Brown Butter Berry Tea Cakes

These brown butter berry tea cakes are delicate miniature sponge cakes perfect for a tea party, bridal shower, Motherโ€™s Day, or any gathering where youโ€™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!

One reader, Johanna, commented: โ€œAnother showstopper! These looked good when they came out of the oven, but I was not prepared for how tasty they would be. The nuttiness of the brown butter really took them to the next level. Was a fun one to make with my 4-year-old! โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ€œ

Another reader, Ashley, commented: โ€œI loved the simplicity of this recipe, yet it yielded a fancy looking treat! The browned butter adds great flavor and the lemon zest helps lighten the flavor and mixes with the berries so well. It tastes like summer in a bite! So delicious! โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ€œ

brown butter berry tea cake with bite taken out to show center

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, itโ€™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. Theyโ€™re like delicate littleโ€ฆ cakelets.

Are These Justโ€ฆ Mini Muffins?

Sort of, but not really. Although weโ€™re baking these tea cakes in a mini muffin pan, the texture is different from a muffin or a cupcake; theyโ€™re actually most similar to madeleines, but much easier to make! I compare them below.

brown butter tea cakes with raspberries and blackberries in center

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. Theyโ€™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 Iโ€™ll walk you through it.

I tried a few berry options, but I like these brown butter tea cakes best with fresh raspberries and blackberriesโ€”one berry in the center of each little cake. Perfect!


Like Madeleines, But a Lot Easier

This dessert recipe is a great introduction to making madeleines, because these tea cakes are reminiscent in taste and texture, but they donโ€™t require the same level of precision.

  • No super special pan: Weโ€™re baking these tea cakes in a mini muffin pan. This recipe yields 30-36 tea cakes, so itโ€™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 donโ€™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, itโ€™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 hereโ€ฆ and we like it!!!


Grab these 10 ingredients:

almond flour, egg whites, flour, vanilla extract, butter, and other ingredients required for this recipe

The first step is to brown the butter. Have you ever done this before? Itโ€™s fairly simple, but if youโ€™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 itโ€™s a staple ingredient in many French pastries. In less than 10 minutes, the butter melts, sizzles, foamsโ€ฆ then transforms into a complex, nutty, caramelized-flavored ingredient. Itโ€™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 youโ€™re using a darker pan.

browned butter in skillet pan and also shown in a small glass bowl

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:

egg whites whipped into soft peaks shown in glass bowl

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.

lumpy batter in glass bowl and smoothed out after adding brown butter

Spoon into greased muffin cups, about 2 teaspoons batter per tea cake, and then top with a berry:

brown butter batter spooned into mini muffin pan and shown with berries on top of each before baking

When theyโ€™re done, the cakes should be golden brown around the edges. If thereโ€™s a hump in the middle, thatโ€™s completely normalโ€”thatโ€™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 donโ€™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 confectionersโ€™ sugar. You could also drizzle some melted white or dark chocolate on top.

Donโ€™t forget your coffee or tea! (Or champagne.)

dusting tops of mini muffin tea cakes with powdered sugar
berry tea cakes on white plate

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.

tea cakes with raspberries in muffin pan and shown on pink linen

More Recipes Perfect for a Tea Party

See Your Brown Butter Berry Tea Cakes!

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    berry tea cakes on white plate

    Brown Butter Berry Tea Cakes

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 140 reviews
    • Author: Sally
    • Prep Time: 45 minutes
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour
    • Yield: 30-36 mini cakes
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: American
    Save Recipe

    Description

    These brown butter berry tea cakes are delicate miniature sponge cakes. Theyโ€™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 itโ€™s no longer warm.


    Ingredients

    • 10 Tablespoons (142g) 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) confectionersโ€™ sugar for dusting on top

    Instructions

    1. Brown the butter: Set out a medium heat-proof bowl because youโ€™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 5โ€“7 minutes, the butter will begin browning and youโ€™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 itโ€™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 butterโ€”weโ€™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. Donโ€™t cool longer than that because the butter will begin to solidify.
    2. Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Using a pastry brush, brush the cups of a 24-count mini muffin pan with the 2 Tablespoons of browned butter. This recipe yields 30โ€“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.
    3. 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 2โ€“3 minutes. Add the almond flour, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Beat on low speed until combined and donโ€™t worry that the egg whites deflate, youโ€™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.
    4. 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.
    5. Bake for 14โ€“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.
    6. If desired, lightly sift confectionersโ€™ sugar on warm or cooled tea cakes before serving.
    7. 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.
    YouTube video

