Vegan Russian Tea Cakes Recipe | Heart of a Baker (2024)
Cakes, Cookies ·
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If you have hazelnuts in your cupboard, just hanging out casually, go ahead and do yourself a favor and just make this vegan Russian tea cakes recipe. I made these little cookies because I found them in a cookbook from long ago, needed to use up the rest of my hazelnuts, and really just wanted some easy cookies to have in the house this week. Although I had to do a little tweaking to the original recipe, these turned out so much better than I anticipated and now I’m dreaming of all the other nut/flavor combos I can dream up soon!
I know these hazelnut cookies are called tea cakes, but honestly, I’ve been inhaling them before/after dinner and as an after work snack, so to me, they are anytime cookies at this point. The texture of theseRussian tea cakes is less that of a cake and more like a cookie with a nice coat of powdered sugar to top it all off. Between the nutty hazelnut flavors and the sweet powdered sugar coating, I’m convinced I can throw a grown up tea party and everyone would come to eat these cookies (would you come? can we do this for real?!). I always LOVED throwing dinner parties with friends in high school (straight up dorky here) and kind of love any reason to dress up and eat with friends. So you bring the Earl Grey, I’ll bring the cookies, fancy dresses not optional.
Did you notice this space got a little makeover? I am LOVING it so far and am really pleased with the work Tiffany from Beautiful Dawn Designs did for me. She was super easy to work with and took a lot of ramblings about what I like and pulled it into a gorgeous site. Poke around a bit and check everything out! The recipe index is much prettier and more organized, so it’s much easier to navigate now. I also added a couple new tabs at the top of the page, including Vegan Baking Basics and a Shop tab for all my favorite things. Everyone likes a good makeover, right?
If you don’t have hazelnuts on hand, I would think that pecans would work just as well. I haven’t tried it yet, but am planning to now that I know this recipe is quick, easy, and super delicious. For the non-dairy milk, I used some homemade cashew milk I had in the fridge, but if you have other milks on hand, go ahead and try them out! I think the creaminess from the cashew milk makes a difference, but I haven’t tested out other milks yet to know for sure. Also, pleaseeee don’t overbake these (I seem to always say that), but if you overbake them they will become dry and too crunchy, so just don’t put yourself through that!
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, pulse hazelnuts until they are finely ground. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the flour, salt, coconut oil, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, ground hazelnuts, and milk. Mixture should be able to stick together when pressed into balls.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Let cookies cool. Dip the tops in the powdered sugar after they have cooled.
Tea cakesare typically denser than sponge cakes as they contain more butter and are often made with a lower amount of rising agents like baking powder.
Some have speculated the recipes either derived from other Eastern European shortbread cookies, may have migrated to Mexico with European nuns, or may have been associated with cookies served beside Russian samovars (tea urns).
Suitable for home freezingTo enjoy our baking at its best, store in a cool dry place - ideally not refrigerated. Warmer conditions will reduce storage life. If freezing, freeze as soon as possible after purchase.
Using an air-tight container is the best and easiest way to keep your cake from getting exposed to air. However, if you don't have one of those, you can wrap your cake in cling film, or if it's iced, place a large inverted bowl over it to trap the air.
The Tunnock's Teacake is a sweet food often served with a cup of tea or coffee. It was developed by Sir Boyd Tunnock in 1956. The product consists of a small round shortbread biscuit covered with a dome of Italian meringue, a whipped egg white concoction similar to marshmallow, although somewhat lighter in texture.
One of classic Russian cakes. It is made of thin and flaky puff pastry layers and a smooth and luscious pastry cream in between them. It was invented in 1912 in order to celebrate the centenary of Russia's victory over the Napoleonic army.
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 our house, we call them Snowballs, but you may know them as Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies. Same difference! They're all irresistibly tender pecan cookies rolled in powdered sugar and they taste like heaven. And if we're being honest, they're actually my favorite cookie ever.
Teacakes are often larger and flatter with a slightly harder consistency, meaning they can be enjoyed with a range of condiments, including jams and marmalades. A Hot Cross Bun is softer, with more spices baked in, so is often just enjoyed with butter.
White sugar is the most common sweetener used in tea or coffee. You can get white sugar in regular granulated form, or finer ground as icing sugar or confectioner's sugar. Powdered sugar isn't typically used for simple beverage sweetening.
Tea cakes are soft roll-out cookies that are tender, chewy and pleasantly dense. They are a cookie with a cake-like texture. The ingredients are very simple (flour, sugar, butter, milk, nutmeg, and eggs), and the gentle flavor of nutmeg is what makes these so special.
Pound cakes are similar to tea cakes except that they are more dense and their main four ingredients are measured in pounds like a pound of flour, sugar, butter and eggs each. These cakes are popular in the U.K and are usually served plain or with light frosting during tea time.
Unlike both her previous husbands, Tea Cake does not judge Janie. The porch sitters, Logan, and Joe have judged Janie on her beauty, her work ethic, and her pursuit for her own identity. Tea Cake loves Janie unconditionally.
Tea Cake is, as his name implies, a veritable man of nature or natural man, who seems at ease being who and what he is. Unlike Joe, Tea Cake has no desire to be a “big voice.” Tea Cake and Janie engage in small talk and invent variations of traditional courtship rituals.
Introduction: My name is Eusebia Nader, I am a encouraging, brainy, lively, nice, famous, healthy, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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