Name: Super Easy Lemonade Scones
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 4 ½ c / 745g self raising flour; ½ tsp sea salt flakes; 1 ½ c / 360ml lemonade; 1 c /240ml thickened cream; 2 tbsp runny honey; Full cream milk (to brush scones with)

These super-easy lemonade scones are one of those recipes that you just keep coming back to. We’re talking five ingredients and whipped up so you can eat warm scones straight off the skillet in under 45 minutes, obviously, slathered in jam and cream. Winner!

A skillet of scones with fresh strawberries, jam and cream.

Scones are always a good idea! I’ve been cooking them since I was a kid. I’m not fussy… I’ll try them all. Buttermilk scones, choc chip, lemon, or even soda bread scones are always a good idea. But of all the scone recipes out there, these lemonade scones are definitely up there with being the tastiest lemonade scones around.

Most Australian towns and cities host their own show every year. Whether it’s our little village in the Central West or the Sydney Royal Easter Show, you’ll never visit one without seeing trestle tables lined with the fluffiest scones with jam and cream. It’s an iconic part of rural Australia – you’re crazy if you try to skip past one, just surrender to it and enjoy a scone or two! The Country Women’s Association (or CWA) has long been behind the best scones in the biz. They’re light, fluffy, and the daintiest scones you’ll ever taste. This lemonade scone recipe is my little homage to these with my own twist!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You only need a handful of ingredients to whip up a batch. Five in fact! Self-raising flour, lemonade, honey, salt, and thickened cream.

We’re talking a super quick recipe. 10 minutes of hands-on time and another 20 minutes in the oven. An after-school treat doesn’t get any better than that.

Fail-safe & forgiving — I’ve tested four different lemonades… Sprite, Kirks, Schwepps, 7-Up, and all worked perfectly!

They’re light, fluffy, and tall – no dense, rock cake scones here!

Ingredients

Self-raising flour. You can diy self-raising flour if you don’t have any by combining 2 tsp of baking powder for every cup of plain, all-purpose flour.
Lemonade. I’m talking about the store-bought, regular, fizzy lemonade like Sprite (and not homemade lemonade). While you can use a diet version, I found it’s a slightly different result. Stick to the full sugar version!
Thickened cream (or heavy cream if you’re not in Australia). Cream replaces cold butter in a regular scone recipe like these buttermilk scones.
Runny honey – because I like a sweeter scone, I add a little honey.
Sea salt flakes. Murray River or Maldon are my go-tos
Full cream milk for brushing the tops of the scones

Variations

Where does one start! A simple scone recipe like this one can be made into so many variations with an addition or two. Some grated gruyère cheese and bacon would make the most delicious bacon and cheese scones. As would a handful of dark chocolate chips to the scone dough for chocolate chip scones. Lavender, raisins, lemon zest & poppyseeds, dried fruit (I’m looking at you, blueberries!), or even infusing Earl Grey tea into the cream before adding it to the dry ingredients are all simple ingredients that can easily be added.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preheat the oven and butter the skillet.
Make the dough.
Shape your scone dough and cut your scones.
Pop your scones into a skillet and bake until golden brown.
Cool and transfer to a baking rack.

Equipment

I cook this lemonade scone recipe in my 26cm enamel cast iron skillet. I just love the way cast iron cooks quick breads. It gives the best rise and a gorgeous golden crust. You’ll need to cook in two batches as each batch makes (and fits in a skillet) 8 homemade scones. Before baking, butter your skillet to prevent your scones from sticking to the base. If you don’t have a skillet, a greased, flat oven tray will still do the job.

A pastry cutter approximately 5-6cm wide for cutting the scones is my go-to size for these scones. These are what I’d call “single serve” scones. If you’re after something a little smaller, suitable for a baby shower or tea party, a 4cm scone cutter may be more suitable. If you don’t have a scone cutter, I used a thin-rimmed, straight-sided glass for ages. I once catered for a party and cut out all of my scones with a shot glass! Whatever works, huh!

You’ll also need a large bowl, a pastry brush, and measuring tools.

Let’s serve them up!

The classic strawberry jam + softly whipped cream + a pot of tea never gets old. It’s a staple for good reason.

Homemade lemon and passionfruit curd with a dollop of mascarpone or double cream is another no-fail option.

Sophie Hansen’s Quince Butter from her book “A Basket by the Door” is dreamy with scones and makes a nice swap from traditional jam and cream

FAQ’s

Nope! The lemonade just adds sweetness, a light, fluffy interior, and lots of height.

Make sure your scone dough is at least an inch thick, and when you bake them, keep the scones tight up against each other on the tray.

I don’t recommend making the dough, cutting, and popping it into the fridge as a time saver with scones. While you can (I’ve experimented with cutting and placing them covered, in the fridge overnight), the dough only rises about three-quarters of the height of scones that have been mixed and baked at the same time. They are also much denser in texture, so you’ll end up with quite a heavy scone. I got the same result from freezing the uncooked cut-out scones and baking from frozen in the oven

Storage

Scones are always best eaten warm on the day that they are cooked. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container for up to two days. Refresh any day-old scones by popping them in the microwave for 10 seconds.

If you’re in a pinch, you can freeze baked scones to eat later. When you’re ready to eat, remove them from the freezer and let them come to room temperature before reheating them in the oven for a few minutes.

Here are a few more Aussie recipes you might like…

A skillet full of golden, just out of the oven lemonade scones.

Well, that’s it, these are the easiest scones you’ll ever make and are so delicious any day of the year. It’s really just the question of is it jam then cream or is it cream then jam?!.

Happy Baking!

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Super Easy Lemonade Scones

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Author: Emma Lee
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 16 scones
Category: Sweets
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Australian

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Description

Fluffy, tall lemonade scones baked in a cast-iron skillet! These super-easy, five-ingredient scones come together in minutes and are ready to eat warm, straight from the pan, in half an hour. Slather them with jam and cream for the ultimate afternoon treat.

Ingredients

Scale

4 ½ c / 745g self raising flour
½ tsp sea salt flakes
1 ½ c / 360ml lemonade
1 c /240ml thickened cream
2 tbsp runny honey
Full cream milk (to brush scones with)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 392°F. Butter the inside of your skillet and set it aside.
Pop the flour into a large bowl, add the salt, and give it a quick whisk to aerate the flour.
In a jug, combine the lemonade, thickened cream, and runny honey — just stir gently to combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold everything together until just combined. The dough should be slightly sticky, and a bit shaggy, so resist the urge to overwork it.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it into a thick disk about 2.5 – 3 cm (1 inch) thick. Cut rounds with a floured 5-6 cm cutter
Arrange the scones close together on your skillet and brush the top of each scone with a little milk. Bake for 20 minutes until they’re risen and lightly golden. Cool on a rack for five minutes, then serve warm with jam and cream… or just eat one straight up while no one’s watching.

Notes

To get light, high, and fluffy scones, don’t twist the scone cutter when you’re cutting the scones. Twisting crushes the buttery dough layers and stops them from evenly rising.

Make sure that you place scones close together in the skillet so they climb, not spread. Plus, they have that fluffy center thing going when they’re pulled apart.

This recipe was cooked in my Le Creuset 26cm cast iron skillet.

Scones are best eaten on the day they are baked. However, if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To freshen them up the next day, pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Ps. Please note all recipes on this website are in US measurements. Eg, 1 cup / 240ml, 1 tablespoon/15mls. Oven temperatures refer to a fan-forced oven.