Irish Tea Cake Recipe (2024)

Created: February 22, 2023 Updated: February 23, 2023 by Lyuba Brooke 33 Comments *This post may contain affiliate links. Read More...

Irish Tea Cake is so easy, simple, soft, and delicious! This beautiful, simple cake is perfect for morning or afternoon tea break and just perfect topped with juicy raspberries and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

For more classic Irish recipes, check out our Shepherd’s Pie and Dublin Coddle.

Irish Tea Cake

Feeling fancy? Enjoy a tea party with desserts like this traditional Irish tea cake! Just like the name claims, this cake is traditionally served with tea. However, it’s also wonderful when paired with your morning cup of coffee, as an afternoon snack, or even as a late-night sweet treat. There’s never a bad time to enjoy a classic cake that’s this scrumptious! It’s especially great when you’re craving something fluffy and only slightly sweet.

As much as I do love more indulgent, decadent desserts, there’s something also so satisfying about treats that aren’t overly sweet. A touch of white granulated sugar and pure vanilla extract are what give this cake the delightfully subtle sweetness that it has. It’s angelically soft and fluffy, making every bite taste like heaven! The additional sweetness that really enhances it is the dusting of powdered sugar and sprinkling of berries it’s topped with just before serving.

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I’ve been planning all of my Irish-inspired recipes so I can best celebrate the holiday! Usually, I end my St. Paddy’s Day dinner with this sweet send off and it’s always a huge hit. After all, a cake this wonderfully simple is always picky-eater approved. Speaking of simple, you’ll love the list of ingredients here. If you’re an avid baker, you likely already have everything you need in your kitchen right now!

Ingredient Notes:

This list of ingredients is just how I like it – short and sweet!

• Unsalted Butter – Make sure you leave it out at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour to soften.
• White Granulated Sugar
• Eggs – get the to room temperature just like the butter.
• Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract will always create better flavor than imitation.
• Cake Flour
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Whole Milk
• Sour Cream – use full fat for best results.
• Powdered Sugar – This is just for dusting on top. Measure with your heart!

Baking Instructions

Irish tea cake is a famously easy cake to make! These steps are clear, concise, and free from any unnecessary frills.

Prepare.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour your cake pan.

If you’d prefer, you can always cut out a circle of parchment paper instead of greasing and flouring.

Make the cake batter.

Beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time.

Beat in the vanilla, milk, and sour cream.

Sift in the dry ingredients and mix everything on a low speed until just combined.

Bake the cake.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Tap the cake pan on the counter to get the air bubbles out.

Bake the cake for approximately 25-30 minutes.

Cool and dust.

Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then, run a greased butter knife along the edges to separate it from the pan.

Flip the cake over onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

Serving Suggestions:

Here are just a few lovely ways you can dress up your homemade Irish tea cake:

• Powdered Sugar – While this is technically optional, it would be sinful not to serve Irish tea cake without a dusting of powdered sugar on top! Just make sure the cake is cooled to room temperature prior to dusting, otherwise it’ll soak into the warm cake.
• Berries – Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries… You can sprinkle on the whole rainbow of berries if you’d like! That’s another wonderful reason to make this cake during the springtime for a tea party or St. Patrick’s Day – all of the berries are fresh and ripe.
• Whipped Cream
• Salted Caramel Sauce – A drizzle of this sauce on top of your cake is pretty mouthwatering. Just ask my kids, who can’t get enough of it!

Tips for the Best Irish Tea Cake:

• Make sure to bring butter and eggs to room temperature first. This is so easy to forget to do! Nothing is more annoying than reaching for your eggs and butter, just to realize they’re still cold in the fridge.
• Don’t over-beat the batter! Over-beating is often the cause of the cake not rising properly. The key to any good fluffy cake is batter is mixed just until combining after adding the flour.
• Line the bottom of your cake pan with parchment paper to better prevent sticking.
• Once you add the batter into the baking pan, tap the cake pan on the counter a few times before putting it in the oven! This will get rid of the extra bubbles and ensure that the batter is spread evenly in the pan.

PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles on March 6, 2013.