Vanilla Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

A family friend reached out to me a few weeks ago and asked if I would be willing and able to make a cake for her parent’s surprise anniversary party. I love sharing my love of cake with others so I was excited to help. She wanted a simple vanilla cake, which is my favorite as well, and then I had free range to decorate it however I wanted. She was decorating with eucalyptus and gold and white pumpkins so I used that as my inspiration to create this beautiful cake.

Since I had just made a vanilla cake a few weeks prior (for my own birthday) that turned out great, I used the same recipe, replacing the 1/3 cup lemon juice + 2/3 cup milk with 1 cup of (homemade) buttermilk. I made the full batch of Swiss meringue buttercream and it was the perfect amount to frost this cake without worrying about running out of frosting. I had a little frosting leftover (maybe around a cup).

Vanilla Butter Cake
Adapted from Liv for Cake
Ingredients

Vanilla Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 Tbsp baking powder

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 4 large eggs room temperature

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature

Elderflower Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

• 6 large egg whites

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 3 cups unsalted butter room temperature

Directions
For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 8" cake rounds and line with parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (approximately 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla. Alternate adding flour mixture with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of buttermilk). Fully incorporating after each addition. Spread batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

Bake for approximately 28-30 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined. Place bowl over a pot with 1-2" of simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or reads 160F on a candy thermometer (approx. 3mins) Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 10mins).

Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.

Basic Pumpkin Muffins

I had a friend over a few weeks back to hang out and do some fall baking. We decided to bake something pumpkin-y. It was a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon at the beginning of fall so what could be better. I found a pumpkin bread recipe from Smitten Kitchen where she uses an entire can of pumpkin which is what I like, instead of a recipe that leaves you with 1/4 or 1/2 cup of pumpkin that you don’t know what to do with.

These muffins were super easy, as most muffins are, and baked up beautifully. I really loved the cinnamon sugar mixture sprinkled on top. Just a little something extra that makes them even more special. This is a super recipe that I would make over again and again, perfect when you need something pumpkin-y quickly, and don’t have time to browse through recipes, not that you would need to because these are perfectly simple and delicious.

————————————————————————

Pumpkin Bread or Muffins
From Smitten Kitchen
Bread/Muffins

• 1 15-ounce can (1 3/4 cups) pumpkin puree

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable or another neutral cooking oil or melted butter (115 grams)

• 3 large eggs

• 1 2/3 (330 grams) cups granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Heaped 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

• Heaped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• Two pinches of ground cloves

• 2 1/4 cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour

To Finish

• 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup loaf pan or coat it with nonstick spray (alternatively you may make muffins see below).

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar until smooth. Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnanmon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves over batter and whisk until well-combined. Add flour and stir with a spoon, just until mixed. Scrape into prepared pan and smooth the top. In a small dish, or empty measuring cup, stir sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over top of batter.

Bake bread for 65 to 75 minutes until a tester poked into all parts of cake (both the top and center will want to hide pockets of uncooked batter) come out batter-free, turning the cake once during the baking time for even coloring.

You can cool it in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove it, or cool it completely in there. The latter provides the advantage of letting more of the loose cinnamon sugar on top adhere before being knocked off.

Cake keeps at room temperature as long as you can hide it. I like to keep mine in the tin with a piece of foil or plastic just over the cut end and the top exposed to best keep the lid crisp as long as possible.

***You can also make this as muffins. It should make about 18 standard ones and you can distribute the cinnamon sugar (perhaps make 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon worth) across the tops before you bake them. They should bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Lemon Elderflower Cake

For my birthday earlier this month I kept with tradition and made a simple layer cake decorated with local, in-season flowers. As in years past, I went with dahlias. They are one of my favorite flowers, and they are perfectly in season on my birthday which is a win-win!

I saw this cake a while ago and thought it was so beautiful, and the flavor combination sounded amazing so I decided to go for it. It’s a lemon butter cake, layered with rich and tart lemon curd and smothered in creamy Swiss meringue buttercream.

