For a Proper Yorkshire High Tea
Toasted Teacakes and a Cuppa! Today’s Yorkshire Teacakes Recipe is my version of this classic spiced and fruited bun; I often find that the teacakes you buy in the supermarkets, and even in local bakeries, are a sad replica of what they should be…..soggy, limp and lacking in fruit or indeed any spice, they are light weight with an airy, almost invisible crumb that means that each bite disappears in a trice, with no “chew” to them all all. A proper Yorkshire Teacake should be a sizeable, almost a saucer sized bread bun, and it will be stuffed with mixed fruit and flavoured with warm, aromatic spices……delicious when eaten warm with butter, but even more desirable when split, toasted and spread with lashings of butter, that seeps and sinks into every crevice of these plump bread buns to give an unctuous texture and a buttery chin.
Yorkshire Teacake purists will no doubt admonish me for adding dried mixed fruit with citrus peel, as a true teacake usually only has currants or sultanas in them, with a dash of spice; but, I remember my mum and grandmother making these teacakes when I was little, and they weren’t airy fairy with a smattering of fruit, but they were packed with dried fruit AND peel, with a generous addition of mixed spice…..and so, today’s recipe is based on my childhood memories, a full bodied teacake with a goodly addition of fruit and mixed spice. Eat these warm from the oven, or wait, if you can, for an hour or so until they are cool enough to toast them – cut through the middle, toast them until lightly golden and then slather the hot teacakes with butter…..serve with a cup of Yorkshire tea, making sure you make a pot of tea, for further forays into the delights of a toasted teacake, preferably by a roaring fire with the wireless on.
As I sit in the front room of a North Yorkshire cottage on a wet and windy March day, this homely recipe beckons me to make it again……just think, a dozen, glossy and fruit packed bread cakes could be on the high tea-time table if I make a move now! Yes, yeasted bread does take time, but a lot of the time is passive time where the bread “proves” and “rises”, and that time is still yours to do with what you want – whether it be work or relaxing. The joys of freshly baked bread is well worth the effort of a few hours put to one side, and the results are well worth all of all that kneading and shaping, although you can start of this bread dough in a bread making machine if you want. Personally, I find the tactile nature of touching the dough from start to finish very cathartic when I need to get rid of any frustrations……and it also helps to add extra air and elasticity (gluten) into the dough too.
My Big Fat Yorkshire Teacake recipe is shared below, and again, breaking with tradition, I’ve made these with half white and half wholemeal flour. Adjust and amend as you see fit, but do try to keep the ratio of dry ingredients to liquids the same for a successful result. For more “Proper Yorkshire” recipes, I’ve added a wee list below, so do take a gander if you have time. That’s all for today, it’s the weekend, so I am off for a walk now the weather has cleared up and I will be making a batch of these later on too……Have a great weekend, and see you next week with more recipes and traveller’s tales. Karen
Delectable spiced and fruited Yorkshire Teacakes that are simple to make, and are perfect for any high tea table when toasted and served with butter, jam or even honey. Make a double batch and freeze them.Yorkshire Teacakes
Serves
12 Teacakes
Prep time
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cook time
15 minutes
Total time
2 hours, 45 minutes
Allergy
Milk, Wheat
Dietary
Vegetarian
Meal type
Bread, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
Misc
Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Region
British
By author
Karen Burns-Booth
Ingredients
Optional
Note
Directions
Step 1
Sieve the flour, salt and ground mixed spice into a large mixing bowl, then rub in the butter using your fingertips. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, then add the sugar and the dried yeast.
Step 2
Add the tepid milk to the flour mixture, mix together to a form a soft, pliable dough. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Carefully work the mixed dried fruit into the dough until well combined. Knead lightly for 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
Step 3
Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the buttered/greased mixing bowl, then cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for one hour to prove.
Step 4
Turn out the proved dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knock back the dough. Shape it into a ball again and return it to the bowl, then cover again with the tea towel and set aside for a further 30 minutes to rise.
Step 5
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten slightly into a bun shape using the palms of your hands. Cover the teacakes with a tea towel, and set aside to rise for 30 to 40 minutes.
Step 6
Preheat the oven to 240C/475F/Gas 8. Make the glaze if using - heat some water and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved and set aside.
Step 7
When the teacakes have risen, bake them in the pre-heated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until pale golden-brown, and when turned over and tapped on the underneath they sound hollow. As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, brush them with the sugar and water syrup, if using, then set aside to cool on a wire rack.
