“Why, Alice! I’ve never seen such a lovely tea time spread. What’s the occasion?”

“Did you forget? It’s your birthday today!”

“My, my, my. I hadn’t even noticed. It must be because every day feels like a special day when I’m with you.”

Rhion – also known as the Mad Hatter from Kissed by the Baddest Bidder – is a wonderfully eccentric auctioneer who loves a good tea party on a daily basis.

Rhion loves Yorkshire Pudding and Lemon Chiffon Pie, but I wanted to make a treat more suitable for a tea party. A soft scone with a creamy lemon curd topping felt like the perfect accompaniment to Rhion’s beloved Asssam Tea, and his love for things lemon and light.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE LEMON CURD TOPPING

• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ cup (50g) sugar
• ¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice
• 1 tsp (1.5g) lemon zest
• 1 tsp (2.5g) cornstarch
• 1 tbsp (15g) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup (60g) really cold heavy cream
• ½ tsp (2.5g) vanilla extract

FOR THE SCONES

• 1 and 1/4 cups (150g) of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
• 1 and 1/4 tsp (6g) baking powder
• 1/4 tsp (1.5g) salt
• 5 tbsp (70g) butter, chilled
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp (45g) cream or milk
• 1 tsp (5g) vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

FIRST: Cut up your butter into little tiny cubes and put them in a small container. Put the container in the freezer. We’ll use this for the scones later. For now, let’s make the lemon curd!

MAKE THE LEMON CURD

• In a small saucepan, mix the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cornstarch. On medium low heat, stir constantly until it thickens and sticks to the spoon, in an almost pudding texture. (Make sure to stir constantly! If you abandon the pot, it might turn into scrambled eggs!)
• Use a mesh sieve and a spatula to strain the lemon curd. This will get rid of the overcooked bits of eggs and the little bits of zest, making a nice smooth texture.
• Add the tablespoon of butter and vanilla extract into the curd until the butter is melted and the vanilla is mixed in. Set aside.

• In a separate bowl (preferably cold), add the cold heavy cream. Use a hand mixer or standing mixer to whisk the cream into whipped cream, until the peaks are soft.

• Fold the cooled lemon curd into the bowl with the whipped cream until there are no more white streaks, and it’s a lovely light yellow color.
• Put the curd in a jar and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

MAKE THE SCONES

• Preheat your oven to 425F/220C and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.

• In a food processor, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse for about five seconds to mix everything together and get the clumps out of the flour.
• Grab the butter out of the freezer. Throw it into the food processor and pulse it until it resembles itty-bitty crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, you can cut it into the flour or use a pastry cutter. (I have been known to use just my hands as well.)

• In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk or cream, and vanilla until smooth.
• Pour the dry into the wet and mix by hand until it’s combined. It’ll be a bit sticky.
• Roll the dough up into a ball and put it on a floured surface. Flatten it out to a 3/4-inch thick round disk. Flip it over so there is a bit of flour on both sides. Smooth out the top into a nice circle.

• Cut the circle in half, both horizontal and vertical, to make 4 equal triangle pieces.
• Brush the top of the scones with a tablespoon of cream.
• Bake 10-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
• Wait for them to cool. Grab the lemon curd out of the fridge, then add a dollop of it on your freshly baked scones!

NOTES

Q: My cream isn’t turning into whipped cream. What should I do?

The cream may not be cold enough. I usually put the cream in the freezer for a few minutes before attempting to whip it. I also put the mixer blades in the freezer as well. Try using a glass bowl while whipping also, to keep everything cool.

Q: Why does my scone taste metallic?

That’s the baking powder, most likely. The scones need a good amount of sugar to balance out the metallic flavor of the baking powder. So don’t skimp out on the sugar! The lemon in the curd will also interact with the scone, so don’t add in too much lemon there either.

Q: The lemon curd is too tangy. Can I fix this?

Yes you can! All you need to do is balance the lemon back out. You can add a teaspoon of honey or powdered sugar if you think it’s too tangy. But test it on the scone first before you do that. The sugar in the scone should balance out the tang. If you still want a more subtle curd, however, try the honey or powdered sugar method.

Q: Can I use zest or lemon in the scone?

You can try, however, when I tried, it made everything way too acidic. The plain scone is best to balance out the tang of the lemon. But if you find a good addition to the scones, let us know in the comments below!

Q: Can I freeze the scones?

Absolutely! You can freeze them in an airtight container for up to two months. You can also double the recipe to create a larger batch to freeze.

What is your favorite scone and topping? Let us know in the comments below!