Lemon Tea Cakes

By Addie

Serve these pretty little Lemon Tea Cakes for an afternoon tea, Mother’s Day, or a special birthday. The cake has a light lemon taste with a sweet vanilla icing drizzled on top. Tea Cakes are deliciously tempting and easy to make. Bake the cake in a 9x13 inch pan, cut the cake into squares when cooled, then drizzle the icing on top, allowing the icing to drip down the sides of each piece. Arrange the cakes on a pretty serving plate along with fresh fruit.

Ingredients

• Batter:
• Small amount of vegetable shortening and flour for preparing pan
• ................................
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs
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• Vanilla Icing:
• 3 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 to 8 About 6 to 8 Tablespoons milk or half and half

Preparation

Step 1

Batter:
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk together to mix. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir the milk, lemon juice, and vanilla together. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, lemon zest, and sugar until light and fluffy.

Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter and lemon zest in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter and lemon zest about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. If creaming by hand with a wooden spoon, use the backside of the spoon and move your arm in a circular motion to spread the butter over the bottom and up the side of the bowl. Move your arm quickly to beat or “whip” the butter.

With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.

Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed.
Tip: For each egg, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the egg before adding to the creamed mixture. Start with the mixer on low speed so the liquid from the egg doesn’t splatter, once the egg is partially mixed increase the speed to medium. Each egg should be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg, taking about one minute to blend in each egg.

With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.

Bake:
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes then remove cake from pan by grabbing the edges of the parchment paper and lifting the cake out of the pan, and finish cooling on wire rack.

When cake is cooled, remove parchment paper, and place cake on a cutting board. Cut cake into 1½ inch squares.
Vanilla Icing:

In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and 6 tablespoons milk or half and half; stir until smooth. Add additional milk if necessary to make a soft consistency. The icing should be thicker than a glaze but thin enough that it will run down over the sides of the cake. Add additional powdered sugar if too thin or a little more milk if it seems too thick.

Brush off any loose crumbs from each cake piece, and then drizzle the icing over the cake pieces, allowing the icing to drip down the sides. Let the icing set before serving.


Makes about 48 Tea Cakes