Easy rich velvety Clotted Cream is within your reach, even if you live no where near England! This one ingredient recipe will guide you through the easy steps from turning heavy whipping cream into this delectable, must have spread that every scone (scone as in gone, not scone as in bone) in the country is begging for.
So what is Clotted Cream exactly. It is a coddled cream (coddled means heated just under boiling point over an extended period of time). The cream or full-fat milk, then cools slowly. As it cools, the cream rises to the top and “clots.” It appears as a skin on the surface. It is this skin that is the Clotted Cream.
Typically the texture will have small lumps due to the clumping together of fat molecules. The mouth feel is slightly grainy, also due to the clumping together of fat molecules. These fat clumps are only slight and do not overshadow the enjoyment of this spread. If the texture is an issue, add it to a mini food processor. Add a little leftover liquid (cream) also. This will create a smoother, slightly thinner silky, textured Clotted Cream.
The end result will either be a textured or silky smooth condiment, ready for your enjoyment.
What Does Clotted Cream Taste Like?
Clotted Cream has a rich sweet flavor. It has slight nut and caramel flavor overtones. Some people liken it to a high quality unsalted butter. It is darker in color than whipped cream but lighter than butter. Using grass fed cream will intensify the color and flavor of the Clotted Cream.
Clotted Cream Uses
Once it is made, how then to use Clotted Cream? Using it as a topping or spread for scones is its most obvious use, as part of an afternoon tea. More about that later! Besides being a topping, Clotted cream is primarily used as an ingredient in the making of fudge, ice cream, cookies (biscuits), scones and even shortbread. Try using it with my recipe for Shortbread, and use 4oz of butter along with 4oz of Clotted Cream.
Traditional Afternoon Tea with Scones, Preserve and Clotted Cream
British Clotted Cream is a major component of a traditional afternoon tea. Classic scones, with jam (usually strawberry) and Clotted Cream are front and center to the tea experience.
Devon or Devonshire and its neighboring county Cornwall form the most south western point in England. It is from this area that Clotted Cream was first created. It is sometimes referred to as Cornish Clotted Cream or Devonshire Cream. The entire afternoon tea experience is often referred to as a Cornwall Cream Tea or Devonshire Cream Tea.
The question is, what goes first on the scone? – the Clotted Cream or the jam? Then there are other people who insist on adding butter to this conundrum. So there’s scone + butter + jam + cream, but not necessarily in that order!
To avoid any of this controversy, serve individual portions of Clotted Cream and jam. This allows the guests to choose themselves what ingredient to add first to the scone. Allow 2 heaped tablespoons of Clotted Cream per medium sized scone (a scone measuring 7cm / 2¾ inch in diameter.) That’s 1 tablespoon per scone half. The diameter of the container for the Clotted Cream is 6cm / 2½ inch in diameter. The weight of these 2 heaped tablespoons is 50g. This is a generous portion!
Can You Freeze Clotted Cream
Yes, go ahead and freeze it, but there is a BUT! Freezing affects the texture and some of the flavor in the process. The texture will be grainier and there is a slight loss of flavor. I would NOT recommend using frozen Clotted Cream for an afternoon tea party. Instead I would make a fresh batch for afternoon tea and then freeze whatever amount is not consumed. Then use defrosted Clotted Cream as an ingredient in shortbread, cookies, ice cream or fudge.
So freeze Clotted Cream for up to 3 months. Understand that freezing it comes at a cost, the cost being a grainier topping with less flavor than before freezing it.
What Type of Cream to Use When Making Clotted Cream.
Use a natural heavy whipping cream not an ultra pasteurized heavy whipping cream. Using ultra pasteurized cream will produce an inferior end result with less flavor and less yield.
I do not recommend using full fat milk (whole milk) because it’s fat content is not high enough.
In Ireland and the UK, use double cream for this recipe.
Umpqua Dairy Products
A quick word about Umpqua heavy whipping cream. Before I go on, this post is not affiliated with or sponsored by Umpqua Dairy, so it is a completely unbiased review.
Umpqua is the Native American name given to a river that runs along the Oregon Coast. Many Native American tribes relied on its fish for survival. This area is home to farms, pastureland and ranches.
Umpqua Dairy took its name from the river when it was founded in 1931. Nowadays there are distribution centers up and down the state of Oregon, allowing it to be readily available in many grocery stores. Umpqua Dairy is an award winning, family owned dairy that offers many products ranging from milk and cream, cottage cheese, ice cream and butter. It is their heavy whipping cream I want to focus on here.
Umpqua Dairy heavy whipping cream is not ultra pasteurized. It is one of the few that does not undergo the extreme heat required in the ultra pasteurization process. This is a high quality, full flavored, and reasonably priced cream. It is my ‘go to’ heavy whipping cream that I seem to use a lot of!
How to Make Clotted Cream
Clotted Cream is easy to make at home. Technically it is a coddled cream, meaning it is cooked for an extended period of time just below boiling point. Clotted Cream is usually made in one of two ways:
- In the crock pot (slow cooker) or the Instant Pot using the slow cooker mode. Place the heavy whipping cream in a Pyrex bowl. Add a couple of inches of water to the slow cooker. Place the Pyrex bowl into the slow cooker which is now acting as a Bain Marie (water bath). Turn the dial to ‘HIGH’ for 12 hours.
- In the oven, which is what I did in this recipe.
Both versions of Clotted Cream will produce a skin on top, although the slow cooker Clotted Cream will produce a thicker skin on top. Remove the skin off the top, place it on a plate and mash it with a fork to homogenize it. If the Clotted Cream is too thick for your liking, add a little of the cream remaining in the dish to thin it. Place the finished spread in an airtight container, refrigerate and use within 7 days.
Step by Step Instructions
Pour the cream into an ovenproof glass dish, such as a Pyrex one. The larger and more shallow the dish – the better! At a pinch, use a ceramic one.
Place it in the oven, uncovered for about 12 hours at 175 degrees F / 80 degrees C. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
The following day, remove the plastic wrap to see the skin on the the surface. There will be leftover cream at the bottom of the dish.
Skim this skin into a bowl. Save the leftover cream that did not form into skin. Use this cream to thin the Clotted Cream if you would prefer this Clotted Cream to be a little thinner.
Use a fork or whisk to combine all the layers of the skin together.
Once you have the consistency you want, transfer your Clotted Cream into a mason jar with a good fitting lid or into little individual containers.
Difference Between Clotted Cream and Other Dairy Products.
There are several nuances between the many cream colored dairy products out there:
Got Questions?
I’ve got answers – hopefully!
Look at the Dairy Comparison Chart above to see what can be used instead of Clotted Cream.
Yes, there are several recipes online how to make your own vegan Clotted Cream using dairy free ‘butter’, dairy free ‘cream’ and a pinch of sugar or syrup. I have not yet discovered Clotted Cream in grocery stores, only plant based whipping ‘cream’, so I suggest making your own, it’s easy to do!
The most popular store to buy it is the German based store Lidl. This budget friendly shop is also located along the east coast of the States. Rodda’s is the most popular brand sold.
Add this cream anywhere cream is added, such as homemade rice pudding, Champ, and cream based sauces such as my Mushroom Sauce.
Easy Rich Velvety Clotted Cream
Ingredients
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Pour the cream into an ovenproof glass dish, such as a Pyrex one. The larger and more shallow the dish – the better! At a pinch, use a ceramic one.
- Place it in the oven, uncovered for about 12 hours at 175 degrees F / 80 degrees C. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
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