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Cranachan
Cranachan is a traditional Scottish dessert. The word means “churn” in Scottish Gaelic. It is made of five basic ingredients – oats, raspberries, whisky, cream, honey – layered in small glasses. Cranachan originally was a breakfast dish made with a soft, fresh cheese called crowdie – slightly firmer than cottage cheese and with a sour tang – which is now swapped for easier to find whipped cream or double cream in modern recipes. This is why this dish is also known as cream crowdie in some parts of Scotland.
Cranachan is easy to make, highly adaptable, and delicious. The light, boozy cream contrasts perfectly with the tangy raspberries. Although available year-round, raspberries taste best in the summer when they are in season.
Recipe below.
Cranachan is easy to make, highly adaptable, and delicious. The light, boozy cream contrasts perfectly with the tangy raspberries. Although available year-round, raspberries taste best in the summer when they are in season.
Recipe below.
More Details
For a more detailed description and explanation cranachan and how to make this recipe, please see my blog post from 15 November, 2021.
Cranachan
Preparation time 20 minutes
Bake time 5-7 minutes
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- 50 grams (½ cup) oats*
- 15 grams (1 tablespoon) sugar
- 250 grams (8.8 ounces) fresh raspberries
- 360 milliliters (1½ cup) cold, full-fat heavy cream
- 40 grams (2 tablespoons) honey
- 45 grams (3 tablespoons) whisky [If serving children, replace with 1-1½ teaspoon(s) vanilla extract]
* Although any kind of oats can be used, steel-cut or pinhead oats are traditional and provide more texture and crunch to the dessert. I used rolled oats as they were the only gluten-free oats I could find.
Method
- Preheat oven to 175C (350 F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Measure all of the ingredients.
- Place the oats on an even layer on the prepared baking sheet and then in the oven. Toast for 5-7minutes or until the oats smells fragrant and nutty and have changed slightly in color. Keep checking them continuously so they don’t burn. Cool the oats completely before using.
- Reserve one-third of the whole raspberries for garnish when assembling. Place the remaining raspberries in a bowl, adding a spoon of sugar if the berries are too tart or out of season. Crush the berries with a fork until smooth and even in consistency and set aside. You can use a food processer to puree the berries, if you wish.
- In a large, clean bowl, whip the cream, whisky and honey until stiff peaks. It is important for the cream to be firm to prevent it from becoming too runny when the dessert is assembled.
- Fold three-quarters of the cooled oats into the cream, saving the remainder of the toasted oats for garnish when assembling.
- To assemble the dessert, spoon a layer of cream, then a layer of crushed raspberries, and another layer of cream into 4 small glasses. Sprinkle the top with some leftover toasted oats and add some fresh raspberries for decoration. Another way to serve cranachan is to place the bowls of the various components on a table along with dessert dishes, allowing your dinner guests to assemble the dessert to their own taste.
- Serve immediately. You can also cover the cranachan and put it in the refrigerator for later, but the dessert does not keep more than several hours. The oats will soften and the cream will become more boozy over time.
Published: 12 November 2021
