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READY IN 40 mins

Cream Tea Cakes

Read Reviews (13)

"'Cream cakes' are not a specific item, but a term that refers to a variety of goodies served at tea. Scones, cakes, buns, and biscuits may be spread with cream and/or jam. Here's a Lake District recipe for 'Upland's Biscuits'. When cool, sandwich in pairs with raspberry jam. A dollop of clotted cream on top, a pot of strong tea, aahhh!" — Marc Boyer

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Original recipe makes 6 to 10 servings Change Servings

1 cup margarine
3/4 cup white sugar
2 1/4 cups self-rising flour

4 tablespoons custard powder
1 egg
1 pinch salt

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Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat margarine and sugar until very soft. Add beaten egg, custard powder, flour, and salt. Knead well on a floured surface.
Roll out and cut with a plain biscuit cutter. Bake for 10 minutes or until pale brown.

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PREP 30 mins
COOK 10 mins
READY IN 40 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Notes:
I use Bird's® Custard Powder in the cakes, but you can use vanilla pudding mix if it's not available.
Top with clotted cream, a wonderfully thick, yellowish cream sometimes available imported in glass jars at trendy gourmet food markets.

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Sep 12, 2003

I have tried MANY other recipes and this is by far the best!!! High tea wouldn't be as enjoyable without them. Great spread with clotted cream or Philadelphia Brand Cheesecake flavored cream cheese and your favorite fruit spread! Thank you for this delicious recipe,everyone who tries it loves it!!!!

—JEBV

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jan 27, 2005

Okay - but not very authentic. I live in Yorkshire, England and we don't use instant vanilla pudding mix in any of our cakes. The traditional cream tea consists of a cup of English breakfast tea with a scone split sideways across the middle with each half topped with strawberry jam (jelly) and then with either whipped heavy cream or Cornish clotted cream. The recipe which nearest matches the best scones is J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits on this website.

—Sarah2006

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17 Ratings

Jan 28, 2007

I last reviewed this recipe in 2003 under JEBV. This is still by far the most popular treat with tea. I've since tried using coconut pudding and rum extract for a tropical flavor that is out of this world! This is a great recipe still. If anyone has trouble making these just try a little patience and tweek the recipe to your own taste.

—jody1

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Jan 28, 2003

The Cream Tea Cakes recipe (Lake District recipe for "Upland Biscuits") is absolutely divine! They are absolutely the most delicious and the most scrumptious tea biscuits that I have ever tasted! Thank you for sharing the recipe online with me and everybody else!!

—PRCA30

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Dec 17, 2003

My daughter and I made this recipe for a school project about her cultural heritage. The cookies were delicious, but the batter is very, very soft. I would suggest a little chilling before attempting to roll them out.

—LILLIEBUG1

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Oct 09, 2005

I agree with everyone that additional flour needs to be added. (1/4 c) I added mine while kneading. They remind me of a sugar cookie,but not as sweet. I really like them and served them at an afternoon tea with clotted cream. Eveyone loved them. Definitely not a tradtional cream tea cake though.

—SANDIGN47

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Mar 16, 2012

Tasty little sweet cookie/cake thing. Needed more flour.. will try again with other puddings

—LindaT

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Feb 24, 2005

Not what I expected. Very soft, added much more flour to be able to cut out,very sweet.

—GARDENGIRL5

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Nutrition

Calories
375 kcal
19%

Carbohydrates
43.6 g
14%

Cholesterol
24 mg
8%

Fat
20.8 g
32%

Fiber
0.8 g
3%

Protein
4 g
8%

Sodium
681 mg
27%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Cream Tea Cakes

Serving Size: 1/9 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 9
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 375
Calories from Fat: 187

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 20.8g 32 %
Saturated Fat 3.7g 18 %
** Cholesterol 24mg 8 %
** Sodium 681mg 27 %
** Potassium 57mg 2 %
Total Carbohydrates 43.6g 14 %
Dietary Fiber 0.8g 3 %
Protein 4g 8 %
** Sugars 17g
** Vitamin A 18 %
** Vitamin C < 1 %
** Calcium 15 %
** Iron 16 %
** Thiamin 22 %
** Niacin 20 %
** Vitamin B6 2 %
** Magnesium 3 %
** Folate 36 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.