British Tea Recipes

An Education in Baking

During its decades of existence, Breck's British Tea introduced countless people to the taste and smell of a well-baked scone, among other treats.  Here are two recipes from the Tea's early years.

Father Gesner's English Pound Cake

The Reverend Lloyd Gesner was for years a well-liked teacher of Latin and assistant headmaster at Breck.  He also originated the school's highly regarded Quest program, which worked with faculty to develop their own individual study projects.

Gesner took great pride in his kitchen talents, once boasting, "I make probably the best pancakes in the Twin Cities area."  For the 1965 British Tea he contributed this cake, which apparently his wife actually baked for the event.

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
4 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon flavoring
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolks one at a time.  Add remaining ingredients alternately with milk and water.  Beat well.  Beat egg whites until they stand in soft peaks.  Fold into batter.  Spoon into large angel food cake pan and bake on hour in a 350-degree oven.

Irish Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies (or biscuits, as they would be called east of the Atlantic Ocean) were a hit of the first British Tea in 1960.

4 cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups coarse-ground quick oat flakes
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2-1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup finely ground raisins
4 tablespoons Irish whiskey or water
3 whole eggs
2-1/2 cups shortening

Mix dry ingredients together.  Marinate raisins with liquid for a while.  Add eggs to raisins and beat with electric mixer so mixture is not lumpy.  Cut shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry blender.  Note that the amount of shortening is large.  Add raisin mixture to dry ingredients, mixing well, but being careful not to overblend.  Chill dough.

Dough can either be rolled out on a floured board and cut with cookie cutter, or it can be shaped in rolls and sliced.  Place on ungreased baking sheets and bake at 375 degrees 12 to 14 minutes.  Makes six to eight dozen cookies.