How to make Clotted Cream for the Perfect Cream Tea

Step 1

Set your oven to regular bake at 170 to 180 degrees F. (170 is the lowest setting on my oven so that's what I used.)

Step 2

Pour the cream into a small covered casserole dish. The dish I used was about 8x8 inches. In my experiments that was the best size for 1 litre of cream but a 2 or 2 1/2 inch depth of cream in the casserole dish is a good guide. Having too large a casserole is a problem.

Step 3

Place the covered casserole dish in the oven for 10-12 hours. I usually do it overnight.

Step 4

Remove from oven and allow to cool to about room temperature before refrigerating for 8-10 hours as well. I usually let it go overnight in the fridge and skim it in the morning.

Step 5

Skim the solid cream off the top in to a small mixing bowl. There will be liquid white cream underneath the solid cream as well, so skim off as much of that as you can too. It gets stirred into the thicker cream to create the right consistency although many Brits do like to use it in that state for a mix of textures, I think.

Step 6

Store the cream in a covered container in the fridge. Clotted cream is meant to be consumed quickly, so use it up within a few days.

Step 7

Do not discard the liquid beneath the cream, use it as a milk substitute in baking. It can even be used in preparing the scones.

Step 8

Clotted Cream makes a great topping for pies and tarts too or on practically any dessert where you would add a dollop of whipped cream.