Buttery Lemon Cream Scones with notes of zesty lemon and warm vanilla, baked to golden perfection and finished with a lovely cream icing.
When life gives you lemons, bake lemon scones! 🍋 There's something very special about a dainty scone with a cup of tea in the afternoon. Maybe it's the elegance of it that we don't often see in our busy world. The slow, relaxing pace of sitting down to have tea and scones is truly something wonderful to experience.
I have plenty of delicious homemade scone recipes to help you experience the joy of afternoon tea and scones. For a true high tea event, try my Currant Tea Scones served with jam and whipped cream (or clotted cream if you are able to find it!).
For a fun and different homemade scone, my Mocha Scones or Birthday Cake Scones! Or if you want cute miniature scones, Mini Chocolate Chip Scones or Coconut Cream Mini Scones are what you need.
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Flavor - These scones are flavored with fresh squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest alongside a bit of vanilla.
- Texture - Soft, tender, and buttery, these scones have a great texture thanks to the heavy cream in the dough.
- Method - Homemade scones are so easy to make in under an hour!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make these glazed lemon scones.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter - I use salted butter but you will need to add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the recipe if using unsalted butter.
- Cream - Heavy whipping cream helps to create a tender and rich texture and flavor in scones.
- Lemon - Lots of lemon zest and fresh lemon juice flavor these scones naturally.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add the cubes of cold butter.
Step 2: Work the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the pieces of butter are the size of peas.
Step 3: Whisk together the cream, egg, and lemon zest until combined. Add the lemon juice and whisk until it is incorporated.
Step 4: Add the wet ingredient to the butter/flour mixture and mix until a loose dough begins to form. Turn onto the countertop and gently knead and form into a dough.
Step 5: Separate the dough into 3 equal pieces and form each piece into a round around 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.
Step 6: Cut each round into quarters and arrange on a prepared baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven for 12-17 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool slightly while you make the icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and enough whipping cream to form a consistency that can be drizzled. Drizzle on the slightly cooled scones.
💡 Top Tip
If you like lots of tart lemon flavor, try making the icing with fresh lemon juice instead of heavy whipping cream. You will only need 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice because it is much thinner than cream.
❓ Recipe FAQs
All-purpose flour is best for making this scone recipe.
Scones are best eaten fresh but any leftovers may be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
I like to use heavy cream in all of my scone recipes for a very rich and soft textured scone. Buttermilk is good also if you want a slightly tangy flavor.
You can but I would always recommend fresh squeezed lemon juice especially since you will already have a fresh lemon for the lemon zest.
🍋 More Lemon Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried these Lemon Cream Scones or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Cream Scones
Equipment
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- mixing bowl
- measuring cups & spoons
- pastry cutter
Ingredients
For the Scones:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ cup cold salted butter, cubed *
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 whole egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
To make the Scones:
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter until the pieces of butter are the size of peas.
- Whisk together the whipping cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, egg, and vanilla in a small bowl and add to the flour/butter mixture. Stir together until the dough just starts to come together. Turn the contents of the bowl onto a clean counter and knead the mixture just until the dough comes together. Do not over-mix!
- Shape the dough into 3 rounds each about 1 inch thick. Cut each round into 4 wedges using a pizza cutter or large knife and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Before baking, brush the top of each scone with whipping cream using a basting brush followed by a sprinkling of cane sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes or until a golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before finishing with the icing.
To make the Icing:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and 3-4 tablespoons of whipping cream or enough to make a pourable icing. Drizzle icing over the slightly cooled scones using a spoon, a ziplock bag with the corner snipped, or a piping bag. Enjoy!
Notes
- Add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the recipe if using unsalted butter
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