Light and fluffy, packed with fresh raspberries and zesty lemon, these lemon raspberry scones are a twist on a true classic and make the ultimate tea-time treat. Piled high with jam, lemon curd, raspberry jam and clotted cream, they are super easy to make and can be on the table in under 30 minutes. Trust me, you’ll want to make this foolproof recipe for homemade English scones over and over again.
Lou’s recipe overview
SKILL: Beginner
TASTE: Summer – fresh, zingy, fruity
PROS: No need to rest the dough
CONS: None!
Is there a favourite combo that tastes more summery than lemon and raspberry? Nope, I didn’t think so!
Close your eyes and just imagine the zing of a zesty lemon curd, like my gin lemon curd, and the tartness of a fresh, bright raspberry jam. Yes! I’m right aren’t I? It’s the taste of summer.
Now add in the cool, richness of cream and pile everything all up on a big, fluffy scone.
How much do you want that right now? How much would you give to take a big bite and just savour all those flavours together?
Well, I’ve a little surprise for you… you certainly can and you can be digging in, in 30 minutes. So read on for the easy step-by-step recipe and you’ll be in summer heaven in no time at all!
If you want to skip the essential recipe information and handy tips for making these easy lemon raspberry scones, then head to the recipe card.
Why you’ll love these scones
No don’t get me wrong, I absolutely and utterly adore a big fluffy scone full of sweet sultanas for a true classic afternoon tea. But these lemon raspberry scones step it up a notch and they certainly aren’t going to disappoint.
But if you need a little extra convincing then…
- One of the easiest and tastiest bakes you’ll ever make
- Wonderful as an afternoon treat piled with lashing of cream and jam
- Whipped up in 30 minutes, using the simplest of ingredients and equipment
- Great bake to introduce little bakers to the kitchen and get them stuff in
- Switch out the fillings for whatever you fancy, for different times of year
SERVING SUGGESTION: No English scone is complete without a dollop of fresh clotted cream, and these scones go well with a smothering of lemon curd and raspberry jam as well.
What you’ll need to make this recipe
View my Amazon shopping list with equipment and ingredients
The Ingredients
When it comes to scones, the ingredients really are the simplest ever! You can even skip out the fruit in these and have them plain instead, or add in some white chocolate chips, just like in my raspberry white chocolate scones.
So keeping it simple, here’s what you need for the scone dough:
- Fresh raspberries – They will make the dough a little sticky, but fresh raspberries will give you the best flavour and those lovely bright ripples through your dough. You can switch for fresh dried raspberries if you prefer.
- Lemon Zest – you want to use unwaxed lemons for the lemon zest to release the lemon oil and get the best flavour.
- Plain Flour or All-Purpose Flour – We’ll add in baking powder to give the scones a lift or you can switch the flour for self-raising flour if available.
- Unsalted Butter – It’s super, super important that the butter is kept chilled and is fridge cold when you add it to the scone dough.
- Caster Sugar or Superfine Sugar
- Milk
The Equipment
Equipment-wise, it’s really simple as well. I prefer to use my hands for making the scone dough, but you can use a dough blender or food processor instead.
To shape the scones, you can use a rolling pin and pastry cutter to get even thickness and sizes; or once again your hands are pretty much the perfect tool.
And finally you’ll need a baking sheet to bake the scones on, and I recommend lining the sheet with a silicone baking mat as well.
Recommended equipment
How to make this recipe
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card
Forget everything you’ve ever heard about how the trials and tribulations of baking the perfect scone. Because I’m going to share my tried and tested, over and over again, scone recipe and there’s nothing scary here.
So go ahead and forget all those scone thoughts. And when you’re ready… let’s go!
Making the scone dough
- Add fridge cold butter, sugar and flour into a large mixing bowl and gently rub everything together between your finger tips. Keep going until you end up with a fine sandy texture and no large lumps of butter.
- Zest a lemon and add this to the mixture, along with the fresh raspberries.
- Make a well in the centre of the dough mixture and add a tablespoon of milk.
- Using a table/butter knife gently start to bring the mixture together to form a dough.
- Add a few more tablespoons of milk until the dough comes together; but don’t add too much milk otherwise the dough will become too sticky. You may need to use your hands to finish off the dough.
