Whenever I mention to folks who grew up in the Los Angeles area during the 50s, 60s or 70s, that my father owned Grace Pastries, tea cakes and dobash cakes inevitably enter the conversation. While I admit his multi-layer dobash cake was great, the tea cakes always had a special place in my heart. His original tea cake recipe for 70 DOZEN and called for 16 lbs of brown sugar and 24 lbs of buttermilk (just to name a few ingredients), proved a little too unwieldy not to mention, impractical for us home kitchen bakers. So without further ado, here is the tested, tried and true recipe for a more manageable number of Grace Pastries’ Danish Tea Cakes.
Makes 24
For the batter:
- 1-1/4 cups brown sugar
- 3/4 cup extra fine white sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 eggs (minus 1 tablespoon)
- 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
- 2-1/2 cups cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For the icing:
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons hot water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Cream together the brown sugar, white sugar, vegetable oil, salt and vanilla. Add the eggs in three parts. Cream slowly for six minutes, continually scraping down the sides. Add 3/4 cup of the buttermilk, cake flour and baking soda until smooth. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of buttermilk.
Line the muffin cups with paper liners. Fill cups 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn out on cooling racks. Repeat with any remaining batter. Let cool completely before topping with the icing.
Heat the butter slowly and cook until until golden brown.
In a separate bowl, mix confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and hot water together. Add the melted butter. Whisk until smooth.
While the icing mixture is still warm but the cakes are cooled, dip the tops of the cakes into the icing mix and cool again, careful not to layer the icing on too thickly.
Voilà!
Dad baked his tea cakes in restaurant grade square muffin tins using regular, round cupcake liners. Some specialty cookware stores may have the square tins, and you can also find them online but I found mine at, of all places, Marshall’s in the kitchen section. Enjoy!
Mr. Grace Pastries
Hey, Genelle!
Thank you again for posting your dad’s wonderful Danish Tea Cakes recipe! I made a batch and everyone approved! I do think next time will be even better since I only had organic brown sugar on hand (I think maybe created a different texture to the muffin?). This past weekend we were in Phoenix (I live in the LA area) and happened to be in a Marshall’s and guess what I found! Too bad they only had one square muffin pan. I shall have to look closer to home for another one!
And thank you to your dad for having baked so many delicious memories for so many people. That was so very nice, and unexpected, to receive a response for our birthday wishes to him! May he have many more happy and healthy birthdays!
Take care!
R.
I’m glad you found the cupcake tins! My dad was very tickled when I told him you had made the tea cakes. The next time I’m in LA, I’ll look for more recipes of his. Thanks for reading and the birthday wishes to my dad… he really enjoyed reading all the emails.
~genelle
Hi, Genelle!
Well I made your dad’s wonderful tea cakes again! Times three! And this time I had the square muffin tins! To celebrate my friend’s birthday, I took 50 to our bowling league and also gave her a dozen for her family. LOL, and mmm, there were some left for us! Thanks again for sharing the recipe!
My friend also grew up in the Crenshaw area. I remember the pretty tea sandwiches her mom would make for parties. She told me they would get the bread from your bakery tinted in pale pink and green. Ahh, the delicious memories of Grace Pastries!
Have a great day! Send my good wishes to your dad!
Robbie
I remember your Dad’s location in Monterey Park, CA ….
I loved those Danish tea cakes and many of the other
wonderful desserts!
Is Grace’s Bakery still in existance until someone else??
Where?
I am so glad to have found your recipe. I plan to try it before summer is over. Have you seen the posts on chowhound about it? someone recently asked for the recipe. I have looked for other places that sell the square tea cakes and only found it for a short time at the old cafeteria at Harbor UCLA medical center before they remodeled it back in 1990. It was individually wrapped for retail sale but I don’t recall what company sold it.
I bought square muffin tins at TJ Maxx Homegoods last year hoping someday I would find the recipe. I will be using it finally.
My other favorite from Grace’s was the dream cake with the pink shavings.
I am still in contact with many friends from Crenshaw, and we all have fond memories of Grace’s pastries. Thank you!
Gloria
Hi there Ms. Kobayashi. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe… My husband and I grew up in Monterey Park and he remembers eating these teacakes from a very young age. I’ve been looking on/off for years, and was so glad to find this. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you and your father for sharing this recipe. I grew up in the Crenshaw area and still have fond memories of my parents bringing home these cupcakes.
Thank you so much for the tea cake recipe. I made them for my family and they were great … brought back so many memories … especially for my husband, who grew up in the Crenshaw area; his mother loved Grace’s Pastries and there were always goodies in the house from there. One of our family favorites was the dobash cake. Any chance of you posting that recipe? That was always the anticipated dessert that our family expected Mom to bring at all the family gatherings …. and she never let us down. Would be fun to take a dobash cake to our next family function ….in honor of Grace’s Pastries and of Mom. Thanks again. Debby Gonzales
I just met your parents,I have to say it is one of the most memorable and educational days of my life,I always ,always found an occasion or excuse to
stop at the Grace’s and never left without at least one tea cake,Yes I met them today again,forty years ago ,we were in each others lives ,but unaware that they contributed to my family’s most precious memories.I want to thank them not only for those occasions ,but also for opening my eyes to
an issue regarding internment .I am the woman with the two granddaughters.
Thanks again for everything they do and I am so priviliged to have spoken to them.
PS Yes I did come home and Google them immediately. Edith Ramirez
Yes, my folks are pretty amazing! I still dream of my dad’s colorful birthday cakes, stealing warm chocolate chip cookies off the cooling rack at the at the main “plant” and his heavenly raised glazed doughnuts. I’m glad you have a chance to meet them!