Whether you hail from the Emerald Isle or not, one bite of this wonderful Irish Tea Cake, is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It would be a very welcome ending (or beginning—I could totally see a slice of this for breakfast) to any St Patrick’s Day festivities!

Like most Irish food, this cake doesn’t have a lot of fancy ingredients or require a lot of time or intricate techniques—in fact, you probably have practically everything you need in your pantry and fridge right now to quickly whip this up. But oh, how those basic ingredients come together, once again proving that “simple is best!”

But even though it’s a down-to-earth, everyday cake—you know, the kind that you could make on say, a Tuesday, leave on the counter and watch disappear as your crew walk by and cut themselves a “sliver”, it’s also special enough to serve at your fanciest parties. I don’t think it needs anything more than the confectioners’ sugar you dust it with after baking (and it would even be great without that too) but you could also dress it up with fresh berries and whipped cream, which makes it extremely versatile. I guarantee that whenever and however you serve it, people will rave and ask for the recipe!

It’s light and full of wonderful buttery, vanilla flavor with a tender crumb that almost melts in your mouth. So hard to stop at just one piece!

Make this and it will definitely be a St. Paddy’s to remember!! Have a happy and safe weekend everyone!🍀🍀

Irish Tea Cake  

Makes one 9-inch round cake

Prep Time:  10-12 minutes; Bake Time:  30-40 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature, plus additional for greasing the pan

• 1 cup (200 grams) sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 ¾ cups (200 grams) unbleached, all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk

• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting cake

The Recipe  

1.  Preheat oven to 350º F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan and set aside. 

2.  Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and beat well between each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Remove the bowl from the mixer. 

3.  Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a small bowl and add to the batter. Use a rubber spatula to incorporate it. Add in the milk and stir until mixed in well. 

4.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 

5.  Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack until fully cooled. Then turn out onto a serving plate and dust the top with the confectioners’ sugar. Cut into slices and serve. Store leftovers at room temperature, well wrapped, for up to 5 days. 

Enjoy! 

Note:  Recipe adapted from Irish Pantry by Noel McMeel.