Changes I made: I decreased the frosting amount slightly because in the original recipe she stated that you wouldn’t need all of the frosting for the cake. I cut it down by 1/3 and found that I had just enough to frost the cake, although there were a few spots that you could see the cake through the thin layer of frosting. If I made it again I would make the full amount of frosting. Also, if for some reason you didn’t want to use the lemon curd between the layers you would most certainly need the full recipe for the frosting.

I also didn’t use the lemon curd recipe that was printed with the cake. Since the buttercream recipe called for egg whites, I was left with 4 egg yolks (since I decreased the amount of frosting) so I searched for a lemon curd recipe that called for 4 egg yolks which was easy enough to find. That way I didn’t have to waste anything. It worked out great - 4 whites for the frosting, 4 yolks for the lemon curd!

Overall I thought this was a lovely cake. The cake itself was moist and fragrant. It baked up very well. The lemon curd was really nice, but I did find that it was perhaps a bit too strong for my taste. Not that it was bad in any way, but I would probably want a little more of a subtle lemon flavor in this cake if I would make again. I would keep the lemon zest in the cake, but perhaps just put frosting between the layers instead of curd. Or perhaps mix a little buttercream with lemon curd? Not sure how that would turn out, but I think it would be tasty.

Also, I was not able to find elderflower cordial so I ended up using elderflower liqueur in the frosting which in the end didn’t really shine through. I couldn’t really taste it, partly because of how tart and strong the lemon flavor from the lemon curd was. In the end still an awesome cake, and a great birthday choice, just a few alterations if making again!

——————————————————————————————

Lemon Elderflower Cake
From Liv for Cake
Ingredients

Lemon Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 Tbsp baking powder

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature

• 1 Tbsp lemon zest from one large lemon

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 4 large eggs room temperature

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 2/3 cup milk room temperature

• 1/3 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed, from one medium lemon

Elderflower Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

• 6 large egg whites

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 3 cups unsalted butter room temperature

• 2-4 Tbsp elderflower cordial to taste

Lemon Curd

• See recipe below

Directions
For the Lemon Cake:Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 8" cake rounds and line with parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and lemon zest until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (approximately 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla. Alternate adding flour mixture with milk & lemon juice, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk & lemon juice). Fully incorporating after each addition. Spread batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

Bake for approximately 35mins (mine was done at 30, so start checking before 35 minutes to make sure you don’t overbake) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely

For the Elderflower Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined. Place bowl over a pot with 1-2" of simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or reads 160F on a candy thermometer (approx. 3mins) Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).

Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth. Add 2-4 Tbsp elderflower cordial (to taste) one Tbsp at a time whip until smooth.

Assembly:
Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Poke holes into the cake using a bamboo skewer. Brush with elderflower cordial. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top of the layer and pipe a border around the outside to hold the lemon curd in. Fill with approx 3/4 cup of lemon curd. Repeat with next layer. Place final layer on top and do a thin crumb coat on the cake. Chill for 20mins.

Frost the top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting in a rustic manner. I started by spreading a generous amount of buttercream on the top and letting it overhang on the sides. Then I used a flat spatula to add buttercream to the sides of the cake and to smooth the which created a top lip with the overlapping buttercream. Top with fresh flowers if desired.

Lemon Curd
From Sally’s Baking Addiction
Ingredients

• 4 large egg yolks

• 2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar

• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

• 1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 6 Tablespoons (86g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

Directions
Fill the bottom pot of your double boiler with 1-2 inches of water. Place on high heat. Once the water begins to boil, reduce to low heat to keep the water at a simmer.

Place egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt into the top pot of your double boiler. Using a silicone whisk, whisk until completely blended, then continue to whisk as the curd cooks. Constant whisking prevents the egg yolks from curdling. Whisk and cook until the mixture becomes thick, resembling the texture of hollandaise sauce, about 10 minutes. If curd isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk.

Remove pan from heat. Cut the butter into 6 separate pieces, then stir into the curd. The butter will melt from the heat of the curd. Pour curd into a jar or bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd. (This prevents a skin from forming on top.) The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Once cool, the plastic wrap can be removed.

Refrigerate the curd for up to about 10 days.

