Afternoon Tea Recipe: Clotted Cream

One of the specialty foods that we afternoon tea goers look for at the best afternoon teas is a true clotted cream. Having reviewed more than 160 afternoon teas in the United States and abroad, we know that this creamy spread for your scones has many imitators. When nothing less than the real thing will do for you, why not make your own? Using this recipe, you can have a batch whipped up in a day.

What Is Clotted Cream?

Is it whipped cream? Is it mascarpone? Is it crème fraîche? Is it butter? Is it sour cream? No, no, sorry, no and nope. Though we have experienced many “mock clotted cream” variations involving these ingredients, the only thing they have in common with clotted cream is that they come from a cow. Clotted cream is originally an English delicacy: a naturally sweet, rich cream that has thickened (or clotted) at the top after slow-heating full-fat unpasteurized cow’s milk. The clots you skim off are your clotted cream – yum!

clotted cream at Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City
A proper clotted cream at afternoon tea at The Grand American Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah (read our full review here)

What You Will Need to Make Clotted Cream

We looked for the laziest, least complicated method to get consistently great results, and so for this recipe, you’ll only need a few items to make clotted cream at home:

  • One pint unpasteurized or low pasteurized heavy cream (find this in local grocer such as Buford Farmers Market or Your DeKalb Farmers Market, in Atlanta)
  • 13×9 inch glass baking dish
  • Aluminum foil
  • Plastic wrap
  • 24 hours

That is correct, you only need one ingredient to make clotted cream!

use low or unpasteurized heavy cream for making clotted cream
baking pan for making clotted cream
Click to purchase (commission link)

Step-by-Step Clotted Cream Recipe in Pictures

The main requirement to make an excellent clotted cream is patience. In other words, anyone can make their own delicious clotted cream. Here’s how:

We’ve included every little action, but essentially it’s a 3-step process: Bake, Chill, Skim.

If you are at home during the day and prefer not to leave the oven running unattended or overnight, here is a sample timetable you may use:

  • 9 am to 9 pm: Bake the cream.
  • 9 pm to 9 am: Chill the cream.
  • Skim the clots and enjoy!

Serving and Storing Your Clotted Cream

Ideally, you prepare your clotted cream to be served the next day. You can also refrigerate it in an airtight container to be enjoyed later, but we’d say within the week, before it spoils.

Serve your clotted cream in any small dish you like that fits with your table design. We love using antique salt cellars, vintage glass or china dishes or small bowls. And remember to provide a small spoon to allow guests to serve themselves. Here’s how we served ours at a recent afternoon tea.

serving clotted cream at an afternoon tea

Devon Cream and Cornish Cream – Is There A Difference?

Depends who you ask. The cows of Southwest England rose to fame in the 1850s when the West Country railroad expansion made it popular for London tourists to weekend along the southern coast of England (encompassing Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset), where hotels and cafes feature locally produced clotted cream in increasingly popular cream teas. Both Devon and Cornwall are extremely proud of their luscious clotted creams, and a longstanding debate between the counties has ensued about the proper order in which to doctor one’s scone with cream and jam, as pictured below.

You can find our etiquette tips for how to enjoy your scone with clotted cream in our “Hosting A Cream Tea” video.

devon vs. cornish cream tea
Angela and Doug of Destination Tea discussing the difference between a Devon cream tea and a Cornish cream tea in “Hosting A Cream Tea” video

We’ve tasted how yummy American clotted cream can be, and would love to hear about your efforts and final results using cream local to you. Please tag #destinationtea on social media or email us to let us know how your clotted cream came out and whether you’ve discovered a quicker or easier method. Whether you are hosting a cream tea or afternoon tea, or gifting cream and scones to a tea friend, making your own clotted cream is doable! If you also love lemon curd with your cream and scones, please see our recipe for homemade lemon curd here.

DestinationTea
Tea Voyageuse, discovering the world of afternoon tea, based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We love comments! Destination Tea's comment policy shares a guiding principle with afternoon tea etiquette: please be gracious. We welcome honest comments that are not rude or scathing.