teacake

1 flat semisweet cookie or biscuit usually served with tea [syn: tea biscuit]

2 any of various small cakes or cookies often served with tea

English

Noun

1. A flat, round bread bun, usually containing currants, sultanas or peel and often served toasted and buttered with tea.
2. A traditional cookie.
3. A sweet cake, sometimes sprinkled with cinnamon and caster sugar, often served warm.

This article is about a type of cake. Tea cake can also be used to describe Compressed tea. For the chocolate-covered teacake, see Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats.

A teacake or tea cake is a kind of bread or cake. The name is commonly used for whatever bread or cake is traditionally served for afternoon tea within a region, but can be applied loosely to any kind of cake that is sturdy enough to be picked up with the fingers. Teacake is normally not frosted.

Regional variations

Burnley

In the East Lancashire town a teacake is what is commonly known as a bap or roll. Whilst for the rest of the nation a teacake has currants in this is referred to as a currant teacake. So if you are ever passing through the fine East Lancashire town don't be surprised to find bacon and egg teacakes.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, a teacake is a soft, chocolate-coated marshmallow on a biscuit base.

Europe

On the British Isles, a teacake is usually a light, sweet, yeast-based bun containing dried fruits such as 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. In certain areas of Barnsley, West Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria, teacake recipes omit currants and sultanas. 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 Sweden, the word for teacake (tekaka) refers to a wheat soda bread, resembling a farl and served warm with butter and jam.

North America

In the south-east of the United States, a tea cake is a traditional cookie, similar to a sugar cookie.

Oceania

In Australia, a teacake is a larger sweet cake of the type made with a mixture of flour, eggs, fat and sugar. It is served sliced as an accompaniment to tea. Australian teacakes are sometimes sprinkled with cinnamon and fine (caster) sugar, and are often served warm from the oven.

In some parts of Australia, the term "tea cake" is used to refer to a Boston Bun.

See also

• Coffee cake, a class of cakes that are served with coffee
• Victoria cakes, the kind of cake that Queen Victoria ate with her tea.
• Chocolate teacakes, a kind of chocolate-coated marshmallow treat