hese
beautiful vanilla and lemon flavored tea cakes have a wonderful soft buttery texture
that is a cross between a butter cake and a cream
scone. I like to frost these little cakes with a confectioners
frosting which is simply a mixture of butter and confectioners (powdered
or icing) sugar that is flavored with a little vanilla extract.
When the frosting is piped into lovely swirls they make the perfect
offering at a formal tea. But for more casual gatherings, just cover with quick swipe of frosting. A sprinkling of colored sparkling
sugar always adds a welcome crunch and you will be surprised at how fast
these little gems disappear.
This recipe
comes from Caprial Pence whose latest book "Caprial's
Desserts" is full of wonderful desserts.
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
For
Cookies: Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
In a
separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to
the butter and egg mixture and beat until combined.
Place the
dough on a lightly floured surface and, with a floured rolling pan, roll out the
dough to a thickness of
1/2 inch (1.25 cm). Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes. Save the scraps and reroll. Transfer the cookies to the prepared
baking sheet, spacing them a few inches apart.
Bake for
approximately 8-10 minutes (baking time will vary depending on the size and
shape of cookies) or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cookies
have completely cooled, frost with icing.
For Frosting:
In an electric mixer, cream
the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the
mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk
and
beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add
a little more milk or sugar, if needed. Tint the
frosting with desired food color (I use the paste food coloring that is
available at cake decorating stores and party stores).
Makes about
16 - 3 inch (7 cm) cookies.
Cookies:
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted
butter, room temperature
Lemon Zest
- The yellow outer rind of the lemon that contains the fruit's flavor
and perfume. The rind being the outer skin of the lemon which
consists of both the yellow zest and white membrane (pith).
All content on this site is
either original or has been significantly modified and changed from its
credited original source. Use of materials on Joyofbaking.com is
entirely at the risk of the user and Joyofbaking.com or Stephanie Jaworski
will not be responsible for any damages directly or indirectly resulting
from the use.
This
website and the contents thereof are not endorsed or sponsored by the owner
of the "Joy of Cooking" series of books or its publisher Simon & Schuster,
Inc.
Content in any form may
not be copied or used without written permission of Stephanie Jaworski,
Joyofbaking.com. Students and non profit educators may use content without
permission with proper credit.
Page loading ... Please wait.
hese
beautiful vanilla and lemon flavored tea cakes have a wonderful soft buttery texture
that is a cross between a butter cake and a cream
scone. I like to frost these little cakes with a confectioners
frosting which is simply a mixture of butter and confectioners (powdered
or icing) sugar that is flavored with a little vanilla extract.
