These brown butter berry tea cakes are delicate miniature sponge cakes perfect for a tea party, bridal shower, Mother’s Day, or any gathering where you’re serving coffee or tea. The browned butter gives the batter its depth of flavor, which accents the juicy berry at the heart of the tea cake. If you enjoy madeleines, but crave something easier, try these!
What exactly is a tea cake? Turns out that question has many answers, depending on where you are in the world. For example, in England, it’s a yeasted bun made with dried fruit (similar to a hot cross bun), toasted and buttered and enjoyed at afternoon tea. And in the American South, tea cakes are more like a cake-like cookie. What are tea cakes like in your region?
My idea of a tea cake is a miniature sponge cake perfectly suited for serving at a tea party, like these almond poppy seed tea cakes. They’re like delicate little… cakelets.
Are These Just… Mini Muffins?
Sort of, but not really. Although we’re baking these tea cakes in a mini muffin pan, the texture is different from a muffin or a cupcake; they’re actually most similar to madeleines, but much easier to make! I compare them below.
Tell Me About These Little Treats
- Flavor: Browning the butter gives these a subtle nutty, caramelized flavor, complemented by almond flour, fresh lemon zest, and a sweet-tart berry. The treats are like small French financier cakes.
- Texture: Whipping egg whites to soft peaks gives these brown butter tea cakes their spongey, airy texture. They’re soft with a slightly chewy crust, similar to a madeleine, with a juicy burst of berry in the middle.
- Ease: Much easier than making pastry, and no icing or fancy decorating required! The trickiest bit is browning the butter, but I’ll walk you through it.
I tried a few berry options, but I like these brown butter tea cakes best with fresh raspberries and blackberries—one berry in the center of each little cake. Perfect!
Like Madeleines, But a Lot Easier
This recipe is a great introduction to making madeleines, because these tea cakes are reminiscent in taste and texture, but they don’t require the same level of precision.
- No super special pan: We’re baking these tea cakes in a mini muffin pan. This recipe yields 30-36 tea cakes, so it’s helpful to have 2 mini muffin pans, but you could certainly also just use 1 pan and bake in 2 batches. Though if you want to go fancy, this NordicWare tea cake plaque would be just the thing to impress your guests!
- No chill time: Unlike with madeleines, you don’t need to chill the batter.
- Less fussy: The brown butter tea cake batter is pretty forgiving. In regular sponge cakes (like angel food cake) and madeleines, we take great care to not deflate the egg whites, but in this recipe, it’s not quite as important. You could certainly sift the dry ingredients in, but the texture was still amazing without being so precise. Just use a mixer to combine the whipped egg whites with the rest of the ingredients.
You and I are breaking all the rules here… and we like it!!!
Grab these 10 ingredients:
The first step is to brown the butter. Have you ever done this before? It’s fairly simple, but if you’re new to browning butter, reviewing my How to Brown Butter page will be helpful.
Success Tip: How to Brown Butter
Brown butter is melted butter with an enhanced flavor brought on by gently cooking it, and it’s a staple ingredient in many French pastries. In less than 10 minutes, the butter melts, sizzles, foams… then transforms into a complex, nutty, caramelized-flavored ingredient. It’s liquid gold, and just as valuable to this recipe!
Make sure to stir constantly, and I recommend using a pan with a light interior, rather than a dark pan, so you can see the color change. The difference between brown butter and burnt butter is just a few seconds! I usually use my Le Creuset enameled cast iron fry pan and a silicone whisk for browning butter, but a stainless steel pan works well too. See Notes if you’re using a darker pan.
Step Photos: How to Make Brown Butter Berry Tea Cakes
After browning the butter, separate 2 Tablespoons and use that to brush your mini muffin pan. (Extra brown butter flavor on the exterior, yum!) Let the remaining brown butter cool for 30 minutes. During that time, prepare the rest of the batter.
Whip egg whites into soft peaks:
Below left: Add all of the other ingredients (except vanilla extract and reserved brown butter) and beat on low speed to combine. Below right: Batter thins out when you beat in the butter and vanilla.
Spoon into greased muffin cups, about 2 teaspoons batter per tea cake, and then top with a berry:
When they’re done, the cakes should be golden brown around the edges. If there’s a hump in the middle, that’s completely normal—that’s actually what you want when you bake madeleines. Adding the berries on top reduces the rise, but if you leave out the berries, they will form a little dome while baking.
Serving Your Tea Cakes
These tea cakes don’t need much to dress them up, I just give them a little sugar shower! Use a fine mesh sieve or sifter to sprinkle a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. You could also drizzle some melted white or dark chocolate on top.
Don’t forget your coffee or tea! (Or champagne.)
Can I Make These in a Regular Muffin Pan?
Yes! This recipe yields about 10 tea cakes when baked in a standard-size muffin pan. See Notes for adapted instructions.
