Want thick, Old-World style clotted cream but don't have 24 hours or a shallow pan? This mock version has you covered-in about 10 minutes-with just three ingredients. Heavy cream whipped to perfection, a hint of sugar, and rich mascarpone fold together to create a spoonable, decadent topping worthy of your scones and afternoon tea.
If you love attending Afternoon Tea chances are it's because of the fresh scones and clotted cream. You can't beat a fresh scone slathered in a tart yet sweet jam and a thick layer of fresh cream. Truly one of my top 5 desserts ever. I like raspberry jam or strawberry jam.
Every time I am in England I make sure to have some thick Devonshire clotted cream with my scones. Devonshire clotted cream is just cream made with cream from Devon, so this is not Devonshire cream but it is clotted cream!
Some may be confused with Devon Cream tea and Cornish Cream Tea. The main difference is in Devon the scones are topped with cream and then jam and in Cornwall, the scones are topped with jam and then cream.
While I do enjoy making real clotted cream, it is a process, a long process. And sometimes when the craving strikes you don't have 24 hours to wait fors the cream to be made. It literally has to cook for 12 hours and chill for 12 hours. So in that instance, this faux clotted cream is perfect. Plus it's absolutely delicious and decadent.
The trick to achieving that thick texture is using mascarpone cheese, not cream cheese. You see mascarpone has a much higher fat content creating a thicker, velvety, thick cream.
If you love the flavor of mascarpone cheese then check out my Mascarpone cheesecake recipe next!
Gather These 3 Simple Ingredients
You only need three ingredients for this.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. Make sure you use the heavy whipping cream so it whips up properly. Using just whipping cream won't yield the same results.
- Confectioner's Sugar. You may be tempted to add more than the one tablespoon of powdered sugar the recipe calls for. But trust me I tested this a few ways and less sugar is better. The scone and jam are already sweet you are going for a rich cream not a sweet cream.
- Mascarpone Cheese. The star of the show! Make sure it is softened to a cool room temperature so it blends into the whipped cream easily.
Variations. You can use cream cheese instead of mascarpone but it will not taste the same and the texture will be slightly different.
For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.
This mock clotted cream is best served with my homemade scones recipe.
Test Kitchen Notes
Now we tested a few different variations and two different methods. We tried sour cream but found the texture was never right, it creates a cream that is too soft. For the different methods, the first with adding the mascarpone and sugar to the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beating it until softened for a minute or two then slowly streaming in the heavy cream and whisking until thickened.
Then we tried it by making the sweetened whipped cream and folding in the softened mascarpone cheese. Both creams were very similar, but we found that the folded mascarpone cream mixture tasted a bit more like clotted cream.
Whip, Fold & Serve-Easy Clotted Cream in a Flash
If the cheese has not been softened to room temperature it will not incorporate properly so this is crucial.
Store in an airtight container for up to three days in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, I would not suggest freezing this.
More afternoon tea recipes
- I love to serve my cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches.
- Mini English Trifles are always a hit.
- Fresh fruit tarts are a family favorite! Eton Mess too!
- Fresh lemon curd is another beautiful topping to scones!
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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PrintRecipe Card
Mock Clotted Cream
Mock clotted cream is a condiment that British people put on scones. It resembles whipped cream, but is thicker and is served cold. Find out how to make your own mock clotted cream.
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 4oz (½ Cup) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Confectioner's Sugar
- 8oz Mascarpone Cheese, softened to cool room temperature
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or large bowl with a handheld electric whisk beat the heavy cream and confectioner sugar until medium to stiff peaks form.
- Once the cream is properly whipped fold in the softened mascarpone cheese. If the cheese has not been softened to room temperature it will not incorporate properly so this is crucial. Be careful when you are folding you don't want to mix with too much power as that will deflate the cream. Just gently fold it in until combined.
- Store in an airtight container for up to three days in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: British
Recipe Source: Downtown Abbey Cooks
Lily says
I moved here ten years ago and have missed a Sunday afternoon tea soooo much!! I’ve Meade this four times already, so easy and delicious and reminds me of home!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Aww, Lily that makes me so happy! So pleased you enjoyed it. Have a lovely weekend! XX Liz
Suzette says
How to up your game! For years I have used whipped cream with a little sour cream for my scones but was never really happy with it. Growing up I had many holidays in Devon and Cornwall and the family treat was a cream tea with all that luscious clotted cream. Now lIving in California I was always disappointed, not anymore. What a game changer adding the marscapone really does make the cream richer and thicker. So glad I found you and look forward to making your scones and all the other delicious recipes. Thank you.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much Suzette for the lovely review!! Your childhood family trips sound fantastic!! Take care. XX Liz
Kathi Nacca says
I’m preparing for a tea for 80 people, and I plan to use this recipe. Can you tell me approximately how many servings the recipe makes so that I will know how much cheese and cream to purchase? Also, I noticed that when the ingredients are doubled or tripled, there’s still only 1 T of sugar. At what point would you increase that? Thank you so much!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Kathi, the sugar should increase I am not sure why it is not I have reached out to my support team to fix that, thanks for letting me know! The recipe makes about 1.5-2 cups and I would probably allow 2 tablespoons per person. So 2X80 = 160 Tablespoons and there is 16 tablespoons to a cup so I would be making 6-7 of this recipe. Hope that helps! Please let me know how you get on! XX Liz
Pat says
Simply the best! A lovely texture, color, and the very best taste.
