Queen Cakes

Nov 6, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Easy

Queen cakes are small, buttery sponge cakes studded with currants and perfumed with orange-flower water and a whisper of mace. They were the fashionable teatime cake of Georgian and Victorian England, traditionally baked in little heart-shaped tins. Makes 12 cakes in about 1 hr 16 min.

Prep 20 min

Cook 18 min

Cooling 20 min

Total 1 hr 16 min

Servings 12

Ingredients

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servings

½ cup (115 g)unsalted butter, softened
9 tbsp (115 g)superfine sugar
2 (100 g)eggs, large, room temperature
2 tsp (10 ml)orange-flower water
1 cup (125 g)all-purpose flour
1 tsp (4 g)baking powder, about 1 tsp
1 pinchground mace
1 pinchfine salt
3 ½ oz (100 g)currants
1 tbsp (15 ml)whole milk
1 ½ tbsp (10 g)powdered sugar, for dusting

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OrangesHow to pick, season & nutrition · 62 kcal per 131 g

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the muffin pan with paper cases, or butter and flour the heart-shaped tins and set them on a baking sheet.
Beat the unsalted butter and superfine sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the orange-flower water.
Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground mace and fine salt together. Toss the currants in a spoonful of this flour mixture so they do not sink.
Fold the flour mixture into the batter with a spatula, then fold in the currants and the whole milk to make a soft batter that drops easily from the spoon.
Divide the batter among the cases or tins, filling each about two-thirds full.
Bake until risen, pale golden and the tops spring back when pressed lightly, 16 to 18 minutes.
Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes more. Dust with the powdered sugar just before serving.

Tips

Orange-flower water varies in strength; taste a drop and use a little less if yours is very perfumed.
Fill heart tins only two-thirds full so the cakes keep their shape instead of doming over the edges.
Have the butter and eggs at room temperature so the batter stays smooth and the cakes rise evenly.
Good with earl Grey tea.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make queen cakes?

Plan on 20 minutes of prep and 18 minutes of cooking, plus 38 minutes to rise and rest. The recipe makes 12 cakes (12 servings).

How should I store queen cakes?

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days, or freeze up to 1 month.

Can I make queen cakes ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Queen cakes appear in English cookbooks from 1725 onward as small buttery currant cakes scented with orange-flower water or rose water, baked in little tins that by the mid-1700s were most often heart-shaped. Serve it with earl Grey tea.

Variations

Rose-water queen cakes: use 10 ml (2 tsp) rose water instead of the orange-flower water, as in later Georgian recipes.
Lemon or orange-zest version: replace the orange-flower water with 2 tsp (4 g) finely grated lemon or orange zest; bake time unchanged.
Iced hearts: whisk 60 g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar with 2 to 3 tsp (10 to 15 ml) orange-flower water and spread thinly over the cooled cakes instead of dusting.
Mini queen cakes: bake in a 24-cup mini muffin pan for 10 to 12 minutes.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 12 servings this recipe makes.

182 Calories / serving

8.7g Fat

24.3g Carbs

2.5g Protein

14.7g Sugar

Whole recipe (12 servings): ~2184 cal · 104g fat · 292g carbs · 30g protein · 176g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.