up thick and soft instead of spreading thin in the oven.
Dry tea cakes are usually over-baked or have too much flour. Pull them when the edges are barely golden and measure flour by spooning and leveling it.
Yes. Freeze the baked, unglazed tea cakes in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw and glaze them fresh, or freeze the dough balls and bake straight from frozen.
Tea cakes are a type of cookie, but they are softer, thicker, and more cake-like than a typical crisp cookie, with a tender crumb that gives them their name.
Store glazed tea cakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. Layer them between parchment so the glaze does not stick.
Want more cozy cookies? Try our soft lemon sandwich cookies next.
Old Fashioned Cinnamon Tea Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
Tea Cakes
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Cinnamon glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the cakes:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-low speed with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined.2 large eggs
- Next, add the vanilla extract, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, scraping down the sides as needed until combined.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the flour a little at a time until fully incorporated, but do not over-mix. Scrape down the sides as needed.3 cups all-purpose flour
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for one hour or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Roll the dough into 2-inch sized balls, about 2 tablespoons each.
- Place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until slightly golden brown around the edges.
- Let cool slightly on the cookie sheet for about 3-5 minutes, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the glaze:
- While the cakes are cooling, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl.2 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Add in 3 tablespoons of the milk and whisk to combine. If the glaze is too thick (not pourable) add another 1 tablespoon of milk.3-4 tablespoons milk
- Evenly glaze the tea cakes while still on the wired rack, over a cookie sheet to catch any excess glaze.
- Let the glaze set up for a few minutes and enjoy.
Notes
- Recipe is adapted from Cookies and Cups.
- You can double or halve this delicious tea cake batch depending on how many people you are serving.
- The glaze is optional, but highly recommended as it really adds to this recipe.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
- Make sure your cookies are completely cool before glazing.
- Let these sit until the glaze is set.
- You can add more or less cinnamon to the glaze as you’d like for your personal flavor preference.
Nutrition
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Hi. I do not have a stand mixer. Can I make with a handheld rotary mixer? Thanks.