Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones Recipe (2024)

  • Scones
  • Baking

A recipe given to President Eisenhower by Queen Elizabeth II for drop scones, also known as Scottish pancakes.

By

Elise Bauer

Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones Recipe (1)

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Updated February 18, 2022

Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones Recipe (2)

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In honor of all things Royal, we present to you a recipe for drop scones, otherwise known as "Scotch pancakes", that Queen Elizabeth made for President Dwight Eisenhower on the occasion of his visit to Balmoral castle in 1959.

According to the National Archives, the Queen prepared drop scones for the President, using a family recipe. Later she sent the President a letter and enclosed the recipe, with annotations and a suggestion to use treacle in place of the caster sugar.

When I first started testing this recipe, I couldn't understand why the dough was more of a pancake batter, and not "scone-like" as I had imagined. Here in the states we think of drop scones like drop biscuits, instead of cutting out triangular shape scones for baking, we drop the dough from a spoon onto the baking pan.

But "drop scones" in parts of the UK, in particular Scotland, where Balmoral castle is situated, are more like American pancakes than typical scones. Drop scones are thicker than American pancakes, and a little smaller.

Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones Recipe (4)

If you read the Queen's recipe in the image above, note the use of "teacups" as measurements for flour and milk. Before Fanny Farmer we used teacups for measures as well.

To figure out how much a typical teacup holds, I tested two teacups, an English made one, and a French limoge. Oddly, when I filled each (completely different shape) tea cup with flour and weighed them, the result for each was exactly 100 grams.

By volume, the teacups were each 3/4 of an American standard cup. So "4 teacups" would be 3 American cups, and "2 teacups" would be 1 1/2 cups.

European butter has a much higher fat content than standard American butter, so if you have European butter, you may want to use it, to more closely replicate what the Queen was making.

Most recipes for drop scones I found add a little salt. I don't know if the Queen used salted butter or not. Her recipe doesn't call for it, but since I use unsalted butter, I added a little salt to the batter.

A note on the cream of tartar. We happen to have some in our pantry, but many people don't. Cream of tartar is a dry acid. It combines with the alkaline baking soda to create the leavening in the scones.

Baking powder is just the combination of baking soda and cream of tartar with some corn starch thrown in, so if you don't have cream of tartar, you can substitute both the baking soda and the cream of tartar with baking powder.

Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones

I've changed the method just a little from the Queen's original by adding the wet ingredients to the dry, instead of the dry to the wet.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups (400g) all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking soda

  • 3 teaspoons cream of tartar

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1/4 cup superfine sugar, or heaping 1/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) whole milk (and maybe a little more if needed)

  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Method

  1. Mix the dry ingredients:

    Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl.

  2. Mix the wet ingredients:

    In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Then whisk in most of the milk.

  3. Make the batter:

    Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the milk egg mixture. Whisk until smooth, adding more milk until you get the right consistency - thin enough to spread on the pan, but not so thin as to run. Fold in the melted butter.

  4. Cook the drop scones:

    Heat a griddle or large cast iron pan on medium to medium low heat. Coat the pan with a little butter, spreading it with a folded over paper towel. Drop large spoonfuls of batter on the griddle to form pancakes. When bubbles start to appear on the surface (after 2 to 3 minutes), use a metal spatula to flip the pancakes over. Cook for another minute, until lightly browned. Remove to a plate and cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm while you cook the rest of the drop scones.

    Serve with butter, jam, or golden syrup (Americans sub maple syrup).

Simple Tip!

An extra note here, when I first started playing with the recipe, I didn't realize it was for what are essentially pancakes. I was expecting more traditional scones, and therefore kept working at the recipe until I got them. I did manage to pull a more traditional scone out of the Queen's recipe, just by doing a couple of things. I reduced the milk to 1 cup. I mixed the ingredients until they just came together as a sticky, shaggy dough. I used heaping tablespoons of European butter. With this mixture you can make drop biscuits. Just measure out 1/4-cup scoops of the batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 12-14 minutes, until nicely browned on top. Serve warm with butter and jam.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
140Calories
3g Fat
24g Carbs
4g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories140
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g4%
Saturated Fat 2g8%
Cholesterol 29mg10%
Sodium 221mg10%
Total Carbohydrate 24g9%
Dietary Fiber 1g2%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 33mg3%
Iron 1mg7%
Potassium 158mg3%
*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. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a scone and a drop scone? ›

Kneaded and shaped scones are made from stiffer and drier dough resulting in a flakier texture. Drop scones are stickier and moister. This causes the scone to puff and be more tender. All scone recipes are mixed using the using the Biscuit Method, or made by first mixing together the dry ingredients in a bowl.