Mixed-Bean Salad with Celery and Tarragon

Lara decided That she wanted to try a new recipe earlier last month. Typically we both cook on the fly, rarely using any recipes except perhaps as inspiration. Sometimes it can be helpful however, to actually follow someone else’s recipe to get new ideas regarding flavor combinations, how to use a certain ingredient, or how to use a whole new ingredient. This can really broaden your cooking repertoire and excite your cooking a bit!

This mixed bean salad really was amazing. It is so so fresh, and has such a great combination of flavors and textures. Great make ahead summer salad that isn’t the same old same old.

We took this salad out to Grand Haven to have a picnic on the pier before starting our “real jobs” in August, 2019. It was perfect.

——————————————————————————————

Crunchy Mixed-Bean Salad with Celery and Tarragon
From Six Seasons; A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden
Ingredients

• Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

• 1/2 pound wax beans, green beans, or a mix, trimmed

• 2 cups shell beans, preferably a mix of types I ended up using white beans and chickpeas

• 4 to 6 medium inner celery stalks with leaves attached

• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, thick stems trimmed off and reserved, leaves left whole

• 1/2 cup lightly packed tarragon leaves

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 bunch scallions, trimmed (including 1/2 inch off the green tops), thinly sliced, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes, and drained well

• 1/2 cup roughly chopped pepperoncini, plus a splash of pickling liquid I used a red jalapeno, sliced thin, and some vinegar, it worked great, and the red pepper added beautiful color

• 1 lemon

• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and roughly chopped

• 4 soft-cooked eggs

Directions
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add salt until it tastes like the sea. Add the wax beans and boil for just about 1 minute (longer if the beans are mature); you want the beans to be crisp-tender. Drain and immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking. Pat dry.

Pile the wax beans into a large bowl. Add the shell beans.

Roughly chop the leaves on the celery stalks, then cut the stalks crosswise at a sharp angle into 1/4-inch pieces and add all to the bowl of beans. Measure out half the parsley stems, trim off the dried ends of the stems, and very finely slice them crosswise, as you would chives. Add the parsley stems, leaves, and the tarragon to the bowl, along with the scallions and pepperoncini, plus a splash of the pickling liquid. Gently mix all the ingredients. Grate the lemon zest into the bowl, add the capers, season generously with black pepper, add about 1/2 cup olive oil, and toss again. Tear the eggs into pieces and distribute over the bowl.

When you’re ready to serve, give the salad a final spritz of lemon juice.

Four Ingredient Apple Cake

This cake recently popped up on my instagram feed and I was intrigued. Only 4 ingredients? And no fat? I had quite a few apples in the fridge, and although they all had good flavor, there were a few that were a little softer than I like to eat out of hand - perfect for baking with! (These were Zester apples, they really had fantastic apple flavor, like really good apple cider, they were just not as crisp as I would have hoped.)

So I grabbed my 4 ingredients and whipped together this simple cake. It was super easy, and I thought the end result was quite beautiful in a rustic way. They only small changes I made were to add a little bit of spice (cinnamon mainly, a touch of allspice and cardamom as well) and to grate the apple instead of cutting into chunks. I don’t typically like chunks of apple in my baked goods, I don’t like biting into a semi-soft apple piece, I prefer the apple to melt into the bread and impart flavor and moisture without altering the texture of the bread.

The grated apple seemed to work great. I had no issues at all, it baked up great, had great flavor and texture. Since there is no fat in this recipe it does have more of a springy texture, and ended up being just a little “sticky” on the outside, a little reminiscent of angle food cake which makes sense. The flavor is definitely sweet because there is not fat to balance it out, but not in a bad way. It is a little “eggy” as well for the same reason. I did not find the flavor to be extremely apple-y either even with 4 grated apples either.

I definitely recommend pairing the cake with some kind of fat; lightly whipped cream, plain yogurt, or vanilla ice cream. Whipped cream or yogurt are really nice because the contrast between the sweet cake and the not sweet topping is perfect. But sweet ice cream is certainly not a problem either!

Overall, a fun recipe to try for the fall, especially with extra apples hanging around. I would definitely make again for the right occasion.

——————————————————————————————

Easy Apple Cake
From Food52
Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, at room temperature, or oil for greasing the pan

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1 cup (213 grams) light brown sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 Granny Smith apples (about 198 grams or 7 ounces each) - I used 4 zester apples, 600 grams total prior to grating which equalled 475 grams of grated apple

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (134 grams) white whole-wheat flour

Directions
Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom (but not the sides) of an 8-inch springform pan.