Step 8
Serve warm, split and spread with butter, or serve toasted, split and spread with butter. The cooked buns can be frozen for up to 3 months; allow 6 hours for them to defrost and serve as above.
Step 9
NB: If you have a bread machine, you can start the dough in the machine up to the second proving stage. Add the dried fruit 5 minutes before the end of kneading or when your bread machine beeps.
Print recipe
Proper Yorkshire Grub!
Potted Shrimps for a Traditional Yorkshire Shrimp Tea
Grandma’s Traditional Yorkshire Pudding
“Scarborough Fair” Spatchcock Roast Chicken
Catherine says
Your link to bilberry pie took me right back to my childhood. Our greengrocer would have a wooden trug with the intense blue/purple berries occasionally. Mum would buy a pound to make the most wonderful plate pie. I’ve not seen them in the shops for decades.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Ah thanks so much Catherine, I agree, there is something about a little wooden punnet of glossy, purple berries that seems to resonate with happy times gone by…..we bought these in the little market town of Malton in North Yorkshire. Karen
Dom says
Ooooh such a lovely recipe. I do love a tea cake. I love how you set the scene for eating yours Karen. I’d love to come ms join you xx
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Dom – it’s always a cosy kind of snack, I think, a toasted teacake! Karen
Ann says
Delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Karen Burns-Booth says
My pleasure Ann – Enjoy them if you make them!
Veggie Mama says
These look so fabulous, I will be making them with citrus peel too, as it’s one of my childhood memories. Not of Yorkshire cakes, but in other baked goodies down here in Oz that make me think of my nana and granny.
Karen says
Yes, I agree Veggie Mama, the peel is an essential ingredient in a good teacake!
Karen says
These sound wonderful! Love recreating food memories from my childhood.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Karen, me too, food resonates to much on every level! Karen
Deirdre says
Hi Karen
At what stage can you mix some fruit into the dough mixture. We are on attempt 3 of tea cakes and your method seems the best so far
Dee (Ireland)
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Dee, in the recipe, you can see that you add the fruit in stage 2. I am so pleased that my recipe seems to work for you! Do not hesitate to ask any other questions! Karen
Helen says
I saw the recipe early this afternoon and have already made them for tea!
The mix of flours and the amount of spice and fruit is just lovely.
Karen Burns-Booth says
I am so pleased that you enjoyed this recipe Helen!
Sharen says
I am from the US and I am not sure about the measurements . Are these by weight?
Karen Burns-Booth says
These are measurements in weights, but I do have a handy conversions table here: conversions and kitchen tips
Teresa Rouzer says
Hello from across the pond! I made these Yorkshire Teacakes recently and they turned out delicious! Just enjoyed one with my breakfast this morning, toasted and buttered. My recipe used raisins and diced dried apricots and I made my own Mixed Spice from a recipe I found on the internet. Thanks for such a good recipe, one that I know I will make often.
Teresa from North Carolina, waiting on Hurricane Florence
Karen Burns-Booth says
Stay safe Teresa and thanks so much for your lovely comment here too, I am so pleased that you enjoyed these Yorkshire Teacakes! Let me know when the hurricane has passed and when you bake these again, Karen
Claire says
I just made my first batch of these using the breadmaker. They taste great, but for some reason they didn’t rise once I took the dough out of the machine and set it aside to prove. I used a two hour dough programme and added the fruit half way through. I’m wondering if perhaps half a teaspoon of salt wasn’t enough? I usually use a whole teaspoon for 500g of flour…
Will have another go soon and see what happens!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Claire, salt is a yeast inhibitor, so don’t add more salt, add more sugar or check your yeast is my recommendation, hope that helps! Karen
Wendy Green says
Hi there, I found this site quite by accident but so glad I did! We live in Spain & the cakes etc here are not to our taste. Today was the second batch I have made (the first last weekend) & considering there is only myself & my husband they disappear so quickly! You have given us a taste of home, thank you so much for this gorgeous recipe.
Wendy
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Wendy
Welcome to Lavender and Lovage! 🙂
I am THRILLED that you are enjoying my recipe and carry on making them! LOL!
Karen
Kristin Anderson says
Have you ever made this recipe with sourdough discard? How would I go about adding that? I want the added sourdough benefit but I still want a light teacake as I’m baking these for my grans. Thanks!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Kristin,
I have a recipe for Yorkshire Sticky Buns using sourdough, which are similar to Teacakes here:
YORKSHIRE STICKY FRUIT BUNS – SOURDOUGH
Karen