Thursday, October 18, 2012

Vanilla Scones with Strawberry Cream























Forget the steam engine, the industrial revolution, or heck even the English language. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest Great Britain's greatest contribution to the world will always be their afternoon tea ritual and subsequently all the delicious nibbles associated with it. Okay, so I probably exaggerated a teensy tiny bit but the fact of the matter is, I really really like afternoon tea (and morning tea). There's nothing better than taking some time out in the middle of a busy day to just sit and enjoy a quiet spot of tea with homemade scones.  It's one of my greatest indulgences and a daily ritual I uphold with the utmost importance. It's right up there alongside wearing underwear and brushing my teeth (yes I have a problem).

Now when it comes to the world of scones, they exist in every form imaginable. Savory, sweet, citrus, cheese, raisins, pumpkin, potato, bacon, onion, the list goes on. But my favourite way to have them is the traditional way- plain with clotted cream and jam (strawberry jam that is). This recipe is a slight variation on the basic scone. The use of cream rather than butter results in a scone that still remains soft even when cold (fellow scone aficionados will understand the importance of this statement). I also find by adding fresh strawberries to the usual cream and jam mixture to give the scones a little tartness and a better bite. Try it out next time, you'll see what I mean.




Vanilla Scones
1 cup cream
1 cup milk
4 cups plain flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 200C degrees and line tray with baking paper. 
2. Sift flour, sugar and a pinch of salt into large bowl.
3. Combine cream, milk and vanilla extract and add to dry ingredients.
4. Using a flat-bladded knife, slowly 'cut' the mixture together. The key is to combine but not over mix.
5. Roll out the dough onto a clean surface, knead until smooth and flatten to approximately 25mm thickness. Note, kneading too much will result in a tough texture. 
6. Use cookie cutters to cut each scone out and transfer to prepared baking tray. Lightly sprinkle flour over each scone.  
7. Bake for 10 minutes or until scones have risen and are slightly coloured. Cover with a tea towel and leave the scones on the tray for 10 minutes.

* Recipe yields roughly 20 scones 5cm in size. 



Strawberry Cream 

1 handful of fresh strawberries sliced
2 tbsp strawberry jam
2/3 cup of double cream 

1. Spoon strawberry jam into bowl and stir till softened.
2. Add cream to jam mixture and lightly swirl to combine. Do not over mix. 
3. Add sliced strawberries to mixture.
4. Pile onto warm scones, prepare to scoff down the lot. 

* You can substitute fresh whipped cream for double cream. 




53 comments:

trishie said...

OMG these are the most darling scones i have ever seen! So pretty, bet they tasted delightful too

Jamie-Lee Burns said...

Oh. my. god. These look absolutely precious - I have a long weekend coming up, think I might try my hand at these!

S said...

I also love to have morning tea and afternoon tea. More than coffee ! Thanks for sharing the recipe with beautiful photographs !
take care,

honey my heart said...

these scones look delicious. really liking that they're heart shaped :)

Sophie said...

Couldn't agree more, my Nan makes these all the time for afternoon tea :) Beautiful layout per usual. Sophie x

Http://your-girl-is-lovely.blogspot.co.uk

Loulou said...

Oh my goodness. Almost too pretty to eat. I said 'almost' because eat them I would!

Loulou

Loulou said...

ps .. That is so weird .. You were leaving me a message at the same time that I was leaving you one! :) lol

Rachel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BIKBIK AND RORO said...

Mmm. I'm not very fond of scones as a rule, but these certainly look good!

Unknown said...

mmmmm it seems delicious!! will try this!

Kisses
<3 Val
www.beautyval13.blogspot.com.ar

Lisa said...

i completely agree i loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee love high tea!! scones w/ some clotted cream and finger sandwiches yums!!!

your scones look AMAZINGLY delicious!! i will most definitely be attempting to make your recipe. i miss high tea so much... i live in germany now and they don't have high tea here haha.

i couldn't help but peruse your "about me" and my hubs is in the military too! that's why we're in germany right now. i also noticed your last name is chen! my maiden last name was chen hehehe :p

Lisa said...

ohh thanks for your blogger/military buddy in germany's link i will definitely check her out :)

haha i know talk about a koinky dink! the hubs is in the army :) what about your hubby?

i like germany a lot it's definitely an experience.. and getting to travel all around europe is amazing. but i have to say i miss the US terribly! hehe :)

i noticed you're in australia now are you originally from australia??.. which leads me to my next question how did you end up in the US? hahah :p

Laura said...

Aw these are adorable and look delicious to boot! Saving this one for sure, thanks for sharing! :)

Nelah said...

These lovelies look soooo delightful. I am a huge fan of scone and clotted cream...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. This version appears much lighter, a must try. Thank you gor sharing. Your photos are simply beautiful, like straight from cooking magazine. Cant believe you have two cute little ones yet have time to whip up some heavenly delight goodies. I truly need advice on this.

FASHION TALES said...

I love scones so much! Thanks for sharing your delicious treat with us. xo

henning love said...

oh yumminess! they look like a great morning treat, a perfect way to start a day alongside a cup of coffee

Rebecca said...

Thanks for this yummy recipe...I will try this one this weekend!!

REBECCA
www.redtagchiclosangeles.com

THE STRANGER (thestrangerblog.com) said...

These look so yummy! <3

Amy Shaughnessy said...

I love this! Can I come to your house for tea?

Amy


Fashion and Beauty Finds

Anonymous said...

Very tasty! Kisses!)






http://designer2078.blogspot.com/

Natalia/Shandrese said...

yum!!

http://sincerelyrenay.blogspot.com/

Sulky Kitten said...

A cream tea is a perfect pick-me-up. These look scrummily delicious.

Alyssa said...

