Cream tea is an afternoon tea ritual where tea, scones, and clotted cream are served. Here is a great recipe for the cream tea novice.The Ultimate Cream Tea recipe, from Cheap Recipe Blog

Any cookbook hoarders out there? You know who you are!

I participated in a cookbook swap that involved sending a cookbook to another blogger – and getting one in the mail from another one.

Then I chose a recipe from the cookbook to share on my blog. I settled on something sweet and budget-friendly. Something that I think you guys will enjoy making yourselves.

Preserving Made At Home, by Dick & James Strawbridge

About The Recipe: Cream Tea

After flipping through the cookbook that was sent to me, I quickly settled on a delicious looking recipe for The Ultimate Cream Tea.

At first I was a little confused about what Cream Tea really is. A drink? A meal? A ritual?

Turns out, Cream Tea is a tea where clotted cream is served with scones. It’s not high tea, which is a common misconception. It’s its own thing.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but if someone invited you over for cream tea, you could expect to get this.

But I digress. In all honesty, the American in me was reminded of strawberry shortcake when biting into these homemade biscuits. And even more so since I used whipped cream instead of clotted cream. My bad. Call them what you want. I call them delicious.

The Ultimate Cream Tea recipe, from Preserving Made At Home

The Ultimate Cream Tea recipe, from Preserving Made At Home

The Ultimate Cream Tea Recipe

Yield: 12 biscuits
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

As I noted above, I used whipped cream instead of clotted cream. I was less concerned with making cream tea that was authentic, and more concerned about making something delicious without spending a lot of money. Win!
Recipe note: To make superfine sugar at home, simply place sugar in the blender and pulse until the sugar becomes fine. Avoid processing to the point of getting powdered sugar!

Ingredients

  • 3 1/3 cups self-rising flour (14 1/2 ounces)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 2/3 cup superfine sugar
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • Clotted cream, for serving
  • Strawberry jam, for serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or grease and flour it). Place flour, salt, butter, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the mixture together until all of the butter is incorporated.
  2. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk buttermilk, vanilla, and most of the egg. Gradually pour the liquid mixture into the butter mixture, mixing with your hand. Be careful not to overmix.
  3. Place mixture on a clean floured work surface. Shape dough into a circle about 1 3/4 inches thick. Cut 6-centimeter circles out of the dough using a circular dough cutter or cookie cutter. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
  4. Combine remaining egg and milk. Brush the top of the dough with egg mixture.
  5. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and place on a baking rack to cool slightly. Serve with clotted cream and jam.

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