Cauldron's Collation

Sunday 30 January 2011

Scottish Dessert Cranachan

Now I must admit, this dessert doesn't thrill me, tempt or tease. My anticipation, to taste all the flavours & textures, is more than a little hesitant. Not sure if its because of the fresh cream, the whiskey or the honey ..  or all but i'm just not captivated. However, interested or not I am a guest to a friends 'Burns Evening' , I am taking along a Scottish Dessert ..  so as this one, at a quick glance,  looked  very easy to cook with minimum efforts & ingredients it seemed the perfect dessert!
*Update - this dessert was totally gorgeous*

__ Cranachan __

Ingredients
Double Cream, 4 tblspn Whiskey, 3 tblspn Honey, Oatmeal, Raspberries.

Shortbread: 6oz Plain flour, 2oz Caster Sugar & 4oz Butter. (one of the recipes included rice flour but I haven't any so its the basic plain shortbread recipe I've used :)

Method
  • Wash the raspberries in a colander. Drain & leave to dry. Pour a layer of medium oatmeal onto a baking tray, spread evenly then pop under a hot grill & watch until golden brown or into a low oven & leave for about 15 mins.
  • Whip the double cream to almost fully whipped add very slowly the tablespoons of honey, one drizzle at a time. This is to ensure the equal fusion of the flavours. Once all honey is added continue to drizzle in the whiskey in the same slow process. 

  • Then in a serving dish layer half of the raspberries onto the bottom of the dish.
  • Add the remaining raspberries, except for 5,  gently to the flavoured whipped cream.
  • Spoon the mixture over the raspberries, leaving the edge of the serving dish free.
  • Add toasted oatmeal to the edges of the serving dish then sprinkle onto the flavoured cream & raspberries.
  • Place the remaining 5 raspberries into the centre of the dessert.
  • It is now Cranachan!!  






  • Served  with some delicious homemade Scottish shortbread.
Shortbread ingredients





  • Once cooked, the shortbread should be firm to the touch without being golden brown.  My first batch was a little more golden so will be converted into an everyday biscuit.
  • Remove from oven, sprinkle with granulated sugar.
  • As I made two batches of shortbread. One to serve with the Cranachan, one ended up being coated in chocolate for during the week to enjoy with our coffee. Mainly because the colour was more golden than I wanted. I had two recipes: one said heat oven to 180oC !!! Please don't it comes out too golden too quickly. I used 130oC & it cooked the shortbread perfectly.
Chocolate coated shortbread

  • Mmmmmmm melted delicious milk chocolate . 
Update & Conclusion: Everyone loved the desert & the shortbread  was used as a spoon for  the Cranachan. The shortbread was white, crumbly & a very buttery rich taste. Used as a spoon it helped to bring together all of complimentary flavours of the whiskey, raspberries, oats & honey. The varying textures were lovely too. I was really surprised to enjoy the dessert as much as I did.

As for the chocolate coated batch, we will  enjoy it  daily,  eaten with our afternoon or evening coffee :)

Hope you enjoy the flavours as much as we did.

6 comments:

  1. Here's to Scottish Cranachan and HOME-MADE shortbread. This is far better than any of the packaged stuff you see in the shops. Love your patterns on it too.
    Cheers!

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  2. Hello Jill, thank you for your kindness. You're very right - we never buy the stuff as we weren't too keen on the blandness of shortcake/bread. I was actually really surprised how much we all enjoyed the shortbread. It was absolutely delicious, so rich in flavour & texture - sooo tasty tasty! :) MMm so much so I will make it again!!! I've decided its actually a great biscuit to have in the biscuit barrel, full of flavour for coffee & to offer guests. Usually I make chocolate rock cakes, but you don't always want something so filling. Perfect. Another new discovery of the traditional & I'm soo pleased. :)
    Cheers .. with the homemade sloe gin .. he he ..

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  3. Chocolate dipped shortbread?!?!?! Sound wonderful!

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  4. Hellooo Tiffany,
    Mmmmmmm unfortunately it is. I'm going to make (on purpose this time) one batch of plain & one to dip :)
    Although I must admit it isn't wonderful for my poor expanding hips which will be proof of too many of the chocolatey delights tomorrow !! :)

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  5. This looks lovely and fresh, perfect to hide all that delectable whipped cream. Your shortbread is beautiful, unfortunately I'm not much for shortbread though, I'm liable to just lick all the chocolate frosting off.

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  6. Hellooo Joy,
    Bless you, thank-you it was, just made & just out of the oven :). We're the same, neither of us buy shortbread. Infact any boxes of the biscuits we're kindly given as presents at Christmas we give straight away, no hesitation. Oooh but much to our surprise, these tasted soooo different, they were actually delicious. They reminded me of years ago when I very first tasted shortbread at an aunts & it was such a luxurious flavour. Yet, since then any I've had have always tasted sooooooooo bland . . . but oooh no not these simple, basic homemade ones. Unbelievable. . . maybe it was because they were made with my favourite butter :)

    Teee hee, yes the chocolate is such a temptation, undulating melted galaxy & belgian ... erm as thats all I had in the house .. but mmmmm turned out sooo yummy! I've now a few ideas I'd like to try with the shortbread dough . . watch this shelf ;)

    Hope you're all cosy & warm, brrrrrr it feels as if its getting cold again tonight. Roll on Spring.

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