09 May 2019

Clotted Cream - A Tutorial

How to Make Clotted Cream - A Tutorial / www.delightfulrepast.com

Clotted cream, which doesn't sound that appealing to the uninitiated, is the delectable accompaniment to scones that elevates that simple bake to an Occasion. In the US you'll sometimes see it called Devonshire cream just because it sounds better, but it's only Devonshire cream if it is clotted cream made in Devonshire; Cornish cream is clotted cream made in Cornwall. 

Here in the US, imported clotted cream is quite expensive and few tea rooms make their own. So it's usually only seen at the poshest of afternoon teas. Its unique taste and texture take a simple scone to new heights. In Devon, the tradition is to put cream on the scone first, then jam. In Cornwall, it's jam first, then cream.


How to Make Clotted Cream - A Tutorial / www.delightfulrepast.com

There's nothing difficult about making clotted cream. Though it does take time, it's time you actually spend going about your business while the cream does its thing. So I don't know why there are so many "mock" versions out there. 

One popular American television personality and celebrity chef would have you strain cream through a coffee filter and call it clotted cream. Sorry, that's not even close. Others would have you add various things to whipped cream. Tasty perhaps, but again, not clotted cream. 

You will find sources telling you that it must be made with raw cream (not true), or with cream that has not been ultra-pasteurized (not true). I’ve made it with organic heavy whipping creams of all descriptions: minimally pasteurized, pasteurized and ultra-pasteurized. This method has worked well with all of them.


How to Make Clotted Cream - A Tutorial / www.delightfulrepast.com
The clotted cream on the left was cooked covered with foil, and the cream on the right was cooked uncovered. I much prefer clotted cream cooked covered.

I’ve made it both covered and uncovered. The cream cooked uncovered developed a buttery yellow "crust" and after cooling and stirring had tiny bits of yellow butter throughout the finished cream. The cream that was cooked covered developed a softer top layer and had a smoother texture. So that is how I’ve made it ever since. 

I’ve found that clotted cream freezes beautifully, with no loss of quality, and so always make a double batch and divide it among four 4-ounce jars and pop them into the freezer. Then when I’m going to need it, I move a jar (or two) from freezer to refrigerator a day or two ahead. 

But if you're new to making clotted cream, just do a single batch at a time until you've discovered any quirks your oven might have.

Do let me know if you have any questions or comments about the recipe (or anything). And if you like this post, be sure to Pin it and share it on your social media! 


How to Make Clotted Cream - A Tutorial / www.delightfulrepast.com

Clotted Cream


(Makes about 1 cup) 

1 pint (16 fluid ounces, 473 ml) pasteurized organic heavy whipping cream

Note: I like to put it in the oven at 6 a.m. and take it out at 6 p.m., refrigerate it until 6 a.m. the next morning, then scoop it into a container.

1 Preheat oven to 180F/82C. 

2 Pour cream into an 8-inch (20 cm) diameter baking dish (I use a Pyrex). It can be any shape, as long as the cream is about 1/2 to 1 inch (1.25 to 2.5 cm) deep. Cover with foil. 

3 Place foil-covered dish of cream in preheated oven and set timer for 12 hours.

Note: Some ovens automatically turn off after a certain number of hours. If yours turns off in something less than 12 hours, be prepared to restart it.


How to Make Clotted Cream - A Tutorial / www.delightfulrepast.com
This is what the clotted cream looks like after 12 hours in the oven covered with foil. But it's not ready yet! Let it cool at room temperature, with the foil lifted a bit to vent, then cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for 12 hours undisturbed.


4 Remove from oven, lift foil a bit to vent, and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes; cover and refrigerate for 12 hours. 

5 Lift up a "corner" of the chilled clotted cream and pour off the liquid* underneath into a 1-cup glass measure. Scoop up layer of clotted cream into jar or serving dish. Keeps for several days, covered and refrigerated. Use the leftover liquid in your next batch of scones, pancakes or whatever you happen to be making. I like to make Classic Cream Scones with the leftover cream. 

