Baking experts recommend swapping butter and milk for cream and lemonade to achieve scones that are soft, light, and fluffy. The simple ingredient substitution can transform the texture of the baked treats, making them more tender and moist.
Most traditional scone recipes call for flour, caster sugar, milk, and a beaten egg, with butter rubbed into the flour. However, replacing the butter and milk with cream and lemonade can yield better results, according to baking experts.
Why cream works better than butter
Using cold butter is often advised in recipes, but it can be difficult to mix into flour, especially by hand. Cream combines easily with the flour and also makes the scones deliciously soft. It adds richness and results in a more moist and tender texture, as well as a beautiful brown crust when baked.
King Arthur Baking says: “Using heavy cream as a base, cream scones can feel like a morning indulgence. Ultra-tender and cake-like, they're softer than butter-based scones. Reason to love them: They’re quick and easy to make and don’t require working the fat into the dry ingredients.”
The role of lemonade in the recipe
King Arthur Baking suggests that if a recipe calls for 113g of butter and 113g of milk, both can be replaced with 227g of heavy cream. The lemonade provides the lightness, as the carbon dioxide in the drink acts as a leavening agent similar to baking powder or yeast. This aerates the scones and helps them rise, creating a lighter, fluffier texture, while adding a hint of sweet lemon flavour.
Food recipe website Taste.com.au recommends a combination of 125ml of thick cream and 125ml of lemonade to achieve deliciously soft and sweet scones. For a stronger lemonade flavour, it suggests serving with a dollop of lemon curd and cream instead of jam.
Expert praise for lemonade scones
Taste.com.au explains: “I really dislike rubbing butter into flour to make scones. There, I said it. The bench always seems to be the wrong height, my hands get tired, and it takes forever. All the planets aligned the day I discovered lemonade scones. No pesky fridge-cold butter that refuses to yield to the flour. Instead, cream takes its place, adding the necessary fat plus tenderising the scones. Milk gives way for lemonade, which not only provides liquid, but also flavour and, best of all, the bubbles in the lemonade aerate the dough, helping the scones rise evenly.”