More Recipes Perfect for a Tea Party
See Your Brown Butter Berry Tea Cakes!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! 🙂
Brown Butter Berry Tea Cakes
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Yield: 30-36 mini cakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These brown butter berry tea cakes are delicate miniature sponge cakes. They’re similar to madeleines, but much easier to prepare! As instructed in step 1, be sure to cool the brown butter used for the batter until it’s no longer warm.
Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons (140g) unsalted butter
- 4 large egg whites (140g), at room temperature
- 1 cup (105g) almond flour
- 2/3 cup (85g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (130g) fresh blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries (see note)
- optional: 1/4 cup (30g) confectioners’ sugar for dusting on top
Special Tools
Instructions
- Brown the butter: Set out a medium heat-proof bowl because you’ll need it at the end of this step. Slice the butter into Tablespoon-size pieces and place in a light-colored skillet or saucepan. A light-colored interior is crucial for determining when the butter begins to brown. (See Notes if using a dark skillet or pan.) Melt the butter over medium heat and stir or whisk constantly. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Continue stirring/whisking, keeping a close eye on it. After about 5–7 minutes, the butter will begin browning and you’ll notice lightly browned specks forming at the bottom of the pan. The butter will have a nutty aroma. The color will gradually deepen, from yellow to golden to golden-brown; once it’s a light caramel-brown color, remove from heat immediately and pour into the bowl, including any brown solids that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Separate out 2 Tablespoons of brown butter—we’ll brush that in the muffin pans in step 2. Cool the remaining brown butter (about 1/2 cup) for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, or until room temperature and no longer warm. Don’t cool longer than that because the butter will begin to solidify.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Using a pastry brush, brush the cups of a 24-count mini muffin pan with the 2 Tablespoons of browned butter. This recipe yields 30–36 tea cakes, so grease a 2nd pan or bake the batter in batches. If using mini muffin liners, brush the liners with the brown butter.
- Make the tea cakes: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on high speed in a large bowl until soft peaks form, about 2–3 minutes. Add the almond flour, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Beat on low speed until combined and don’t worry that the egg whites deflate, you’ll still taste their fluffy goodness in the cakes! Mixture will be sticky, lumpy, and thick. Pour in the vanilla extract and cooled brown butter and beat on low speed until combined.
- Spoon 2 teaspoons of batter into each greased muffin cup. Lightly poke a berry into the center of each. No need to submerge the berry, just stick it on top.
- Bake for 14–16 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Tea cakes will slightly deflate as they cool.
- If desired, lightly sift confectioners’ sugar on warm or cooled tea cakes before serving.
- Tea cakes are best enjoyed the day they are made. Store leftover tea cakes covered lightly at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled tea cakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on the counter before dusting with confectioners’ sugar and serving.
- Using a regular 12-count muffin pan: Makes 10 tea cakes. Use a scant 2 Tablespoons of batter per tea cake and 2 berries on top. Extend the bake time to 18–21 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- Browning butter in a darker skillet/pan: I recommend using a light-colored skillet or large pot when browning butter so you can see when the butter is browned. (It’s only a few quick seconds between brown butter and burnt butter.) If you only have dark cookware, I suggest setting a timer, and checking the color by spooning some butter into a glass bowl to determine if it has browned. Check it at the 5-minute mark, then every minute after. Don’t let it cook longer than 8 minutes.
- Almond flour: Almond flour is finely ground blanched almonds. You could also use almond meal, which is coarser. You can make your own almond flour, but be very careful because almonds can quickly release their oils, clump up, and turn into almond butter. It might be easier to just pick up a bag of fine almond flour. It’s common in grocery stores these days—I use and love Bob’s Red Mill brand.
- Can I make these without almond flour? We weren’t able to successfully make these without almond flour without the texture completely changing. Instead, I recommend making these almond poppy seed tea cakes. You can leave out the almond extract and poppy seeds, if needed/desired, and pop a berry into the tops before baking like you do with today’s recipe. See Notes in that recipe for using a mini muffin pan.
- Berries: You can use frozen berries instead of fresh, but be sure to thaw them first. I recommend blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries. You need 30–36 individual berries. If your blueberries are small, use 2 per tea cake.
Keywords: brown butter berry tea cakes
I made the tea cakes with blackberries, and they are absolutely delicious! The texture is great and the combination with the fruit is wonderful. A perfect treat with my afternoon coffee!
★★★★★
These were do simple to make and absolutely delicious!
★★★★★
I made these last weekend with blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. They were so light and delicious!
Made these today with Raspberries and Blackberries! They are easy to make and are light and yummy and beautiful. Perfect for my next family brunch. Yum!!
★★★★★
Absolutely delicious! I made them in a regular muffin tin using blackberries and they turned out amazing. Super easy to make
★★★★★
These are light and fluffy and delicious! I used regular muffin pans and it worked well, but I’m going to use this as an excuse to buy a mini muffin pan to improve the ratio of berry to cake.
★★★★★
What a great recipe. I am always looking for recipes that use up the egg whites I have leftover. They were quick, easy and oh so delicious.
As always, thank you.
