Looking for a way to assemble her friends and their daughters over books, Julie Hunt of Nashville, Tennessee, started a mother-daughter book club. If you’ve ever been at one end of a dining table, wishing you could join a conversation on the other end, you’ll appreciate Julie’s solution: the group gathered around an oval table for optimum discussing—nothing’s better than an oval table to prevent anyone from getting lost in the corner, and let everyone hear everyone else. She serves fruit, salty snacks, raspberry lemonade, and tea cakes. She finds tea cakes to be ideal party food—easy to make, and easier to store and transport than cupcakes.

WHIPPING CREAM TEA CAKES

TEA CAKES

1 ½ cups white sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

3 ½ cups self-rising flour

GLAZE

4 cups powdered sugar

A few drops almond, lemon, or vanilla extract

4 tablespoons water, or as needed

To make the tea cakes preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl use an electric mixer to combine the sugar, cream, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time (because the dough can become too stiff), stirring after each addition. Add enough flour to create a dough that’s not too sticky to handle.

Roll out on a floured surface to 1-inch thickness. Cut out tea cakes with a biscuit cutter. Set them on a lightly greased baking sheet. (If you rolled the dough too thin, stack two rounds together to achieve the thickness you want.)

Or roll the dough into balls and place on the baking sheet, then flatten slightly with a wooden spoon.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Watch closely, as they typically do not brown on the top, only on the bottom. Remove the cakes from the pans and let cool on wire racks.

To make the glaze combine the powdered sugar with the extract and water in a medium bowl and mix well. The consistency should be thick enough to stay on the cakes but thin enough to spread easily. Spread over the cakes. Let stand until the glaze is firm. (If you want to add sprinkles, do so while the glaze is still wet. If you want pipe a design on top, wait until the glaze dries.)

97814016054_0011_005.jpg Makes 24 to 30