What did the queen put on her scones? ›

In an interview earlier this year, Darren McGrady, a former royal chef, said that the queen spread a layer of jam on her scone, then added cream. That jam-first method in known as the Cornish style — versus the Devonshire style, which layers cream first.

Why is it called a drop scone? ›

Here in the states we think of drop scones like drop biscuits, instead of cutting out triangular shape scones for baking, we drop the dough from a spoon onto the baking pan.

Are drop scones the same as American pancakes? ›

Also called Drop Scones, Scotch pancakes are enjoyed for breakfast and as a snack in the United Kingdom. The main difference between Scotch and American pancakes is that the Scotch version is simpler. Ingredients include self-rising flour, salt, caster sugar, and eggs.

What is the British equivalent of an American scone? ›

A Biscuit (U.S.) Is a Scone (U.K.)

Both baked goodies use flour, fat, liquid and a leavening agent. The main differences are that scones tend to have less butter (because you'll add butter to it when you eating it — or else, clotted cream or jam) while American biscuits tend to have more butter and light layers.

Can I buy clotted cream in the US? ›

While you're unlikely to find authentic clotted cream in America, you can still purchase it online and at some major U.S. grocery stores. Just keep in mind that what you're buying is the FDA-approved, pasteurized version of clotted cream.

How do the Royal Family eat scones? ›

Well, according to Darren McGrady, a former chef who worked for the Royal Family for over 10 years, the Queen prefered jam first. He tweeted: “The Queen always had home-made Balmoral jam first with clotted cream on top at Buckingham Palace garden parties in the royal tea tent and all royal tea parties.”

How do the Scottish eat their scones? ›

Although the English eat scones mainly at teatime, the Scots eat them at almost any time: with midmorning coffee, with soup and salad at lunch, at afternoon tea or high tea, and even with a glass of wine at the co*cktail hour.

What is another name for a drop scone? ›

Drop scones (scotch pancakes)

Are drop scones the same as Welsh cakes? ›

According to Doug Windsor, the former national chef of Wales, the two cakes are made in a different way. He explained: "A Welsh cake is made from a dough, while a drop scone is made from a batter and is more of a pancake," he said.

What do traditional scones have in them that are not originally in American scones? ›

British scones are traditionally drier, lighter, plain in flavor, and significantly less sugary than American scones and are commonly served for breakfast or with afternoon tea as a bready snack. America's Test Kitchen claims that butter is one of the major differences between English and American scones.

What do British call pancakes? ›

In the UK, the word pancakes refers to the same thing, but the word flapjacks refers to something entirely different: a baked good made from oats, resembling what elsewhere may be called a granola bar or oat bar. The word flapjack is traced back to the late 1500s.

What do Southerners call pancakes? ›

Pancakes are sometimes called hoecakes in the South. Most Southerners are familiar with lacy cornbread, aka hot water cornbread. A hoecake is a rustic fried version of a pancake made with ground cornmeal.

What do the French call American pancakes? ›

we cal them crepes.

Are drop biscuits the same as scones? ›

Biscuits are made with buttermilk, no eggs and are flakier than their scone counterpart, apart from when they're not. Biscuits can be flaky but also incredibly soft and tender, made as drop scones.

What is the difference between a Utah scone and a regular scone? ›

While the American and English scone is made with a scraggly dough of butter, flour, salt, and eggs, Utah scones are made with yeast and no butter. The yeast adds flavor and rise to this scone, making the dough more airy and sweet.

What is an English scone vs American scone? ›

British scones are more closely related to American biscuits. While a British "biscuit" is what we would call a crunchy cookie! Sometimes made with raisins or sultanas, British scones are on the plain side compared with American scones, which are typically heavily flavored and topped with a drizzle or glaze.

How do the Irish pronounce scone? ›

According to the survey, afternoon teas in Scotland and Ulster would include scones as in “gone” while folks further south in England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland would be ordering scones in “bone”.

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