Miss Vivian’s Tea Cakes – Gluten-Free Version
The story of Miss Vivian’s Tea Cakes is not my own, but the beautiful memory my friend and fellow author Dera R. Williams shares in her blog Vanilla Memories. Dera discusses her childhood memories of her grandmother serving sweet tea and tea cakes on the porch in Arkansas. She talks about getting the recipe from her own mother and trying them out herself.
When I first read “Vanilla Memories,” I immediately felt as if I were sitting on the front porch in Arkansas, sipping on tea and eating her mother’s tea cakes.
Dera R. Williams is a profound author, genealogist, and storyteller based out of Oakland, CA. Dera’s gift of storytelling is able to pull the reader into a world of her characters, real or imaginary. I would highly encourage you to read more about Dera’s work and try out her mother’s delicious tea cake recipe included in “Vanilla Memories.”
Making the Tea Cakes
When I first decided to make Miss Vivian’s Tea Cakes – Gluten Free Version, I had to look at Dera’s recipe to see what adjustments I had to make. I have discovered in gluten-free baking, that it’s important to add in additional liquid to keep your treats from being too dry. I actually only increased the vanilla. The only other addition I made was using baking powder instead of baking soda and cream of tartar, it offers the same result.
Results
Making the tea cakes was easier than I anticipated. The process and baking time were both pretty quick. The flavor was fantastic. Though this was my first experience making traditional tea cakes, I was quite pleased with the result. They were moist, buttery, and not too sweet. Tasting them brought me to a familiar place that I still don’t recognize, perhaps a memory I cannot recollect. Either way, making Miss Vivian’s Tea Cakes, even gluten-free was delightful.
Recipe
The recipe I have posted below is from Miss Vivian’s Tea Cakes, however I did adapt it to be gluten-free. If you would like to try the original tea cake recipe, please check out Dera’s blog, Vanilla Memories. She has included her mother Miss Vivian’s recipe.
Whichever version you try, I pray you will have a delightful experience. I definitely did.
Be Well!



Miss Vivian’s Tea Cakes – Gluten-Free Version
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Tablespoon
- 1 Teaspoon
- 1 Measuring cup
- 1 Wisk or fork
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Cooling rack optional
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter Room temperature
- 1 cup sugar I use either coconut or date sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour I use Gluten-free
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp milk I use almond or cashew milk