Afternoon tea is an activity I have come to thoroughly enjoy, especially after having experienced it at Harvey Nichols in London. While I do like a good cup of tea, really I’m just a sucker for the delightful assortment of goodies that accompany it–and scones are definitely my favorite! So this month I was inspired by our striking lemon yellow tea service to make a lemon scone. This tasty, not too sweet treat is the perfect companion to a nice spot of tea.
Margarete Heymann-Marks, Tea Service, designed c. 1930, Dallas Museum of Art, 20th-Century Design Fund
Lemon Scones
Yields 8 scones
Level: Easy
Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 heaping tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 small lemon
4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup heavy cream
Glaze:
Juice of 1 small lemon
Heaping ½ cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 425° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scones: In medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Combine beaten egg with cream and stir into dry ingredients with rubber spatula just until dough begins to form. Turn out mixture onto wax paper and knead lightly by hand until most flour is combined. Pat dough into a flat, slightly circular mass about 1 inch thick.
Place dough on baking sheet and cut into 8 wedges. Brush top with additional cream if desired and spread out wedges on sheet. Bake until tops of scones are light brown and centers are flaky, about 13-15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheet then transfer to metal rack to cool completely.
Glaze: Whisk together lemon juice and sugar in small bowl until smooth. Additional sugar or juice can be added to achieve desired consistency.
Pour glaze onto cooled scones until completely covered. Allow glaze to set and serve at room temperature.
Dough prior to kneading
Dough cut into wedges
Recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated.
Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives
