Lemonade Scones with Cream

a plate of scones, topped with jam and cream.

5 from 1 vote

You will love these beautifully light and fluffy lemonade scones. With a crisp, golden outer layer, crumbly edges and ultra-soft interior, they are perfect for morning or afternoon tea served with jam and fresh cream. And the best part? They are ready to serve in about 30 minutes!

Prep Time10

Cook Time12

Total Time22

Course: baking

Cuisine: Australian, English

Servings: scones

Calories: 217kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

Ingredients

300 grams self-raising flour sifted. (2 cups, plus extra for your bench).
55 grams caster sugar ¼ cup
¼ teaspoon salt
125 ml thickened cream ½ cup
125 ml lemonade carbonated lemonade like Sprite, Schweppes lemonade or any lemonade brand of your choice. Use a fresh bottle!
2 tablespoons milk for glazing

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 220°C/428 F (200℃ fan-forced). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
In a mixing bowl, add the sifted flour, sugar and a pinch of salt and whisk to combine.
Gently add the cream and lemonade and mix to a soft dough (don't overmix).
Place the dough onto a lightly floured bench and mould it together gently with your hands. Sprinkle a little more flour over the top as needed, if the dough is too sticky to work with.
Roll the dough to a thickness of 1.5-2cm. Use a 6cm round scone or pastry cutter to cut 8 scones. You may need to re-shape and re-roll the remaining dough for the last few scones.
Place the scones onto the lined baking tray and use a pastry brush to brush the top of the scones with milk.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the scones have risen, become golden on top and fluffy in the middle. Gently turn the scones out onto a clean tea towel or wire rack.
How to tell when they are ready; insert a toothpick into the middle of one scone. If it comes out clean, with a few crumbs sticking, they are ready. You can also gently tap on the top of a scone to check if it’s cooked through. If it’s ready, it will sound hollow. Be careful not to overbake the scones, or they will be dry.
Serve warm, topped with jam and a dollop of cream, or your favourite toppings.

Video

Notes

Note that ‘lemonade’ refers to the fizzy, lemon-flavoured carbonated drink, not the American-style lemonade made with lemon juice, sugar and water). I use plain Schweppes lemonade, but you can use any brand of regular, fizzy lemonade. Just be sure to use a freshly-opened bottle for maximum bubbles and freshness. And don’t use sugar-free lemonade for best results.
Handle the dough as little as possible. Overworking the dough is a common mistake people make with scones. It can result in tough scones that don’t rise well. Mix the dough until just combined and then gently shape it with your hands before rolling.
Check the expiry on your self-raising flour. Expired raising agents will result in scones that don’t rise.
Use a fresh, unopened bottle of lemonade. Fresh, fizzy lemonade with lots of bubbles help with the rising process.
Optional: you can place the scones onto the tray almost touching, to help them rise evenly.
Enjoy them plain, or add ⅓ cup of sultanas, raisins or chopped dates to the dough before rolling. Alternatively, you could add chocolate chips, chopped pecans or some fresh blueberries.
Weigh the flour and measure your ingredients accurately, for best results. Use a kitchen scale to measure the flour by weight. Flour can be easily compressed, which means too much flour can be added to the dough if you use a measuring cup alone. Too much flour will result in dry, tough scones. If you don’t have kitchen scales, fluff and sift the flour into a measuring cup and level it with a knife. Don’t pour your flour directly into the measuring cup, or it will be too compacted and you may use more flour than needed.
Dip your pastry/scone cutter in flour between cutting each scone to prevent the dough sticking to the cutter. If you don’t have a scone cutter, you can use a glass and knife, or simply cut squares from the rolled dough.
All ovens are different. Check your oven temperature and make sure your oven is pre-heated to the correct temperature before baking. Baking at an incorrect temperature can prevent the scones from rising properly.
Storage: Scones are best eaten fresh, on the day that they are made. However, they can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Please note that the nutrition information is based on the dough being divided into 8 scones, with one scone being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the scones.
This recipe is made using Australian metric cups and spoon measurements. Any reference to cups or spoons in this recipe is in Australian metric. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.

Nutrition