Teacakes

Though ambiguous, "Teacake" is usually the English spelling, while "Tea Cake" is the American spelling. The term "tea cake" may have originated from the custom of serving cake with tea. The first recorded recipe for teacakes was in the 17th century, when they were eaten for breakfast and made with yeast, currants and spices.

In East Lancashire, the former West Riding of Yorkshire and elsewhere in the North, a teacake is a round bread roll which is cut in half to make sandwiches. They do not usually contain any sort of dried fruit. They can be made with either white, brown, wholemeal or granary flour. A favourite way to eat them is to slice them into fingers, toast and then spread with butter and Bovril or Marmite.

In other parts of England, a teacake is a light, sweet, yeast-based bun containing dried fruits, most usually currants, sultanas or candied peel. It is typically split, toasted, buttered and served with tea. It is flat and circular, with a smooth brown upper surface and a somewhat lighter underside. Although most people refer to a teacake as a cake containing fruit, in East Lancashire, certain areas of Yorkshire and Cumbria the name currant teacake is used to distinguish fruited 'cakes' from plain bread rolls.

Here are some other variations from around the world:

• In west Yorkshire, a large plain white or brown teacake is usually called a breadcake and is used to make very large sandwiches. In Kent, the teacake is known as a "huffkin", which is often flavoured with hops, especially at the time of harvesting hops in September.
• In Sussex, a luxurious version of the teacake with added aromatics such as nutmeg, cinnamon and rose water is still sometimes made and called a manchet or Lady Arundel's Manchet.
• In North East England, areas of Newcastle Upon Tyne and Northumberland, some teacakes are called "Singing Hinnies" due to the addition of a glaze.
• In the U.S. tea cakes can be cookies or small cakes.
• In Sweden, they are soft, round, flat wheat breads made with milk and a little sugar. They are used to make buttered ham or cheese sandwiches.
• In Australia, a teacake is sprinkled with cinnamon and caster sugar and usually served warm from the oven.
• In Russia a tea cake is a butter cookie with powdered sugar.