Cheryl
★★★★★
I loved this recipe! It was very easy to make and not very sweet. This is my first time making brown butter and now I want to make brown butter everything.
These were fantastic!! Really enjoyed trying a new recipe. Definetly going to make again!
★★★★★
Easy to make and yummy. If I make them again, I’ll add some kind of spice to give them a bigger punch.
★★★★
Hi! I have a question..almond flour is a must? I would love to make these but my daughter has allergy to almond.Can I substitute ?Thank you!
Hi Cristina, see the recipe note titled “Can I make these without almond flour?” for our recommendation!
I loved this month’s challenge. It was so easy and turned out beautifully. They were delicious!
★★★★★
Great recipe! I forgot to add the sugar until after the batter was in the pan! I scooped them out and added the sugar and they turned out fine! I used raspberries on the top and they were delicious
Delicious and adorable!
★★★★★
This recipe was quick and easy but tastes like you slaved for hours in the kitchen. A great treat for Sunday brunch
★★★★★
Foolproof recipe! I used regular sized muffin tins and they turned out so well. Delicious and light and just the right hint of sweet.
★★★★★
These turned out perfect and were so easy! Not too sweet but also very fluffy.
★★★★★
This was the very first challenge I have tried. Yummy sums up these light bite sized tea time (or anytime) brown butter tea cakes!! My granddaughter is quite excited to make more challenges!! We did these together and I love that she enjoys baking!! We used blackberries, raspberries (added a dark chocolate piece in center) as well as strawberries! Thank you for the inspiration!
★★★★★
This recipe did not disappoint!! My only challenge was that the tea cakes stuck to my tins even though I buttered them with the brown butter. Next time I will spray the pans as well. I’m taking these to work tomorrow morning so there is sure to be lots of happy co-workers.
★★★★★
Delicious cakes! Perfectly moist with a nice balance of flavorful dough and sweet fruit.
★★★★★
Loved this recipe! Followed the suggestion to look off a similar recipe to remove the almond flour due to a friend’s allergy, still turned out delicious! These were a hit at Sunday brunch and easy to make the day of!
★★★★★
Made these for May’s baking challenge and I’m glad I did because I don’t know if I would have ever picked this recipe out on my own. My berries sank which was a bummer since the cakes weren’t that photogenic without the pop of color, but the flavor was spot on. I’m still learning my new oven and how to bake at altitude, so that may have affected their appearance. Taste exactly like madelines!
These were so tasty! I was worried about burning the butter, but I watched the video Sally linked and it worked perfectly. I now think every other time I’ve browned butter, I didn’t get it quite dark enough – but this batch of brown butter is the best smelling thing that’s ever happened in my kitchen! I ended up using strawberry jam instead of fresh berries (because that’s what I had in my fridge), and it worked well – but I would add a bit more jam in the future for more berry flavor.
★★★★
I was just wondering if I could spoon in some huckleberry jam my niece got for me. Good to know the strawberry jam worked for you, Jen. Thanks!
I’m a new subscriber. If all of Sally’s recipes are as good as this one, count me in for life! I used orange zest i/o lemon, and they turned out great. Adorable and delicious! Will definitely make again! Thank you, Sally 🙂
★★★★★
I made this today as written with blueberries and raspberries. The recipe is super easy to follow and the end result is delicious! Thanks, Sally for another wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
I made a half batch 16 tea cakes and already more than half gone – very good! It was enjoyable to make and I’ll surely make another half batch in future. Thanks Sally!
★★★★★
I almost didn’t make these because they seemed fussy and difficult. I was wrong! They were easy and supremely delicious. OBSESSED! I ordered the cakelet pan linked and had no issues with sticking after buttering and flouring. I did think they were better with a half raspberry in the small pan vs a full raspberry in the mini muffin pan. I cannot wait to make these for showers and other parties. So special and easy. Home run Sally!
★★★★★
I made these today and they were very yummy. I put half a cherry in each because my husband doesn’t like raspberries or blackberries. I think I would’ve preferred the tartness of raspberries, but the cakes themselves were really good; light and airy with a nice caramalized crispness on the outside. And the smell of browned butter in my kitchen was fantastic! Thanks for the challenge!
★★★★★
Made these for the May 2022 Baking Challenge. So tasty! Each bite sized cake is crumbly and delicious. They are not overly sweet by any means. My little one helped me with this recipe and had a fun time counting and placing each berry into each batter-filled cavity.
★★★★
I followed the recipe and they turned out great! They were way easier than expected. My family loves them! I’ll definitely be making them again.
I was actually a little reluctant about buying the almond flour, but I knew a Sally recipes would be worth it! Thanks Sally for having reliable recipes I can trust!
★★★★★
These were delicious, and my family loved them. The recipe made 43 for me. I substituted cinnamon for the lemon as I’m not a huge lemon fan and holy delicious! This is definitely on my make them again list! Thanks Sally!
Loved how simple this recipe was and love the size. I used 3 types of berries and it was a hit amongst my friends for game night. Sweet, but not too sweet, with the perfect burst of berry flavor!
★★★★★