I've been looking to make scones forever, and this look (and sound) incredible! Your pictures are just gorgeous!

-Alyssa
The Glossy Life

miss b said...

Everyone reading my blog knows that I'm addicted to afternoon tea and gorgeous scones. I've tried a number of recipes but must try yours with the addition of cream and fresh strawberries too - they look so cute in a heart shape. Great pictures!
http://missbbobochic.blogspot.co.uk/

Unknown said...

Do I even have to say how delicious and mouth-watering those pictures look? Thank you for sharing the recipe! I love baking and am the proud owner of quite the tea collection :) You have a great blog, but truly this post alone would have been enough to make me your newest follower.

Thanks for commenting on my blog!

Ivan and Lola

alison*elle said...

I loveeee afternoon tea and the scones are my favourite part! I've never made my own before though, but I should really try using your recipe :)

xo, alison*elle

nancy @ adore to adorn said...

oh wow these look so heavenly and delicious!
xo,
nancy

http://adoretoadorn.blogspot.com

Sheila said...

This looks amazingly good!!!! Omg your photos makes it look extra yummy! I def need to try your recipe out. :) Thank you so much for sharing it!!

xo - Sheila
www.sheislovelyblog.com

Anonymous said...

Absolutely beautiful! The photos are really beautiful and so are the scones. Must have been a delight to eat them... I can only imagine!

LUXESSED

Unknown said...

Hello Dear, I've just found your blog and I think it's pretty cool, you have beautiful pictures with great quality and you are fabulous. Please let me know if you would like to follow eachother:-)

www.kameliaandpearls.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

LOL! Right up there with putting on underwear!ha! Too funny! These look delicious!! I love all of your pictures & wording as well. Your blog is so lovely.
xo, amy
www.dreamingincashmere.com

Alissa said...

It looks like I know what I am making this weekend!

Amy said...

These look fabulous! You are such an amazing cook!

xx Amy

Leopard and Lillies

Always Maylee said...

Omg... I just had to wipe the drool off my face, sorry. This looks AMAZING. Can you make this for me?! :)

xo, Yi-chia
Always Maylee

Tori said...

Ooh! Those look so yummy :)
-Tori
www.fashiontrendsmore.com

The Dragonfruit said...

I need to make these...asap...
Gah, gonna have to pick up the ingredients tonight, cuz it's happening!
Lol thanks for sharing ;)

Trendy Teal

Bravoe Runway said...

I comment on blogs on my way to and from work and when I see food posts like thisi am super hungry!!!!

Bettina said...

Yummm these look delicious!

Anonymous said...

Omgggggg, looks SO delicious!!

Xo, Rachel
Glitzy Blues

Allison said...

Do you know how hungry you just made me?? And the fact that I'm still on a liquid diet=most miserable thing in the world. In less than a week, food! The fact that you make everything look so cute doesn't help either. I think you could make meat looking appealing to me! :) haha!
AND regarding your question about the earrings- vintage earrings have so much more weight to them than the newer faux vintage ones do. If you put even a small pair in your hand, you'll be able to feel the weight of them- all of the earrings today, even if they are made of "fine metals/materials/etc", still don't hold the same weight that the vintage ones do because our materials are just crap these days...we are making things cheaper and cheaper, KWIM?

Cravingforbarneys said...

That seems delicious!

Unknown said...

Hi Jenee,
Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for your kind words and encouragement. I'm sorry to hear that your daughter had also gone through some health difficulties. I hope she's doing much better now! It's trials like these that we go through in life that makes us appreciate things so much more, especially the value of life. We really are able to see the world through a new lens, and learn to not take each day for granted.
I love this post and my mouth was watering the whole time I was reading through the recipes! :) I'm really glad I was able to come across your blog and meet a new friend who also understands what it's like to face health difficulties of a child. Will continue to keep you and your daughter in my thoughts!

christy
Sunnywithasideof...

audrinajulia said...

Gosh drool over the preparation and the look of your scones! You are a wonderful baker Jenee! Yum looking. Hope to taste your baked goodies sometime. I can dream, right? ha ha!

<3,
Angie
audrinajulia.blogspot.com

Josephine said...

These look amazing!! You're quite the chef, I'm jealous!

<3 Josephine
www.champagnestar.com

Unknown said...

mmm looks so good! have an awesome weekend! xoxo linds {{www.rubygirlblog.com}}

Anonymous said...

Loving your passion about the scones and the afternoon tea ritual ! These look delicious can't wait to try them !

loving you blog now... so following you !

If you liked our blog too.. hope you would follow back !

Much Love
Heiress
The Heiress Blog

Unknown said...

Looks extremely delicious :)

www.fashionloving.co.uk

when BABI speaks said...

they look yummy! I want some! :-)

Babi
www.whenbabispeaks.com

Anonymous said...

Ah, these look delicious!
Would die to eat them now, but only have
time from monday on! But defenitely gonna
make them!

x
http://dipitblack.com

A Very Sweet Blog said...

Jenee! Scones are such a delight and so is the post! Your pictures are beyond exquisite. As a fan of tea and tea parties this post is a delight :) You did an exquisite job making them and I thank you for sharing this with us.
http://www.averysweetblog.com/

Unknown said...

Hi Jenee

Your gorgeous photography makes these scones look even more amazing and mouth watering. Just beautiful! Thanks so much for stopping past my blog recently. lovely to have you follow it too! I absolutely love your blog. So elegant and great content. I'll be visiting again very soon. x Rigel (www.peachmacarons.com)

Chocolate Cookies & Candies said...

I love this, Jenee! I adore scones and you're right, I hate biting into stale and dry middle bits. Will have to try your recipe. Gosh, your food photography is truly outstanding.

Blogger said...

Did you know you can create short links with Shortest and get $$$$$$ from every visit to your shortened urls.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...