Lavender Tea Cakes

My dad says these remind him of the old fashioned tea cakes that his Southern grandmother made when he was little. I've received nothing but high praise and requests for the recipe whenever I bring these to a party.

This is the first recipe for tea cakes I have ever made. They are deceptively simple. The most complicated part is steeping the lavender in the milk.

The picture is from my first trial with the recipe. While many things went wrong as I was making them, and my cookie cutter was too big, the tea cakes still turned out delightfully!

I would only make two changes the next time I make this recipe. First, I would like to cut back on the amount of butter the recipe calls for. I know there's no such thing as a healthy cake, but I would like it to be healthier! Secondly, the recipe says to drizzle the cakes with melted honey, and my family thought they were sweet enough already. Next time, I may just sprinkle them with some coarse sugar.

So, here's another good recipe for any collection. It's simple; it looks and tastes good with little effort. Use a cute cookie cutter and you will be sure to get lovely compliments.

Recipe from Tea Time Magazine May/June 2010 issue

Lavender Tea Cakes

Yield: 18 tea cakes

Preparation: 45 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes

Refrigerate: 1 hour

Bake: 20 minutes

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk

1 tablespoon dried lavender

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup honey, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to a simmer. Add lavender. Remove pan from heat. Steep for 10 minutes.
4. Pour milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard lavender. Refrigerate milk until cool, approximately 1 hour.
5. Add lemon juice to milk, stirring to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes (mixture will curdle).
6. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract, and lavender-infused milk, beating well after each addition. Set aside.
7. In a medium bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating well. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup flour until dough just comes together and is slightly firm (you may not need all remaining flour).
8. On a floured surface, pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round. Using a 2-inch round, fluted cutter, cut 18 tea cakes from dough, and place on prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart. Re-roll dough once, if necessary.
9. Bake until puffed and lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Drizzle each cake with honey just before serving.