Combine the eggs, light brown sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start on low, then raise the speed to medium-high, and beat for about 8 minutes, until the mixture is a pale tan in color and super fluffy.

While that’s going, peel the apples, then cut them into ½-inch pieces (they don’t have to be perfect cubes but they should all be a similar size). This should yield about 4 cups of apple pieces. Or grate the apples on a box grater. No need to peel.

When the egg-sugar mixture is done mixing, remove the bowl from the stand mixture and add the flour. Use a flexible spatula to gently fold in the flour until it’s almost incorporated. Add the apples and fold those in, too. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the top is browned and a cake tester comes out completely clean. I checked my cake after 1 hour and it was completely done. So watch your cake closely, and check early. Cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake, and unhinge the outside.

Serve the cake in big wedges, warm or at room temperature, with confectioners’ sugar dusted on top, and crème fraîche (or whipped cream or Greek yogurt) plopped alongside. This is best the day it’s made.

Yogurt Galette Dough

Sometimes a recipe hits at the exact right time. This galette/tart/pie dough was one of those recipes. I was having a group from church over for dinner and wasn’t sure what to make. I wanted something light and summery that I could easily make ahead so it was all ready when the guests arrived. I was debating several options when Lara showed me a video for this beautiful tart dough. I instantly knew this was what we were going to do.

We decided to highlight heirloom tomatoes and zucchini in the two different tarts. Both of them had the veggies assembled over a layer of ricotta mixed with grated parmesan. The tomato tart had a layer of pesto spread on the dough under the ricotta, while the zucchini version had a layer of nduja under the ricotta. Both were fantastic.

The dough was a real winner. It came together so easily. After chilling it rolled out beautifully without any trouble at all. It was a dream. A dough to keep close by for any tart or pie in the future.

——————————————————————————————

Cherry Tomato Galette
Kitchen Vignettes for PBS Food
Ingredients

For the Pastry:

• 1 1/4 cup unbleached white flour chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes (I used spelt and it worked beautifully)

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 8 tbsp. (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup full-fat yoghurt (if liquidy, drain it first so it is thick and creamy)

• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 cup ice water

For the Filling:

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

• About 1 pound of cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

• Freshly minced basil for garnish (4 or 5 basil leaves)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Glaze:

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 tsp. water

Directions
First, make sure your flour and butter are chilled. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt together, then cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender, a food processor, or two knifes, until the butter is evenly distributed with the largest chunks about the size of peas (these chunks of butter are what will give your crust its delightful flakiness). In a small bowl, mix together the ice cold water, cold yoghurt, and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Pour this mixture into the flour. With a wooden spoon, gently mix together, just until you can get it into a ball. It doesn't have to be perfectly mixed, you want to avoid overworking the dough. Flatten the ball into a disc and wrap in plastic or parchment paper and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

On a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll the chilled dough into a large round about 12 to 14 inches wide and between 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Place the rolled-out dough on a piece of parchment paper on a large baking sheet. (You may find it easier to handle the dough if you roll it out directly onto the floured piece of parchment paper).

In a small bowl, mix the ricotta and grated parmesan together. Crumble and spread this mixture onto your dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Place your halved tomatoes, cut-side up, tightly together to fill the circle, leaving the 2-inch border intact. Fold the border edges of the dough inwards so that the tomatoes are encased by dough around the edges but exposed in the center. Brush the edges with the egg yolk glaze. Season with salt and pepper if you wish and drizzle the olive oil on top of the tomatoes.

Bake in a 375 F oven for about 45 minutes or until crust is golden.

Remove from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes before sprinkling shredded basil on top. Slice and serve.

Italian Jam Crostata

After getting back from Italy I had a list of Italian things I had to try making at home. One of the things on the list was a crostata. We had them at pretty much every single breakfast while in Italy. A crostata is basically a jam filled tart. The dough is kind of a mix between a pie crust and a cookie crust in my opinion. Fill it with whatever jam you have around, add a few decorative touches to the top and voila! A simple and delicious breakfast treat, afternoon snack, dessert… whatever you wish!

