A traditional Scottish shortbread, named after the castle in the place of where they originate. Tantallon Cakes are the bake of our home town!
Having grown up in North Berwick, I was always very familiar with Tantallon Castle. I have since moved on from there and now stay in what is lovingly known as “the poor mans North Berwick” (if you know, you know!) but Granny and Papa continue to live in Scotland’s most desirable seaside town, so we drive past Tantallon Castle every time we visit.
A mighty fortress that dates right back to the 1300’s, and is also the place of which these lovely little Tantallon Cakes get their name.
The name Tantallon ‘Cakes’ is perhaps misleading though, as they are not actually cakes but in fact biscuits – shortbread to be exact. A little different than Granny’s Shortbread, these little shortbread biscuits have a lovely lemony taste to them.
Tantallon Cakes were the creation of Brodies bakery of North Berwick High Street, back in the early 1900’s. Brodies used to make & sell Tantallon Cakes, which were kept in a glass jar on the counter. Back then they were known as ‘Tantallon Teacakes’ but it’s unclear as to when the ‘tea’ was dropped from the name. It was even said by locals that these biscuits were even enjoyed by the Royals!
I certainly recommend these lovely little shortbread biscuits as a cheeky Scottish treat, with a zesty summer twist. And should you ever been in East Lothian, it’s definitely worth taking a jaunt to Tantallon Castle for a wee visit, as well as my home town of North Berwick – just be sure to say “hello£ to Granny, if you see her!
What are Tantallon Cakes?
Tantallon Cakes are a biscuit, originating from North Berwick in Scotland. Despite being called “cakes” they are in fact a kind of shortbread biscuit. What makes Tantallon Cakes different from other shortbread is the delicious lemon flavour.
Why are they called Tantallon Cakes?
Tantallon Cakes are named after Tantallon Castle, which is on the outskirts of North Beriwck, Scotland; where they first originated. It’s unclear why they were named so, possibly just as a tribute to the iconic landmark.
The fact they are known as cakes when they are actually biscuits also presents a bit of confusion. However they were originally known as Tantallon Teacake, with the “tea” being dropped at some point along the way.
How do you make Tantallon Cakes?
Tantallon Cakes are super easy to make. You start by creaming your butter and sugar, before adding the egg and lemon zest. Next you sift in the flour, corn flour and bicarbonate of soda, kneading it all together into a dough.
You then roll your biscuit dough to around 5mm thick, and cut out your biscuits with a fluted -edged cookie cutter. Bake the biscuits for about 12 minutes, before removing from the oven. Allow your Tantallon Cakes to cool before serving.
Ingredients:
Sugar is an essential part of any shortbread recipe and these Tantallon Cakes are no exception. Caster sugar is preferable as it is a bit finer than a granulated sugar, so it mixes beautifully into your dough. It is also perfect for a final dusting on top of your biscuits to finish.
However, butter can be expensive; people don’t always want to consume dairy; sometimes you just don’t have any to hand… In those cases, margarine is a perfectly good substitute.
Veering away from the traditional shortbread dough, we do add an egg to Tantallon Cakes. In this instance it adds a bit extra richness to the flavour, as well as making the biscuits a little softer in texture, compared to traditional shortbread.
As well as plain flour, we also add a little corn flour. This gives your Tantallon Cakes a bit more of a “short” texture.
Love this? Try this:
INGREDIENTS
- 100 g Caster Sugar
- 150 g Block Margarine or Butter
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1 Free-range Egg
- 200 g Plain Flour
- 50 g Corn Flour
- 1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 180°c (160°c for fan assisted ovens or Gas Mark 4) and grease of couple of baking sheets with a little excess margarine/butter. Set aside.
- Cream together the margarine/butter and sugar in a large bowl until it becomes light & fluffy.
- Add the egg & lemon zest, and mix until well combined.
- Sift the flour, cornflour and bicarbonate of soda and mix to form a dough - you may need to use your hands. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop, and gently knead until smooth.
- Roll your dough to around 5mm thick and cut with a fluted edge cookie cutter. Transfer each biscuit to your pre-greased baking trays and prick each one with a fork on top.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for around 12-15 minutes until the edges of the biscuits are golden.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle a little excess caster sugar over each biscuit. Leave to cool on the baking sheets until cool enough to touch, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
This recipe was originally published in July 2017.
It was updated with new photos in January 2025.
6 responses
I have never heard of these before, but I know I would like them as I love shortbread and flavoured with lemon is a great addition. thank you for linking to #Bakeoftheweek x
How many cakes does the recipe make?
I got 32 biscuits, using a 5.5cm cutter.
Is 160c fan or standard oven setting
Made Tantallon Biscuits from a recipe in an old 1930’s book ‘Aunt Kate’s Enquire Here’ to take to my brother’s New Year Party in Upper Largo. Although coming from East Lothian we had never heard of them before. Now I discover another recipe in The Glasgow (‘dough School’) Cookery Book. Both named ‘biscuits’ btw. Thanks for your research!
So enjoying your recipes. Can I ask what diameter cookie cutters you use for these?