    Notes

    1. Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled tea cakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on the counter before dusting with confectionersโ€™ sugar and serving.
    2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Light-Colored Skillet (like this or this)| Whisk | 24-Cup Mini Muffin Pan | Pastry Brush | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Fine Mesh Sieve
    3. Using a regular 12-count muffin pan: Makes 10 tea cakes using a 12-count muffin pan. Use a scant 2 Tablespoons of batter per tea cake and 2 berries on top. Extend the bake time to 18โ€“21 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
    4. 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. (Itโ€™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. Donโ€™t let it cook longer than 8 minutes.
    5. 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. Itโ€™s common in grocery stores these daysโ€”I use and love Bobโ€™s Red Mill brand.
    6. Can I make these without almond flour? We werenโ€™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 todayโ€™s recipe. See Notes in that recipe for using a mini muffin pan.
    7. Berries: You can use frozen berries instead of fresh, but be sure to thaw them first. I recommend blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries. You need 30โ€“36 individual berries. If your blueberries are small, use 2 per tea cake.

    Join Sally's Baking Challenge

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      About the Author

      Sally McKenney

      Sally McKenney is a professional baker, food photographer, and cookbook author. Since 2011, she has been sharing meticulously tested recipes and step-by-step tutorials, helping home bakers gain confidence in the kitchen. Over the years, her dedication to approachable baking has built a loyal community of millions. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, in People Magazine, and on popular sites like BuzzFeed, HuffPost, The Kitchn, and Country Living.

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      Reader Comments and Reviews

      1. Cindy L Ruhl says:
        March 4, 2025

        Loved this recipe, fast and tasty.

        Reply
      2. Cari says:
        February 14, 2025

        Would it be possible to make these entirely with almond flour and no regular flour in order to make them gluten-free?

        Reply
        1. Michelle @ Sally's Baking says:
          February 15, 2025

          Hi Cari, that would not work for this particular recipe because almond flour cannot absorb liquid quite like all-purpose flour. However, if you test anything by tweaking the ingredients, let us know!

          Reply
      3. JoJo says:
        February 11, 2025

        This turned out beautifully. I made half a recipe which yielded 17 mini cakes. I found the cake to be a tad too sweet for my palate but that can be easily scaled back. I will make this again. Delicious!

        Reply
      4. Adelaide Miller says:
        September 24, 2024

        These are so simple and soooo tasty! I had some raspberry jam on hand, so I just used a drop of that in the center of each tea cake โ€“ it worked perfectly! Dusted with a bit of powdered sugar, these are like little bites of heaven!

        Reply
      5. Emily says:
        June 21, 2024

        Can I make the batter ahead of time and freeze/refrigerate it to make the next day?

        Reply
        1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
          June 21, 2024

          Hi Emily! No, we donโ€™t recommend that. See recipe notes for our recommended freezing instructions!

          Reply
      6. Kathleen says:
        May 9, 2024

        I made this recipe today. I had approximately 1.5 cakes and I sent 4 to my neighbor who lent me her mini muffin tin. The rest of the entire batch were consumed by my son and a friend. Awesome!!!!

        Reply
        1. Cora says:
          May 11, 2024

          This was my first attempt at making these and they turned out fantastic! I will definitely make these again. Thanks for the easy to follow, wonderful recipes!

          Reply
      7. Sofie Maddox says:
        February 10, 2024

        Do you have any more recipes with almond flour?

        Reply
        1. Beth @ Sally's Baking says:
          February 10, 2024

          Hi Sofie, yes, you can see them here: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/tag/almond-flour/

          Reply
          1. Cora says:
            May 11, 2024

            This was my first attempt at making these and they turned out fantastic! I will definitely make these again. Thanks for the easy to follow, wonderful recipes!

      8. Sofie Maddox says:
        February 6, 2024

        Can I make this in a regular sized muffin tin?

        Reply
        1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
          February 6, 2024

          Yes! This recipe yields about 10 tea cakes when baked in a standard-size muffin pan. See Notes for adapted instructions.

          Reply
      9. Elizabeth says:
        December 7, 2023

        These are so good, but maybe thatโ€™s because Iโ€™m a huge brown butter fan. Iโ€™ve made these a few times, but today I accidentally way over whipped my egg whites (rather stiff peaks; I should not try to multitask while baking)โ€ฆ decided to see what happened, and they still came out perfect! I even tried one without a berry just out of curiosity, and it was still so good! Iโ€™ve used fresh and thawed frozen berries; both have worked just fine. Love it so much!

        Reply
      10. Lala says:
        September 16, 2023

        I loved this recipe! They were delicious. I brought them to a tea party and they were a hit! Canโ€™t wait to try more of your recipes.

        Reply
      11. Lauren K says:
        July 31, 2023

        I forgot the sugar when I made these (oopsies) so I soaked each one with a homemade simple syrup (water, sugar, honey, vanilla) and I love how moist they came out that way! And the added honey flavor was just it for me! Ill for sure make these again, but maybe the proper way next time.

