Crème Fraîche Is The Perfect Clotted Cream Substitute For Tea Time

Few things complete tea time like clotted cream. If you're not serving it with jam between English scones, it doesn't qualify as afternoon tea. But if you've run out of this creamy milk and happen to have a tub of crème fraîche sitting in the fridge, you may be in luck. Crème fraîche can step in and save tea time in more ways than one.

Both clotted cream and crème fraîche are made from heavy cream and have a high fat content. As a result, they're rich in texture. This buttery richness is what makes them spreadable condiments and why you'll often find a jar of clotted cream featured at teatime. Because they are both thick and creamy, they are excellent toppings for baked goods like tea cakes. Considering that visual appeal plays a huge role when it comes to teatime, you may want to maintain how beautifully your scones are displayed. This is easily accomplished when using crème fraîche as a substitute for clotted cream. It's white like clotted cream, so you'll still get a pop of color among your baked goods. Plus its thickness helps to hold the scone layers up so that they stand tall and proud.

Teatime can be either high tea or afternoon tea, and the latter typically features scones, sandwiches, and cakes. And while you can get away with slathering crème fraîche on your scones, it might not fare well on cake. Pairing a sweet Victorian sponge cake with tangy crème fraîche won't do much to appease an appetite, no matter how rich the spread is. This makes sense if you take into account that it's not only the texture of clotted cream that harmonizes with cakes and scones, but the taste, too. 

This cream of creams has a naturally sweet and nutty essence that makes it effortless to eat with a spoon. Compared to crème fraîche, however, clotted cream is subtle. Crème fraîche tastes distinctly tangy due to the cultures it contains. So keep its tart flavor profile in mind even when using it as a substitute for scones. Another way to use crème fraîche in place of clotted cream is as a topping for fruit. Just like clotted cream, it'll provide that creamy mouthfeel that makes berries and cream instantly fulfilling — with an extra tang, of course.