* When you pour off that liquid, you don't have to get every last drop out. Usually the underside of the clotted cream layer is quite wet and might actually drip as you spoon it into a container. The contents of the container can seem quite wet, but it all melds together in the refrigerator.

Note: These cute little 4-ounce freezer-safe canning/storage jars with plastic caps are perfect for clotted cream. One recipe makes two jars. 

Now put the kettle on and Make a Proper Cup of Tea

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Update 31 May 2021: I've taken up watercolour painting since posting this and just came across a tutorial on YouTube by English watercolour artist Paul Clark and gave it a go. This is one I'll be trying again, though it will never come up to his level!

Clotted Cream - A Tutorial (this image, my watercolour version of Paul Clark's A Cornish Cream Tea) / www.delightfulrepast.com

 

57 comments:

Thomas "Sully" Sullivan said...

Yeah, it’s over my pay grade, but it’s the kind of thing I might do if the taste warranted. Looks ripe for experimentation, i.e. mixing in everything from guacamole to molasses, barbecue sauces or sweet mustards. There would be some ghastly toxins coming forth from that, but you never know what you might discover… And I do appreciate the fact that a cool, bland cream taste offsets a sweet jam applied on something like a scone. Sacrilege to tea drinkers, but then, I don’t drink tea, so what’s left but Frito-Lay’s and experimentation?

TONY said...

Clotted Cream.........aghh!!!Ohhh!!!! oooohh!!!!

"Aright me ansum, now yuzz talkin. Thas real tasty me old cock."

Your picture , although its very good Jean, doesn't really show that magical combination of clotted cream , strawberry jam and a scone to its best advantage. No photograph ever could. It comprises the most delicious, heavenly, ecstatic sensations you could ever desire. A sunny day, a seat outside an ancient thatched pub overlooking a Cornish harbour, a pint of beer in hand and a cream tea, such as you illustrate above. HEAVEN ON EARTH!!!

Margie said...

I looooove clotted cream. I don't have the patience to make my own, so I'm glad that my local grocery stores carry them. I can't recall the brand, but it's imported from England, and has a blue label.

Nancy said...

I made this twice with great success. I was just thinking of it the other day...this may be an omen to do it again. It seems worthwhile to make two batches while you are at it. Saves on the oven time. And, it will never go to waste ( maybe to the waist). I love all your posts, keep it up please. The photos greatly add to the recipes.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Really, Sully, your ideas are not too far-fetched. There could be many savory applications for this luscious stuff! You work on that and let me know!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Ooooohh, Tony, you paint a mighty tempting picture! I'd join you for that cream tea any day!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Margie, I understand completely. Glad you have a handy local source to keep you in clotted cream!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Nancy, thank you so much! I'm so glad you like it and find my posts and photos helpful. Yes, do make a double batch. It freezes sooooo well!

ellen b. said...

Saving this tutorial for sure.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Ellen. I think you're going to have fun with it!

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

Oh my this clotted cream looks wonderful. I'll be using your recipe next time I make scones.

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

How wonderful, Jean, that you’ve shared this with us! I’ll be trying this easy method for sure. Thank you!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

That's wonderful, Martha. Be sure to let me know you liked it!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Kitty, thanks so much. I know you're going to like it!

Kippi O'Hern said...

Just pinned I am going to make this for my next tea party.
Happy Mother's Day, Kippi #kippiathome

Angie's Recipes said...

I always want to make my own clotted cream, now I really have no excuse! Thanks, Jean, for sharing this amazing recipe.

Mike said...

Quite a few yrs. back, I met a British woman in an online chat room and we became great pen-pals then she came over to see me three times. (the last time just a few days before 9/11 and since she was horrified of flying anyway...that was the end of that) Anyway...we'd send ea. other pkgs. of goodies; she loved the ranch dressing mix I had sent her and she once sent me a box of clotted cream fudge. The name of it was off-putting, but I'll try just about anything once...and it was delicious!