        Reply
      12. Melissa L. says:
        May 30, 2023

        This recipe was fantastic!!! Do you think itโ€™d be possible to make the batter and put into pans the night before and bake the following morning?

        Reply
        1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
          May 30, 2023

          Hi Melissa! No, we donโ€™t recommend that. The baking powder will activate when the ingredients are combined and wonโ€™t rise correctly when baked. See recipe notes for our recommended make-ahead instructions!

          Reply
      13. Karen says:
        March 30, 2023

        I have made this recipe twice now. It is so perfect for a tea party. Delicious, pretty and delightful. Highly recommend it.

        Reply
      14. Henna says:
        January 14, 2023

        These were absolutely delicious and so easy to make! The lemon zest takes this to the next level!

        Reply
      15. Samantha Schneider says:
        January 2, 2023

        So delicious, my husband whoโ€™s not a fan of sweets could not stop eating them.

        They were also easy to make. I appreciate the weigh measurements, I was able to make in one bowl.

        Reply
      16. Deanna says:
        July 25, 2022

        Finally got around to making this with home grown blueberries now that they are ripe. These were so good. I liked the chewy edges with the moist cakey interior. The berry explosion in the middle was good too.

        I did a half recipe and it worked quite well. The batter puffed up nicely around the blueberries.

        Reply
      17. Mary Jo Carson says:
        July 25, 2022

        Wondering if it would be okay to half this recipe.
        Ive made them before and just love them. But making a friend an assortment of cookies and do not want too many!

        Reply
        1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
          July 25, 2022

          Shouldnโ€™t be a problem to halve this recipe, Mary Jo! Let us know how it goes ๐Ÿ™‚

          Reply
      18. Pan says:
        July 15, 2022

        This is like a recipe for the Financier

        Reply
        1. Sally @ Sally's Baking says:
          July 15, 2022

          Very similar, yes!

          Reply
      19. Saffiyah says:
        July 8, 2022

        Hi Sally!
        Is it OK to use Al purpose flour
        Instead of almond flour
        For it is hard to find and very expensive.

        Reply
        1. Lexi @ Sally's Baking says:
          July 8, 2022

          Hi Saffiyah, We werenโ€™t able to successfully make these without almond flour without the texture completely changing. Instead, we 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 todayโ€™s recipe. See Notes in that recipe for using a mini muffin pan.

          Reply
      20. Carla G says:
        June 28, 2022

        So so good! Had to stop myself from eating too many right away haha shared with friends who said the same thing! Froze a batch too and was such a nice addition to a rainy day at home.

        Reply
      21. T says:
        June 16, 2022

        Iโ€™ll admit I was nervous making these BBB Tea Cakes, Iโ€™ve never browned butterโ€ฆIโ€™ve burned butter many times, but not browning for baking! I procrastinated and missed the deadline but so happy I got over my fear and made themโ€ฆthey were absolutely delish and will definitely be making these again.

        Reply
      22. Anne M. says:
        June 15, 2022

        Calling them brownie cookies is spot on โ€“ these are my new favorite cookies and possibly my new favorite Sallyโ€™s recipe! I made it without the espresso powder and they are delicious! The peanut butter is a good addition, but they donโ€™t taste like I was expecting (i.e., like the inside of a Reeseโ€™s egg).

        Reply
      23. Gwen says:
        June 4, 2022

        Made these for a reception at church, and they were a huge hit! I made them in advance and froze them, then thawed them & sprinkled with confectionerโ€™s sugar. I used raspberries on some, and blueberries on others, and both fruits froze & thawed very nicely. This recipe is going into my โ€œKeepersโ€ notebook!

        Reply
      24. Nina says:
        May 31, 2022

        I am excited to try these! I was wondering if I can use chopped strawberries instead?

        Reply
        1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
          May 31, 2022

          Absolutely!

          Reply
          1. Jodie says:
            June 1, 2022

            I finished baking these too late for the challenge (I live in Hawaii) so this is a totally unbiased review. These tea cakes are DELICIOUS! The only bad thing is they are so good I keep taking another and another. Very easy to make. I only have one mini pan so I used up the batter making 2 regular muffin size cakes. I will definitely make these again for tea parties.

        2. Laura says:
          October 1, 2022

          Loved this receipe! Iโ€™m been waiting to make this recipe until I was ready to make ice cream in order to use the egg yolks. I should have made these sooner. They are light, airy and soft. Loved the added lemon flavor however I may have put more than recipes calls for as I zested directly in the bowl. I also enjoyed the added texture with the lightly crisp/browned exterior edge. I opted to make these in a regular muffin tin as I was refusing to turn on by regular oven and donโ€™t have a small enough mini muffin tin for my air fryer oven, however I think I will opt for mini next time so I donโ€™t fell as guilty when I eat more than one.

          Reply