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Homemade Clotted Cream

Luxuriously smooth clotted cream is a decadent spread for scones, and can be used in cooking and baking.

A jar of homemade clotted cream and a blueberry scone on a blue-and-white striped napkin

For this month's edition of Progressive Eats, we're not sharing a meal, we're sharing homemade condiment recipes. Our host this month is Lauren of Healthy Delicious.

Since most fruits for my favorite flavors of jams and preserves aren't in season, I decided to look elsewhere for inspiration. I signed up to bring baked goods to our elementary school's teachers on St. Patrick's Day, and thought, what if I made homemade clotted cream to go with the scones I plan to make for them?

A full jar of clotted cream in front of a plate of blueberry scones

What is Clotted Cream?

Clotted cream is thickened heavy cream. It is heated very slowly to separate the fat from the milk, then the thickened fat is skimmed off. This is the clotted cream. The milk that remains can be used in any recipe that calls for milk.

It has a neutral flavor, similar to mascarpone cheese, though I suppose this will depend on the variety of cream you use, how fresh your cream is, and what the cows who produce it are fed. The clotted cream has a luxurious, velvety feel in your mouth.

A blueberry scone with a dab of clotted cream in front of a cup of tea and a jar containing more clotted cream

FAQs or Tips

Q: Why does it have to be non-ultra-pasteurized cream?

A: Ultra-pasteurized cream is heated to a higher temperature to give it a longer shelf life. The trade-off is that it won't whip as well as regularly-pasteurized cream, and it also doesn't work when making homemade clotted cream because the higher temperature means the fat has a harder time separating from the milk.

Q: How do I store homemade clotted cream?

A: Store it in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.

Q: How long will fresh clotted cream keep?

A: The clotted cream will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Q: Can I freeze homemade clotted cream?

A: You can, but it will make a slightly noticeable change to the texture. For that reason, it's best to use defrosted clotted cream in cooking and baking, not as a condiment.

An overhead view of a blueberry scone topped with clotted cream, more cream in a jar and a cup of tea

Clotted cream isn't only used for scones! Spread it on toast, muffins, quick breads, cornbread, pancakes, waffles, French toast, Irish soda bread, crumpets ... whatever you'd normally spread butter on.

Since most people won't use a whole lot of clotted cream, this can also make a great homemade gift! Make the whole 2 cups, then divide it into smaller jars to give as gifts.

A blueberry scone topped with clotted cream on a white plate

Homemade Clotted Cream

Yield: 16 servings (2 tablespoon per serving)
Cook Time: 12 hours
Resting Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 1 day

Luxuriously smooth clotted cream is a decadent spread for scones, and can be used in cooking and baking.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups heavy cream (non-ultra-pasteurized)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
  2. Pour the cream into a 9x13 glass baking dish, or any dish that allows the cream to spread out, and reach between 1 and 3 inches up the sides of the dish.
  3. Place the pan, uncovered, in the oven for twelve hours.
  4. Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the cream cool to room temperature. Cover the dish with cling wrap or tin foil, and chill for 8 hours.
  5. The cream will thicken as it chills. After 8 hours, skim the thickened cream off the top into a storage container (see notes), and stir. If it is too thick to stir, add a small bit of the remaining liquid back into the clotted cream, keeping in mind that the clotted cream will soften as it warms back up to room temperature.

Notes

Don't discard the milk remaining in the dish after skimming off the cream! Use it in any recipe that calls for milk.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 101Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 8mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

I am not a certified nutritionist. This nutrition information is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only.

Did you love this recipe?

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Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month’s theme is about making homemade condiments, and our host is Lauren who blogs at Healthy Delicious.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it’s a virtual party. The host for the month chooses the theme and members share recipes on that theme suitable for a delicious meal or party (or, in this case, the condiments that make those meals special!). Then you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. So come along and see all of the delicious and inspired dishes!

Homemade Condiments

Laramie

Tuesday 17th of August 2021

My cream looks like a disgusting soup…I followed the recipe to a T but it was really tan on top and barely any ‘cream’ to scoop up after it had set. I just don’t know what to do; I was sooo very excited to have some too.

beejay

Friday 25th of June 2021

I've made clotted cream a time or two by accident. Both times I left the carton of heavy cream on the counter (in the summer) or on the top of the refrigerator. Just that slight warming for several hours seemed to be enough to trigger and complete the process. However, ;) it's nice to have an actual recipe for clotted cream, better than wasting pints/quarts of heavy cream if it doesn't work. Thanks!

Dorothy Reinhold

Thursday 25th of February 2021

Scones and Clotted Cream sound like the perfect treat for this weekend! This recipe sounds delish!

Karen @Karen's Kitchen Stories

Thursday 25th of February 2021

Wow, how interesting! Your cream looks so, well, "creamy!" I can't wait to try it.

Ansh

Thursday 25th of February 2021

How creamy is your clotted cream! Such perfection! Well done!

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