Quick 5-Minute Clotted Cream Recipe (2025)

FAQs

What is the American equivalent of clotted cream? ›

In the U.S, clotted cream would be classed as butter due to its high fat content. Clotted cream is an essential part of a cream tea and is a huge hit with tourists in Devon and Cornwall.

Crème fraîche can be used as a clotted cream substitute as a topping for fruit and baked goods as it has a similar thickness and creaminess to that of clotted cream.

Clotted cream and whipped cream are both made with heavy cream, but while whipped cream is whipped into airy peaks, clotted cream is heated and separated, for a far denser texture. With its ultra-thick consistency, clotted cream can even be mistaken for butter.

The British use double cream in recipes the way we use heavy cream or whipping cream here in the US, but they also allow it to accompany dessert the way we might use ice cream.

Clotted cream originated in southwest England and has become a traditional British topping for baked goods at afternoon teas. Depending on which county the product was made in, it's also sometimes called Devonshire/Devon cream or Cornish cream.

Clotted cream can be used as an accompaniment to hot or cold desserts. Clotted cream, especially clotted cream from Devon, where it is less yellow due to lower carotene levels in the grass, is regularly used in baking. It is used throughout southwest England in the production of ice cream and fudge.

Its exclusivity extends beyond England, however, as clotted cream is technically illegal in America. Why? True clotted cream is made with unpasteurized milk, and the FDA officially banned the distribution of any milk or milk products that haven't been pasteurized in America in 1987.

Following a 1987 ruling from the Food and Drug Administration, the interstate sale of raw milk was banned in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, raw milk can contain harmful bacteria and germs, which can be especially risky for certain individuals like those who are pregnant or elderly ...

It is also called Devonshire, Devon clotted cream, or Cornish clotted cream, depending on where it was made. The dish is traditionally made with full-fat unpasteurized cow's milk, although many recipes today feature heavy cream.

Half-and-half, also known as half cream in the United Kingdom, is a simple blend of equal parts whole milk and light cream. It averages 10 to 12% fat, which is more than milk but less than light cream. Due to its lower fat content than cream, it can't be whipped.

What do they call heavy cream in the UK? ›

In the UK, what is commonly referred to as "heavy cream" in the United States is known as "double cream." Double cream in the UK has a higher fat content compared to single cream, making it thick and rich. It typically contains about 48% fat, making it suitable for whipping and adding richness to dishes.

Single cream has too low a fat content (18%) for whipping, but is perfect for pouring onto desserts or to enrich soups, savoury dishes or sauces. No added colour, preservative or stabiliser. Suitable for: Vegetarians, Gluten free.

Most technically it's unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk, but for sake of easy argument let's call it unpasteurized. Pasteurizing milk heats it to kill off bacteria and other disease causing microbes. Pasteurizing milk became a federal requirement in 1924, aka The Year Clotted Cream Died.

As I posted earlier, this is not breaking the US rules, commercial dairy products are allowed through customs. They do need to be kept cool during transport however. And in checked luggage.

Double cream has a fat content of 48% with clotted cream's fat content minimum 55%. Double cream is of a thick pouring consistency but proper clotted cream has to be cut or spooned, it will not pour.