How to Make a Quick and Easy Scottish Cranachan Dessert (2024)

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Elaine Lemm

Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.

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Updated on 06/1/24

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How to Make a Quick and Easy Scottish Cranachan Dessert (3)

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Chill Time: 60 mins

Total: 75 mins

Servings: 6 servings

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Scotland has a wonderful relationship with desserts and traditional Scottish cranachan (CRA-neh-kinn) is a classic. A cranachan is a very quick, easy recipe that includes oats, raspberries, cream, malt whisky, and honey. The ingredients are then layered, as you would with a trifle, for a pretty presentation. It's a festive sweet that is perfect for any celebration, especially Christmas and Hogmanay, and rounds off a Burns Night supper beautifully. The origin of the word cranachan in Scots Gaelic means "churn." You will sometimes hear the dessert called "crowdie," as the cheese of the same name was sometimes used instead of the whipped cream.

While pinhead oats or steel-cut oats are perhaps more traditional for this dish, rolled oats are perfectly fine to use. The key is toasting the oats until they smell nutty. If you do use pinhead oats, expect the dish to have a bit more texture. However, any variety of oats will soften as the dessert sits.

Scottish cranachan is too good to save just for special occasions and is especially tasty in summer when fresh Scottish raspberries (or any raspberries, for that matter) are in season. Serve along with some Scottish shortbread for the ultimate Scottish dessert.

What You'll Need to Make This Scottish Cranachan Recipe

A Nice Heavy Skillet

A Nifty Food Processor

A Zippy Stand Mixer

How to Make a Quick and Easy Scottish Cranachan Dessert (7)

"The oats remain a bit crunchy, which is a nice contrast against the smooth whipped cream. The sharp raspberry flavor plays well with the malty notes in the whisky. This dessert is not overly sweet, rather light and refreshing." —Melissa Gray

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

1/4 cup (55 grams) steel-cut oats, pinhead oats, or rolled oats
1 1/2 cups (250 grams) fresh raspberries, Scottish if possible, divided
2 cups (475 milliliters) heavy cream, or double cream
3tablespoonsmalt whisky, good quality, optional
1 tablespoon honey, or Scottish honey, more for serving, optional

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet on medium-high heat until hot, but not burning.
Add the1/4 cup (55 grams) streel-cut oats (pinhead oats or rolled oats) and, while stirring constantly, toast until they have a light, nutty smell and begin to change color, about 3 minutes. (Do not leave the oats unattended, as they can quickly burn.)Remove immediately from the pan.
Remove 1/4 cup of the fresh raspberries (Scottish if possible) for garnishing later, and place the remaining 1 1/4 cup raspberries in a food processor. Pulse once or twice to create a thick purée; do not over-blend it. It's okay if there are a few bigger lumps of berries.
Alternatively, you can simply crush the raspberries with a fork. This will give you a more rustic-looking dish.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the 2 cups (475 milliliters) heavy cream along with the 3 tablespoons malt whisky (optional) to form firm peaks, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, use a hand-held electric mixer. Take care not to overwhip.
Fold in 1 tablespoon honey, if using, followed by the toasted oats.
Layer the dessert into either a glass bowl (1 1/2 quart or 6 cup capacity) or individual serving glasses, starting with either a layer of the cream or raspberries and finishing with a layer of the cream. If you wish, you can sprinkle a little raw oatmeal on the top for decoration.
Cover the bowl or glasses with plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 1 hour.
To serve the cranachan, drizzle over a little extra honey, if desired, top with the reserved whole raspberries, and if you fancy, add a piece or two of Scottish shortbread.

How to Store Scottish Cranachan Recipe

This recipe doesn't store well, so plan on eating it within several hours of preparing.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

No alcohol, no problem! - You can substitute 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract for the whisky if desired.

Classic Scottish Tipsy Laird Trifle

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
311	Calories
29g	Fat
10g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	311
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g	38%
Saturated Fat 18g	92%
Cholesterol 90mg	30%
Sodium 22mg	1%
Total Carbohydrate 10g	4%
Dietary Fiber 3g	10%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 9mg	43%
Calcium 64mg	5%
Iron 1mg	3%
Potassium 146mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

Berry
dessert
scottish
christmas

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