A few weeks after coming back from Italy my cousin asked if I would make something Italiain for an “Around the World” themed bridal shower. I knew exactly what to make! A Crostata! An excuse to check one thing off the “to-bake” list. I used some of my mom’s home made strawberry jam which was delicious! Overall it turned out very very well. Definitely something I will make again!

——————————————————————————————

Italian Jam Filled Crostata
From An Italian in My Kitchen
Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (236 grams)

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 egg

• 1 egg yolk

• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons butter room temperature (125 grams)

• 3/4 -1 cup jam, for the filling (Any type of jam can be used, but I find raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, apricot, peach or a wild fruit mixture work the best.)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C), grease and flour an 8 or 9 inch- (20 - 22 cm) pie dish.

In a large bowl ,gently whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder, create a well in the middle and add slightly beaten egg and yolk and softened butter cut into pieces.

Mix together, at this point turn mixture onto a slightly floured surface and work the mixture to form a soft dough (if dough is very dry then add an extra tablespoon of soft butter).

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from fridge and knead the dough a couple of times to soften it up again on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/8" thickness.

Transfer to prepared pie plate, I used a tart pan. Trim the dish of any extra dough. Prick the dough with the tongs of a fork, then fill the pastry shell with the jam**. With the extra dough make strips to create a lattice finish. Brush top lightly with milk and bake in pre heated oven at 350° (180°) for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Let cool then slice, enjoy!

Buttery Cream Scones

I have been on the hunt for what I consider a “bakery style” scone for quite some time now. I have two awesome bakeries within walking distance that both have amazing scones and for some reason I could never quite find a recipe to compare. I have made some wonderful scones over the years, but sometimes I want a scone that makes me feel like I am actually at the bakery. Well, I think this recipe finally did it.

Simple and easy; this recipe uses both butter and cream as well as an egg. It came together easily and the dough wasn’t too crumbly. I’ve found through experimentation that I want cream in my scone. Every. Time. This is what gives it that melt in your mouth tender lightness. Half-and-half, and buttermilk are both find, but cream is the definite winner.

The second key to my quest for the perfect “bakery style” scone is to make sure to make them big enough. They have to be more then just big, they really have to be huge. Small scones are not bakery scones. The original recipe called for you to cut the dough into 8 scones. I made 6 and thought that was just about right! They are huge, and buttery, and tender, andI wouldn’t have it any other way!

Since I was experimenting with the recipe I just through in a couple handful of dried cherries since that is what I had. I also used the food processor instead of by hand as the original recipe (posted below) called for, and it worked great, super quick and easy. I froze the unbaked scones and baked off the next day. They ended up taking 35 minutes from frozen so adjust accordingly.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

BA’s Best Cream Scones
From Bon Appetit
Ingredients

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

• ½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

• 1 large egg, beaten to blend

• 1¼ cups (10 ounces) heavy cream, plus more for brushing

• Demerara or raw sugar (for sprinkling)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 3 cups flour in a large bowl to combine. Add butter and toss to coat. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, work butter into flour until only pea-size pieces remain. Make a well in the center; add egg and 1¼ cups cream and mix with a fork, incorporating dry ingredients a little at a time, until a shaggy dough forms (it’s okay if it looks a little dry; don’t overwork). Lightly knead dough in bowl until it just comes together.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 1"-thick round. Cut into 8 wedges and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush dough with cream and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake scones until golden brown, 25–30 minutes.

Variations:

• Lemon-Rosemary: Whisk 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest and 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary into flour mixture before adding butter.

• Cinnamon-Chocolate: Toss 1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon into flour mixture after working in butter.

• Double Ginger: Whisk 2 Tbsp. finely chopped candied ginger and 1 Tbsp. finely grated peeled ginger into flour mixture before adding butter.

• Mixed Berry: Toss 1 cup fresh or frozen berries, cut into pieces if large, into flour mixture after working in butter.

• Pecan-Oat: Toss ¾ cup old-fashioned oats and ¾ cup chopped toasted pecans into flour mixture before adding butter. Sprinkle ¼ cup oats along with demerara sugar over scones before baking.