Tea cakes originated in Britain and were served, as the name implies, with afternoon tea. But in the South, the cookies evolved into a special snack. In some families they were served only on holidays. In others, they were especially for children.

Who invented the tea cake?

BOYD Tunnock, 80, aims to perfect the new offering which combines a wafer, chocolate butter icing and a layer of mallow.

When was tea cake invented?

In fact, one of our country's earliest tea cakes were the Edenton Tea Party Cakes, served in Edenton, North Carolina, in 1774 by a group of women protesting the British tax on imported tea. They baked these revolutionary little cakes, but they didn't sip British tea that day.