Shaping and baking the scones
- Gently flour your work surface and shape the dough into a large round, about 1-inch thickness.
- Cut out scones using a 2.5-inch round pastry cutter and place the scones onto a lined baking tray. Flip the scones as you do so, so the bottom is now the top.
- Brush the top of each scone with a little milk.
- Bake the scones in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes, then allow them to cool slightly before serving.
- Serve the scones with plenty of jam, curd and clotted cream while they are still a little warm.
TOP TIP: If you can’t find clotted cream, then a great alternative is to whip up 100ml of double/heavy cream, add a drop of vanilla extract and a pinch of caster sugar.
Frequently asked questions
It really depends on how big you want to make them. I tend to use a 2.5 – 3-inch diameter pastry cutter but you can go smaller for a more dainty afternoon tea, or forget about the cutter and shape the dough into large discs and bake. Just remember to adjust the baking time depending on the size you choose.
For this recipe, I’m using a 2.5-inch pastry cutter which makes about 16 regular-sized scones.
They are best eaten within 1 day of baking as they will be at their lightest and fluffiest then. The scones will keep for up to 3 days in an air-tight container.
Yes! Scone freeze really well so you can bake a batch and pop them in the freezer. Once they have cooled down, add them into a sealable/ zip loc freezer bag and they can be kept for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, make sure to defrost the scones fully, then give them a quick blast in the oven for 10 minutes to warm them up.
Recipe notes and top tips
The recipe really is deliciously easy to make, but make sure you follow these top tips and you’ll get the most perfect, fluffy scones each and every time.
- Cold butter is absolutely key – To make it easier to rub in, I cube my butter then chill it, so I don’t have to handle the butter too much before adding into the mix. Cold butter makes rubbing in so much easier and stops the dough becoming a sticky, gluten mush.
- Rub in using your hands – I love this method and I always use my hands for scone dough as I can make sure everything is perfectly combined. But if you prefer you can blitz the flour and butter together in a food processor or use a pastry or dough blender instead.
- Be careful not to over knead the dough – It’s tempting to give your dough a really good knead, but doing so can make the dough tough, and your scones dense and heavy. You’re looking for the the dough to still be a little bit sticky when you roll it out.
- Flip your cutout scones on the baking sheet – After you’ve cut out your scones, flip them over so the base is now the top. This helps them rise nice and even, and gets rid of any squishing that might have happened when they were cut out.
More afternoon tea recipes to try
If you liked these lemon raspberry scones here are some other recipes that I think you’d enjoy…
Lemon Raspberry Scones
Ingredients
- 350 g Plain Flour or All-Purpose Flour
- 50 g Caster sugar or Superfine Sugar
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 85 g Butter Fridge Cold
- 1 Lemon Zested
- 100 g Raspberries
- 150 ml Whole Milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F and line two baking sheets with baking parchment or use a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, add the plain flour, caster sugar and baking powder. Mix together with a rubber spatula until evenly combined.350 g Plain Flour, 50 g Caster sugar, 2 tsp Baking Powder
- Cube the cold butter and add into the mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively you can use a dough blender or a food processor.85 g Butter
- Using a microplane zester, gently zest the lemon being careful to only take the yellow zest. Add the zest and raspberries into the dough mixture, then gently stir together. Be careful not to crush the raspberries.1 Lemon, 100 g Raspberries
- Add the milk a tablespoon at a time, and gently mix together using a butter knife. If the dough is too dry, add a little more milk to held the dough bind together. You might not need all the milk. The dough should be a little sticky.150 ml Whole Milk
- Lightly flour your work surface, and turn out the dough. Using your hand, gently flatten the dough until about 1-inch thick. You may need to dust your hands with flour, if you dough is too sticky.
- Flour a 2.5-inch round pastry cutter and cut out the individual scones. Use a floured spatula to transfer the scones to the baking sheet. Turn the scones upside down on the baking sheet, then brush the tops of the scones with milk.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Leave to cool on a wirerack before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
DISCLAIMER
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
This recipe was so easy to follow and the result was a tender and delicious scone with perfect lemon flavor. I served them with a little homemade lemon curd and they were so refreshing!