This Moist Raspberry Cream Scones Recipe yields moist cream scones studded with tart raspberries and glazed in raspberry icing. Scones are my favorite easy recipe for breakfast and brunch. You'll love the raspberry flavor and moist crumb. This is also a great recipe to use up heavy cream and raspberries! I used frozen raspberries, but you can also use fresh.
Good scones are moist scones, which is why I am a fan of scones made with plenty of cream! It brings moisture and richness to these little breakfast pastries that get a bad reputation of being dry and crumbly. The base recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit, and uses simple ingredients. When I originally published this recipe it included baking soda. However, I have since decided to remove it after learning it contributes to blue/green discoloration in the dough! So now it just calls for baking powder, but be sure to use baking powder without aluminum because aluminum can also cause discoloration. Another must is using cold ingredients to prevent the butter from leaking out when baking.
I love this scone recipe because it is ultra customizable and relatively quick. You can swap for other fruits and extracts easily. I swapped for cherries in these cherry almond scones, which also have a cream glaze. If you don't have any eggs on hand, my banana chocolate chip version are great because the banana takes the place of the egg!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- You don't need any special equipment to make scones! This is a no mixer recipe, perfect for when you're baking in a kitchen without a stand mixer and other fancy gadgets.
- These raspberry scones are full of natural raspberry flavor! The real juicy raspberries in the scones and the glaze provide that perfect tart, sweet flavor.
- This recipe gives you MOIST scones. No dry or crumbly scones here.
- Scones are a perfect not-too-sweet dessert recipe. The scone dough barely has any sugar, and you can leave off or lessen the glaze for even less sweetness.
Ingredients
- Raspberries flavor the scone dough and glaze. I use frozen raspberries to keep the dough cold longer and prevent them from breaking apart too much. If you only have fresh raspberries on hand, consider freezing them before using.
- Heavy whipping cream brings moisture and richness to the dough.
- Egg helps bind the scones.
- All-purpose flour is the base of the dough and provides a tender crumb.
- Baking powder gives rise to the scones. Be sure to use aluminum-free baking powder so you don't discolor the berries.
- Unsalted butter brings richness to the dough and glaze. It needs to be COLD butter. I like to place mine in the freezer for a bit before using it in this recipe. Do not use room temperature butter.
- A touch of granulated sugar sweetens the scone dough, but they aren't overly sweet.
- Vanilla extract and almond extract flavor the scones.
- Kosher salt provides a relief, making these scones not too sweet.
- Lemon juice adds brightness and keeps the raspberries red by providing an acidic environment.
- Optional citric acid in the glaze deepens the color and adds brightness in flavor.
- Optional raw sugar, also known as demerara sugar, or coarse sugar, can be sprinkled on top of the scones before baking to add a nice crunch. I definitely recommend this if you are skipping the glaze.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
Here's how to customize this moist raspberry cream scones recipe to your liking:
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- No pastry cutter — if you don't have a pastry cutter, also called a pastry blender, cut the butter in with two knives. I do not recommend using a food processor, as it can overwork the dough.
- Shape — you can make mini scones or large scones by cutting them differently, or you can even punch out circles using a round cookie or biscuit cutter.
- More lemon — add lemon zest to the scone dough and glaze.
- No almond extract — omit the almond extract or swap with more vanilla extract.
- Another sugar — replace the granulated sugar with light brown sugar or coconut sugar.
- Fresh berries — if you only have fresh raspberries, I recommend freezing them before using them in this recipe so they are less fragile when mixing.
- Glaze — if you don't have more cream for the glaze you can swap for milk or make a simple lemon glaze with just lemon juice and powdered sugar.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to Make This Moist Raspberry Cream Scones Recipe Step-By-Step
Step 1: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Combine granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and flour in a large bowl. Whisk the flour mixture thoroughly to combine.
Step 2: Add butter pieces and cut in with two knives or a pastry cutter until most butter pieces are pea sized. Add frozen raspberries and toss to coat. Make a well in the center.
Step 3: In a jug or separate small bowl, whisk together the egg, heavy cream, vanilla extract, almond extract and lemon juice. Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl, and mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until the cream mixture is combined.
Step 4: Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick blob. Cut in half with a bench scraper or sharp knife and stack the pieces. Repeat, if desired, to create flaky layers, but don't overdo it or the berries will get too broken up. Finally, pat into a 1-inch thick disc. Use the bench scraper or sharp knife to cut into 8 segments. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze at least one hour. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Before baking, use a pastry brush to brush on heavy cream and sprinkle with raw sugar, if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Step 5: Combine warmed cream with raspberries. Mash the berries to release the juice. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Combine powdered sugar, the warmed cream raspberry mixture, melted butter and vanilla bean paste. Whisk until combined.
Step 6: Spoon glaze over cooled tops of the scones and garnish with freeze-dried raspberry bits or sprinkles, if desired.
Hot tips
- Store glazed scones in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze cut out dough before baking in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. These are best served fresh. If you serve them past fresh, I recommend reheating them in a toaster oven.
- I pre-cut my butter into a bit larger than pea sized to make cutting the butter in even easier and quicker.
- If you have citric acid, add a small sprinkle to the glaze to perk up the pink color. Alternatively, skip the butter and replace it with lemon juice.
- You can make smaller scones for more of them. Shape the dough into a rectangle and slice in half longways. Cut up to 7 triangles from each long skinny rectangle.
More Recipes You'll Love
Lastly, if you make this Moist Raspberry Cream Scones Recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Raspberry Cream Scones
Ingredients
Raspberry cream scones
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (55g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder aluminum free*
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt half if using table salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g) plus more for rolling
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113g, 1 stick) cold, cut into pieces
- 1 ¾ cup raspberries (200g) frozen
- 1 egg large
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoon heavy cream (264g) plus more for brushing
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- raw sugar aka coarse or demerara sugar (for sprinkling)
Raspberry vanilla glaze
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream warmed
- ¼ cup raspberries (30g) thawed from frozen or fresh
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar (88g) more or less depending on desired consistency
Instructions
Make the scones
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Combine granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and flour in a large mixing bowl. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
- Add butter pieces and cut in with two knives or a pastry cutter until most butter pieces are pea sized. Add frozen raspberries and toss to coat. Make a well in the center.
- In a jug or separate small bowl, whisk together the egg, heavy cream, vanilla extract, almond extract and lemon juice.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Dump dough onto a lightly-floured surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick blob. Cut in half with a bench scraper or sharp knife and stack the pieces. Repeat, if desired, but don't overdo it or the berries will get too broken up. Finally, pat into a 1-inch thick disc. Use the bench scraper or sharp knife to cut into 8 segments.
- Place on the parchment lined baking tray. Freeze at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Before baking, brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with raw sugar, if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Make the glaze
- Combine warmed cream with raspberries. Mash the berries to release the juice. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the pulp.
- Combine powdered sugar, the warmed cream raspberry mixture, melted butter and vanilla bean paste. Whisk until combined. Spoon glaze over cooled scones and top with freeze-dried raspberry bits or sprinkles, if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 06/22/2022. Updated 03/05/2026.
Loved the tip on aluminum-free baking powder. They turned out great.