I've been wanting to make some, but all the recipes I had read before said to NOT use ultra-pasteurized, but I did run across one a while back where the blog owner said she had used it and it turned out well. Ultra pasteurized is all I can find anywhere around here. (And despite living in Texas, I don't know anyone who owns a milk cow)

There's a channel I follow on YouTube called Steve's Kitchen and he does a good job of showing how to make that fudge as well as another on how to make the clotted cream. I believe it was him or Chef John who said it tasted like the butteriest cream or the creamiest butter you could ever experience.

Oh, and my friend? I once told her that just about the only contentious point in my divorce was who got custody of our copy of The Joy of Cooking. (She got it. She also got the Kirby but left me the cats. I swear, after I finally bought another -cheap- vacuum, if I could have found the innards, I could have knitted me a few more cats.) My friend sent me a brand new copy of TJOC, probably spending more in postage than the darn cookbook cost, but it was appreciated. The only problem is that it's in metric. An oz. of prevention is worth .453 kilograms of cure! -grin-

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I'm going to give this a try. I'm hosting a tea next Friday, and I'll use the left over liquid in my scones as well! I can't wait!

April J Harris said...

This is such a great tutorial, Jean. Your clotted cream looks beautiful, and very authentic too. I love how you've made the process so do-able, and it's wonderful the clotted cream is freezable too.

I've never made my own clotted cream as it is available in most grocery stores in the UK, and as a UK government Protected Name product so we are encouraged to buy it to support the small Cornish producers. Having said that, I quite fancy giving your homemade version a try, perhaps the next time I visit California so I can treat friends to an authentic afternoon tea!

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful post with the Hearth and Soul Link Party. I've linked to it from my post "What is Afternoon Tea Really?" in the recipe section at the bottom. Have a wonderful weekend!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Kippi. It's such fun!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Angie, you're going to have such fun with this. And you're going to be kicking yourself for waiting so long! :D

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Mike, that is so hilarious (YOU are so hilarious!). I put all my measurements in both metric and "regular," so you and your friend could cook together--if she could stand to fly, that is! There's quite a "thing" about the different editions of JOC--I think mine is the 1997.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Deanna, I'm so excited about this! DO tell me all about it afterward!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

April, thank you so much! I really appreciate your support! Afternoon Tea is my "thing," so I love being included in your excellent post on that subject.

Cocoa and Lavender said...

This recipe is like a perfectly wrapped gift in Christmas morning! I have been watching so many tutorials on how to make clotted cream and yours is by far the easiest and the result is the most beautiful! Because I don’t know if my oven will turn off, I will reverse my cooking and start in the morning on a weekend so I can keep an eye on it. So very excited to try this! Especially since I just made some strawberry jam!!

Cocoa and Lavender said...

After reading again, I realize I will be doing EXACTLY what you do in terms of timing! Sometimes I read too fast!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

David, thank you! I so appreciate your comment. It lets me know that I've succeeded with my goal of showing how uncomplicated and doable this really is.

Vee said...

Oh this sounds easy enough! Thank you.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Vee, it really is. And it's pretty fun!

Lowcarb team member said...

Scones, jam and clotted cream just go together :)

All the best Jan

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

So true, Jan! And I can even skip the jam and make the scone low-carb, as long as I have the clotted cream.

Phil in the Kitchen said...

My uncle, sadly no longer with us, was one of the least excitable people you could ever meet but one of the very few things he used to get passionate about was clotted cream. I shared his interest but the one thing we couldn't agree on was the crust. I'm definitely with you in preferring the cream without the crust but he always insisted that the crust was essential. I do like your straightforward method of making clotted cream and I'm sure my uncle would approve, although I admit that for me it's really easy to buy good clotted cream locally. By the way, my uncle also insisted that the very best cream for making clotted cream was the rich, yellow cream from Jersey cows.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Phil, if I lived where you live and could easily buy clotted cream any time I wanted to, I'd probably not bother to make my own either. I'm sure I'd make it a few times just for the experience, but then just go with shop-bought after that. I think your uncle was right about using the richest cream--I especially like the results when I use a regional high-butterfat organic cream--but, like you, I must disagree with him about the crust!

