When Aunt Marian was at Fort Oglethorpe did she miss her family and the familiar foods from home? Maybe she pulled out her handwritten cookbook–the one I now have– and dreamed of favorite foods from home, like her sister Naomi’s London Tea Cakes.
Here’s how I made the recipe:
London Tea Cakes
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water
jam or marmalade
Meringue
3 egg whites
1/3 cup walnut, finely chopped
1/2 cup sugar (more if you like)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine butter and sugar; add egg yolks one at a time and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, vanilla, and water; then stir until mixed and a dough forms. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on a greased cookie sheet, and spread with jam.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, then gradually add sugar while continuing to beat. Gently fold in the walnuts and spread evenly over the dough and jam.
Bake about 20 minutes. When cool cut into 2-inch (or 1-inch) squares.
The London Tea Cakes were light and delicate. The jam–I used cherry jam—and meringue with walnuts added a lovely, flavorful dimension to the tea cakes.
My Aunt the WAC 
sounds delicious!
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They are good.
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I’ll have to try this Sheryl. My aunt used to make tea cakes and they were delicious! ~Elle
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It’s interesting how some desserts like tea cakes aren’t as possible now as they once were. I wonder why.
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They are probably not feasible to make in bulk and sit on a grocery shelf for a few weeks! LOL! ~Elle
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LOL . . Oh, my goodness, the meringue on these would never hold up sitting on a grocery shelf for weeks.
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These do look good. The recipe’s already tucked into my files, and I’m looking forward to trying them. Thanks!
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I think that you’ll like them.
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Thanks for the recipe! I love trying new bakes.
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It’s a good recipe.
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I like how the recipe rates difficulty level as medium. Then I see you must separate the egg yolks from the whites and I think to myself UGH! ❤
Diana xo
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hmm. . . maybe I should make it “difficult.” I guess that I’ve separated yolks and whites enough times so that I don’t have any problems, but I’ve probably developed a knack for doing it.
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or I’m just a lousy baker!! 😉
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I’m sure Aunt Marian got hungry for food that she was raised on! The south does cook things that are different from the north. I had Grandparents from Philly, Pa , while Grandma was a good cook she made some dishes that in the south were never heard of. The south? Any body want a fried dill pickle or boiled peanuts. 🙂
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I’ve never had boiled peanuts, but I think that I once had fried dill pickles at the state fair. 🙂
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I’d like to try these.
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I think that you’d like them.
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Sheryl, I think practically everyone misses home cooking when they are away as it symbolises so much about ‘home.’
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There’s nothing like comfort food. 🙂
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I think it’s more than ‘comfort food’ really. It’s the fact that it epitomises the very heart of home. Maybe I’m nit-picking but I think there’s a difference.
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I agree with you.I’m glad you came back with a better description. I can remember when I wrote that comment that “comfort food” didn’t seem like it had exactly the right meaning, but I couldn’t come up with anything better.
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They sound delicious! I like the way Naomi is written up in the top corner and my doesn’t this page show a much loved and used recipe.
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The entire cookbook is in “poor” condition. Many of the recipes look like they were much loved.
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So interesting you have her cookbook! These cakes sound delicious…they want to be baked 🙂
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It is fun to try some of her recipes. And, I really like how most of them indicate whose recipe it is. Many of the names are relatives.
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That handwritten cookbook is such a treasure! Thanks for sharing this recipe. It looks/sounds delicious.
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I think I am going to make these for the afternoon tea that we are having in a couple of weeks. Sounds yummy.
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I think you’d like them. They are best when eaten the same day they are made. The meringue isn’t quite as light and fluffy the second day.
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Thanks for the tip.
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