Super easy to make.
Kayla says
I had something very similar to this recently on a cruise. I’ve made traditional clotted cream in the past but can’t wait to try this quicker similar version. Thank you
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Kayla, yes I think you will love it!! Please let me know when you try it how you like it! XX Liz
Candy says
I’m making English scones for a afternoon tea and wanted to do a clotted cream to go with them.
I’m wondering if the softened mascarpone is hard to incorporate into the whipped cream? Would it be ok if I whipped it separately and then folded? I’ve used mascarpone before when making chantilly cakes and the consistency seems like it would be hard to fully incorporate without it being a whipped consistency first.♀️
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Candy, I actually tried it that way too but found that we got a better consistency when just folding in the mascarpone. We have made it this way for years- I used to work at a British Restaurant and we did it like this for our scones with cream! I hope you try it! XX Liz
Alma Sorokes says
Omgosh! I just whipped up a King Arthur scone mix and was wishing I had clotted cream, which I have never made !
So , I look up recipes and it takes days to make !
Then I saw your recipe !
Ten minutes later I’m eating clotted cream with my fresh scones ! I didn’t have mascarpone cheese on hand , so had to sub in cream cheese , but I can’t imagine it tasting any better than this heavenly cream ! But , I’ll definitely try it with mascarpone cheese and maybe even make your scone recipe !
Thanks so much ! You made my afternoon tea so much more enjoyable! ❤️
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for this lovely review, Alma!! So pleased you enjoyed the cream, and yes you gotta try the scones next!! Take care. XX Liz
marissa says
about how many scones/servings would this work for?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Marissa, sorry for the delay you ended up in my junk folder 🙁 I would say this serves anywhere from 8-12 depending on how much cream each person wants! Please let me know if you try the recipe! Take care. XX Liz
Carla Newton says
Oh my goodness this recipe is perfect! It tastes like clotted cream and I love it. Thanks so much.
LINDA says
Second only to having clotted cream in Cornwall, this recipe is my go-to for scones!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thanks for the lovely comment Linda, so glad you enjoy the recipe!! Take care XX Liz
Cindy Crank says
How many people Will the initial one X recipe feed?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Cindy, I would say this serves anywhere from 8-12 depending on how much cream each person wants! Hope that helps! Please let me know if you try it and what you think! XX Liz
Jenny says
I've made this as-written in the past and love this recipe! Wondering now - Would it disrupt the texture if I added some maple syrup or cinnamon to serve alongside a pumpkin scone?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Jenny, I would say the maple syrup would disrupt it but maybe maple extract would work alongside the cinnamon. Please report back! XX Liz
Prince Harming says
Outstanding! I have a scone recipe I've been serving to guests for years, and had been using the jarred stuff from the Devon Cream Co., but wasn't happy with it. (Nearly Nine Bucks for 6 oz). My guests tell me this is far better than my usual cream. This is going in the master file.
Elizabeth Waterson says
This is great to hear!! So happy you all enjoyed it. Thank you for the 5-star review- it really helps CBQ, so thank you!! XX Liz
Gail says
THANK YOU! I have missed real clotted cream but no more! This is an easy, wonderful recipe ! (Skip the cream cheese recipes.)
I did put the ricotta through a blender to make it smooth.
Elizabeth Waterson says
So happy you enjoyed the recipe Gail!! Thanks for the 5-star review, I really appreciate it!! XX Liz
Ann Rodgers says
This stuff is amazing! I had to substitute cream cheese for the mascarpone, but following another recipe I thinned it somewhat with more of the heavy cream. The end result was light and fluffy, and I'm sorely tempted to just sit there with a spoon and eat the whole bowl!
Prince Harming says
This is It! I'd have never considered anything like this, as I've been making scones for clients for nearly 40 years and either make it myself or do the 'jar'.. (we all know which one) I know what clotted cream should taste like. But when that small jar jumped to something just under the national debt.. I started looking for alternatives. And this is perfection - thanks!
TN says
Perfect! I ate all of it along with an entire jar of mixed berry jam with my scones everyday with my breakfast for a week. Addicting!