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Strawberry Cream Scones – A Valentine’s Treat

Soon to be February, my thoughts have turned to the celebration of Valentine’s Day and what an afternoon tea should look like. This Strawberry Cream Scone is a delightful addition to a Valentine’s Tea or a Spring Tea. In fact, just to have on your own is a delight. It’s treating those you love with kindness….that includes yourself!

A single Strawberry Cream scone plated and ready to enjoy
THIRD time around a success!

I had never made a traditional cream scone so was anxious to try this one. Please read on and learn from my failures and successes. My first attempt was not successful, but I was determined to add cream scones to my scone repertoire and I really wanted to serve them in some upcoming Valentine’s functions. My error in the first attempt was adding too much cream – the scones looked beautiful when prepared but spread during the baking process. The dough was too wet. Though the flavor was good, I wasn’t pleased with the outcome. They didn’t have the height I wanted. My second attempt was to streamline the process and use a mini-chopper for the strawberries. Unfortunately, this macerated the strawberries and yielded too much juice. The dough was pink and gloppy. It was all thrown out. So I tried a third time and held to the 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream the recipe calls for and manually diced the strawberries. And this worked beautifully. Taste testing of course, I smiled as I indulged myself in a fresh warm strawberry cream scone with a little lemon curd. Quickly I shared my positive results with my sisters. Since we do not live close, they would have to live vicariously through my comments and pictures. Best friends forever…..

Here are the steps you want to follow: You will preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line your baking sheet with a silicon baking mat – my preference. You can use parchment paper if you prefer but I find that my scones brown too quickly and sugar toppings burn.

Small dice the strawberries and place in a bowl. Dust the strawberries with 2 tsp of all-purpose flour. This will help the strawberries to not juice out in the scones.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/3 cup sugar. Set aside.

Dry ingredients for the scones - flour, sugar, baking powder and salt ready to be combined in bowl
Dry ingredientsflour,sugar, baking powder, salt

In another bowl, measure out 1 – 1 1/2 cups of cold heavy whipping cream. Add 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tsp of strawberry extract to the cream. I like to add the extract especially if it is off season for the strawberries. It gives that extra little taste to the scone, but will not discolor it. Mix this altogether.

Pour half of the liquid into the dry ingredients. Gently stir the mixture. Take the remaining cream mixture and pour into the batter, again being careful to not overmix but not leave pockets of flour. Fold in the strawberries. The batter will be moist but should not be wet – remember this was my major mistake in my first attempt. You can add an additional 1-2 tbsp of cream if you feel like it is too dry.

Dough and chopped strawberries combined in mixing bowl
Dough and strawberries

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape the dough into a 7 inch round, making sure that the height is level. Gently press in the sides to ensure all the crumbs are incorporated into the dough. Take a sharp knife and cut into the classic triangular 8 scone. You can also use other shapes like circles or hearts if desired.

Strawberry cream scones patted into 7-8 inch circle, cut and ready to be placed on baking sheet
Dough ready for baking sheet

NOTE: I cut this into 12 scones if I am serving in an afternoon tea. These scones are large when cut into 8. I like to serve two scones per guest and so the 12 scones makes for the perfect size.

Take the scone and brush with cream and dust with granulated sugar. Place on your prepared baking sheet. I do this before placing on the baking sheet so to not have sugar burn on the baking pad. Place the scones 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheet.

Chill the scones in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to baking. This is an important step and helps the scone to firm its shape. After 15 minutes, place the scones in your preheated oven. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until they are golden. Remove from the oven and immediately place on a cooling rack.

These scones freeze well unbaked or baked. They store well in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.

Strawberry Cream Scones plated, with lemon curd and teacup ready to be enjoyed.
Fresh baked Strawberry Cream Scone with Lemon Curd.
Ready to enjoy with a cup of tea.

When serving, warm the scone up and serve with some lemon curd or Devonshire Cream. Its a delightful addition to your afternoon tea or just for yourself. I would serve this with a nice cup of Lady Londonderry, a tea tenderly infused with strawberry and lemon. Step back from your busy schedule, take a deep breath and enjoy this sweet morsel.

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Strawberry Cream Scone
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5 from 3 votes

Strawberry Cream Scones

A delightful cream scone made with fresh strawberries
Course afternoon tea
Keyword cream scone, fresh strawberry, scones
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8 scones

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp table salt
  • cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp strawberry extract
  • 1⅓-1½ cups cold heavy whipping cream
  • 1-1¼ cups fresh strawberries diced
  • 1-2 tbsp heavy whipping cream for brushing on scones prior to baking
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar for dusting on scones prior to baking

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Set aside.
  • Dice the strawberries and place into a bowl. Toss with 1-2 tsp of flour and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
  • Measure out 1½ cups of heavy cream. Stir in vanilla and strawberry extract.
  • Pour ½ of the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients, stirring gently. Continue to add the remaining liquid just enough to make a moist dough. The dough should not be extremely sticky. You can add an additional tablespoon or so of heavy cream if needed.
  • Gently stir / fold in the strawberries.
  • Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Gently place the dough into a rough ball, using your hands gently press into a 7 inch round. Press in crumbs on the side.
  • Cut scones into 8 portions. With a spatula, transfer the scone to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between scones. Place baking sheet in freezer for 15 minutes prior to baking.
  • Remove scones from the freezer. Brush top with cream and sprinkle generously with sugar.
  • Bake the chilled scones in the preheated over for 14-16 minutes or until lightly golden.
  • Remove the scones from the oven and transfer immediately to a cooling rack.

Notes

Aside from dicing the strawberries, these scones go together very well.  DO NOT use a chopper for the strawberries – it macerates the strawberries and produce juice.  You don’t want this for this scone – makes it too wet.
These scones free well both unbaked and baked.  Warm them and they are delicious.
This recipe was adapted from the original recipe from Seasons and Suppers https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/strawberry-cream-scones/

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