Jeanie said...

Saving this one for the next time we do a tea!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Jeanie. Let me know how it turned out for you.

The Petersen Family said...

Now I seriously want scones this morning.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

That's what I like to hear, Petersen Family!

Miz Helen said...

I am so happy to have this awesome recipe to add to my English Tea Collection! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and come back to see us soon!
Miz Helen

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Miz Helen, thank you so much! And *every*one should have an English Tea Collection!

Alice V said...

oh wow, I never knew how to make clotted cream or the differences in the "name" rather than what it is. I'm also planning a tea party with my daughters at the Mission inn as they have a tea room hour that I really want to attend. I'll see if they have the cream there and what they call it.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Alice, I used to travel a lot for business and had occasion to spend a few days there. Lovely, but at that time they did not serve afternoon tea. Enjoy! And do come back and tell me all about it!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Really fun post! I've had clotted cream loads of times, and it's really good stuff. Never have made it myself, though. Definitely should give this a try -- it's not hard, just takes some time. Thanks!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, John. I'm addicted to the stuff!

Thisiswhereitisat said...

Reading this is making me feel hungry yum X

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, TIWIIA!

Marilyn Miller said...

This sounds so good. I have a blogger friend that grew up in Devonshire and it was her job to go in the morning and break the crust on the cream. I always found that fascinating. I have never tried making it, but now I would love some freshly made clotted cream with the scones I have in my freezer. Yummmm!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Marilyn, thank you. I hope you'll make it soon. It freezes beautifully, so you can always have some on hand.

Memories of Eric and Flynn said...

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Living in Devon all my life, in my opinion clotted cream is the only cream worth eating. My MIL used to make it when they had a small herd of Jersey cows, delicious. I don't make my own as being made locally it is inexpensive for us to buy.
I was pleased to see your photo showed the proper way to serve it, the Devon way. I live on the border of Cornwall and we have a (usually) friendly rivalry.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, Eric and Flynn's Mum! Yes, I always put the cream (the most important thing!) on first.

mrs mummy harris said...

I had no idea it took that long to make the cream!!
Thank you for sharing this with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back tomorrow for the final chapter!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Lianne. I'll be there!

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Jean, I have never had real clotted cream although I did make a quick version once. I liked it but Hubby didn't so I always have to serve whipped cream and jam with scones. I make my own yogurt and the recipe is quite similar to this. A lot of magical things can take place in an oven!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Sandi, that is so true, "a lot of magical things can take place in an oven!"--I love that! If you make your own yogurt, you definitely need to make this. The quick versions, "mock" versions, taste nothing like the real thing; Hubby just might like it!

Kimberly Hanson said...

I am giving this a try today. Didn’t get the cream in early enough, so it looks like I will have a late evening! Nothing tastes as lovely as clotted cream, and I can’t find it anywhere here. I am looking forward to having some on hand, and am delighted that it freezes well. Thank you so much.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Kimberly, this makes me so happy—a clotted cream fan with no place to buy it now making her own! Do come back and tell me all about it!

Carol said...

This is my favourite new project! Every once in awhile I am happy to stumble across something that makes me so happy, and this recipe sure qualifies for that. I made it yesterday. It turned out exactly like you say and although I read somewhere that it smells fantastic, I was unprepared for just how wonderful it does smell. I could bathe in it.
I just made a small one pint batch so now I will never be without it again. I plan on making a victoria sponge cake or small batch of sweet buns in two days from now so I am bracing myself for the most pleasant experience.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Carol, thank you so much! The beautiful way you've described your experience reminds me of my own first batch. It's pretty amazing stuff, isn't it!