The Royal Sweet – after putting a lot of thought into it, this was the name I picked for my recipe blog. It is a pun on the expression “Royal Suite”, referring to the most luxurious room in a hotel which I changed to a “Sweet”.
Wordplay aside, I liked this name because it gives the feeling of a gourmet treat, unique and different from the rest. That is my goal with this blog – to share accessible yet unique recipes, with surprising flavors.
And with a royal name, what better recipe to start with than some delicious scones? These little cakes, most popular at teatime in the United Kingdom, are the right choice for our first Royal Sweet. They are fluffy, tasty, and very aromatic. Besides, they are easy to make since all you gotta do is add the ingredients and mix them.
They go best with butter or your favorite fruit jams. For this recipe, I decided to try some homemade red fruits jam, and it turned out to be a match made in heaven! I highly recommend you try it along with the scones, as they complement each other quite well.
Vanilla and Poppy Seed Scones
Ingredients
Red Fruits Jam (optional)
- 250 g frozen red fruits
- 50 ml water
- 120 g sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Port wine (or liquor)
Vanilla and Poppy Seed Scones
- 100 ml milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 325 g flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp poppy seeds
- 60 g white sugar
- 1 egg
- 100 g butter (unsalted)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
Instructions
Red Fruits Jam (optional)
- Place all the ingredients (except the wine) in a pan under medium heat.
- Once the fruits have become soft, crush them into smaller pieces with a hand blender.
- Add the wine to the mixture and return it to medium heat, stirring every once in a while, until it becomes thicker. This procedure may take a while, so I recommend getting started with the scones in the meantime.
- Having reached the right consistency, transfer the jam to a jar and let it cool down completely. Afterwards, it can be kept in the fridge.
Vanilla and Poppy Seed Scones
- Preheat the oven at 180 ºC.
- Mix the milk with the lemon juice and set it aside, creating the buttermilk.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, poppy seeds and sugar.
- Then, add the egg, softened butter, vanilla essence and buttermilk to mixture.
- Knead the dough, taking care not to overwork it. You will know it is done when it is smooth and soft.
- Form 12 small balls and bake them on a tray with baking paper for about 15 to 20 minutes.
