These quick-to-make buttery mini cakes are best served warm with butter on the side.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 50 grams butter, softened
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1½ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ cup milk
• cinnamon and sugar topping
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons extra sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Lightly grease and flour 10-12 mini cake or standard muffin tins.
2. Mix the sugar and butter together in a bowl with a wooden spoon. There is not enough here to cream so mix as well as you can. Beat in the egg.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold into the butter mixture alternately with the milk. Flavour with one of the ideas listed, if wished.
4. Spoon the batter evenly among the prepared tins.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and golden. Allow to stand for 1-2 minutes before turning them out onto a cake rack.
6. While the cakes are still warm, spread or brush the softened butter over the top of the cakes and sprinkle over the sugar and cinnamon, or variations as listed.

Cooks Tips

Variations Blueberry tea cakes: Fold 1 cup blueberries in the batter with the milk. If using frozen blueberries, allow them to defrost on a paper towel-lined plate first. Apple or pear tea cakes: Arraged sliced peeled apple or pear slices on top. Add ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger to the cinnamon before sprinkling on top. Lemon or orange tea cakes: Add the grated rind of 2 lemons or 1 large orange when mixing the butter and sugar together. If wished, stir in ¼ cup of mixed peel to the batter. Spice tea cakes: Mix together 1 teaspoon of ground mixed spice, ½ teaspoon of ground coriander and ¼ teaspoon each of ground cardamom and ground ginger. Use ½-1 teaspoon of this mix to sprinkle with the sugar on top. Raspberry and coconut tea cakes: Replace ¼ cup of the flour with ¼ cup desiccated coconut. There is no need to sift the coconut. Fold 1 cup fresh raspberries into the batter before baking. Butter and sprinkle the cooked tea cakes with caster sugar only.