These scones & vegan clotted cream certainly fulfill the need for a bit of quintessential English tradition. There’s always a debate about scones though – is it jam first or cream? Personally I always do jam first otherwise it’s impossible to get the jam on top of the cream…. Then there’s the arguments about how to pronounce scone too!
Unusually, these are wholemeal scones, so much more healthy than the usual white ones. Also they’re quite low in sugar, and the cream is vegan too. The clotted cream is enough for a batch of scones with just a bit left over. The scone mixture is a little tricky to deal with at first, but with a little practice it becomes easier.
Using fine self-raising wholewheat flour is essential though. Bread flour is just too coarse and won’t rise properly. It also won’t have the right sort of soft crumbliness you need in a scone. Do make sure you have them thick enough when you’re cutting the scones from the dough. They don’t rise that much so they need to be quite thick to start with – between 1 inch & 3cm is ideal.
There are a number of recipes for a clotted cream replacement – some use cashews, but this one uses plant butter and vegan double cream. I’ll be trying others, and if they pass muster, I’ll put them on here too. The one in the recipe works very well though and is simple, easy to make and very convincing.
These scones & vegan clotted cream are generally best eaten on the day they’re made, with lashings of clotted cream and a nice cup of tea. However you can freshen them up in the microwave if they’re a couple of days old. They can also be frozen, and then refreshed in a microwave once they’ve thawed.
One of the great things about scones is they’re so quick and easy to make – especially once you know how. Make them a couple of times and you’ll be an expert!
scones & vegan clotted cream larger quantity
Equipment
- 1 5cm cookie cutter
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 piece of greaseproof paper
- 1 whisk electric is best.
- 1 jug half-litre
Ingredients
- 300 g wholemeal self-raising flour
- 70 g plant butter I used flora plant butter half soft, half firm
- 30 g soft brown sugar you could use golden caster sugar
- 2 teasps baking powder
- 190 g plant based milk I used oat milk, but any will do.
- 50 g whipped aqua faba optional - use 50g less plant-milk if you add the aqua faba
- 1 teasp vanilla extract
- 2 teasps lemon juice
Clotted Cream substitute
- 40 g solid plant butter can use trex or flora - I used flora
- 40 g soft plant butter I used flora plant butter
- 20 g icing sugar I used billingtons golder icing sugar
- 180 g plant based whipping cream oatly is good or Elmlea plant double cream
- ¼ teasp vanilla extract optional possibly ½
Instructions
- Put the plant milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 secs until warm, but not hot. Add the vanilla extract and the lemon juice, then set aside for later on.
- Weigh the flour into a medium sized bowl and add the extra baking powder and salt
- Weigh in the vegetable fat(s).
- Weigh in the sugar.
- Rub the in fat with the tips of your fingers until the mixture looks like fine crumbs.
- Set the oven to 220C/200C fan so it's up to temperature when you need it.
- Make a well in the dry mix.
- Pour the liquid into the well.
- Combine it quickly with a large spoon - it will seem quite wet at first, but it will become less so while the oven warms up and you do the rest of the process.
- Prepare a baking tray with some greaseproof paper
- scatter a generous amount of flour onto a clean dry surface
- Scoop all the soft dough out onto the flour
- shake a generous amount of flour on top.
- Pat the dough into a round shape about 1inch or 3cm thick. You may need to shake a little more flour on as you work the dough.
- This should enable you to cut 4 scones from this first shaping with a 5cm diameter cutter (usually the medium sized one in a set of 3)
- You will then need to amalgamate the dough a couple of times to get the last 4 scones out of it. The last one will probably need to be squished into the cutter to get a scone from it.
- Place them on the grease-proof paper covered baking sheet as you go.
- Gently brush the tops with some soya cream (or plant based milk)
- Bake for 15 - 18 minutes at 200°C Fan (220°C ordinary) until golden brown.
- Eat warm or cold on the day of baking, generously topped with jam and vegan clotted cream. If freezing, freeze once cool. Defrost, then put in a microwave oven for 20 seconds per scone
Making the clotted cream
- weigh the plant butters into a smallish bowl
- sieve in the icing sugar
- use a fine sieve and the back of spoon to get the lumps out.
- mix with the electric mixer - use a low speed at first or the sugar will go everywhere.
- add in the double cream - elmlea or oatly are good
- whisk until stiffish peaks are formed
- when you have nice firm peaks put in the fridge to firm up a little more.
