Cranachan is a lovely Scottish dessert with oats, raspberries, cream and whisky. Perfect for a finishing flair at a Burns Night supper. Cranachan may be difficult to pronounce, but not difficult to enjoy!
If you live in North America, you have probably never heard of cranachan, a lovely Scottish dessert.
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Edited on June 10th, 2020: Today, on Good Morning America’s IGTV, Ginger Zee, and Sam Heughan, from Outlander, made my recipe for cranachan! I’m over the moon that they chose this recipe. You can find the video clip at the bottom of the post after the recipe card.
What is Cranachan?
Cranachan is a quintessential Scottish concoction, because it combines so many ingredients that Scotland is known for: whisky, oats, heather honey and raspberries.
Another main ingredient is cream, and unfortunately for us in the US/Canada, our cranachan will never taste exactly the same as true Scottish cranachan. This mostly due to the differences in the raspberries and cream in this most renowned of Scottish desserts.
We can buy Scotch whisky with no problem, and steel cut/pinhead oats. Heather honey may be a bit more expensive, but there are many benefits when you support The Scottish Bee Company. You are using top quality honey which not only tastes fantastic, but goes to help save the bees and environment.
Unfortunately, there is no way we can get our hands on anything close to the marvelous cream which Scottish cows produce, or the incredibly delicious Scottish raspberries, which everyone in the UK covets when they are in season. (North American raspberries are more sour, and less flavorful).
On that note, after looking all around the internet and my Scottish and British cookbooks, I came up with a cranachan recipe just for us in North America, which takes into account the fact that our raspberries are just not up to par with those in Scotland. Adding sugar, honey and whisky to the crushed raspberries helps sweeten and flavor the little berries quite nicely.
There’s nothing I can do about the cream, except to suggest you buy the best quality you can get your hands on. But don’t despair–this dessert will still have everyone begging for more!
Cranachan for Burns Night dessert
January 25th is Burns Night, traditionally celebrating the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns (or Rabbie Burns). Haggis is served with a bagpiper piping and the haggis being paraded into the dining room. Then the poem, “Address to a Haggis” is recited, hopefully by someone from Scotland to get the proper pronunciation! Cranachan is a perfect ending to this traditional meal.
I must add that in my research, I came upon a London based blog and it was “love at first site”! Please check out London Eats where you will find engaging writing, fabulous photography and more great recipes than you can shake a stick at. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the author is Scottish!
Scottish Cranachan
a recipe developed for North American ingredients makes 6 (5 oz servings)
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients You Will Need
- steel cut/pinhead oats
- Scotch whisky
- fresh raspberries
- Scottish honey
- sugar
- heavy whipping cream
Special equipment: whisky glasses or dessert glasses
Prepare Ahead of Time
The night before you want to make the dessert, toast the first measure of oats in a cast iron or very heavy pan until very lightly browned- this won’t take long, so keep a close eye, as you don’t want burnt oats.
Put the oats in a bowl and cover with 1/3 cup (3 oz) of whisky. Cover and let stand overnight to soak.
The Next Day.
The following day, the oats will have absorbed all the whisky and look like this~
When you are ready to make the cranachan, toast the second batch of oats, exactly the same as you did the first ones. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Now, choose a few choice raspberries to decorate the tops and set them aside.
Crush the rest of the raspberries in a bowl, with a spatula or fork. Sprinkle the raspberries with 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Then add 1 tablespoon of Scottish honey.
Lastly, add 1 tablespoon of whisky.
Mix well and set aside.
Whip the cream until it starts to thicken.
Now add the other 2 tablespoons of honey, and 2 tablespoons of whisky. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Next, fold in the whisky soaked oats.
Assemble the Cranachan
At this point, we are ready to assemble the dessert. I would recommend doing this relatively close to serving time as the dessert will taste better fresh (if possible, don’t make it in the morning to serve for dinner).
Place a spoonful or two, to cover the bottom of the glass, of the raspberries, then add some of the cream mixture.
Next, sprinkle the cream with some of the toasted oats, then repeat the layers.
Finally, top the cranachan with the sprinkled oats and a raspberry or three.
Refrigerate until ready to eat, but take them out about 20 minutes before serving, for better flavor.
A Perfect Cranachan Specimen!
Enjoy a wee bit of Scotland, and let me know what you think of one of the most traditional Scottish desserts!
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Cranachan, A Lovely Scottish Dessert (recipe for US kitchens)
A very traditional Scottish dessert made with oats, cream, whisky and raspberries. Very delicious, if you haven't already guessed!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (57 g) and 1/4 cup (43 g) steel cut/pinhead oats
- 1/3 cup (78 ml) Scotch whisky
- 2 cups (12 oz/340 g) fresh raspberries
- 3 Tbsp Scotch whisky
- 3 Tbsp Scottish honey
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 cups (473 ml) organic heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- The night before you want to make the dessert, toast 1/3 cup (57 g) of the oats in a cast iron or very heavy pan until very lightly browned- this won't take long, so keep a close eye, as you don't want burnt oats. Put the oats in a bowl and cover with 1/3 cup (3 oz) of whisky. Cover and let stand overnight to soak.
- When you are ready to make the Cranachan, toast the second batch of oats, exactly the same as you did the first ones. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Choose a few choice raspberries to decorate the tops and set them aside.
- Crush the rest of the raspberries in a bowl, with a spatula or fork, (just a bit, we're not making jam).
- Sprinkle the raspberries with 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of whisky. Mix well and set aside.
- Whip the cream until it starts to thicken, then add the other 2 tablespoons of honey, and 2 tablespoons of whisky. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form, then fold in the whisky-soaked oats.
- At this point, we are ready to assemble the dessert. I would recommend doing this relatively close to serving time as the dessert will taste better fresh (if possible, don't make it in the morning to serve for dinner).
- Place a spoonful or two, to cover the bottom of the glass, of the raspberries, then add some of the cream mixture.
- Sprinkle the cream with some of the toasted oats, then repeat the layers. Finish with the sprinkled oats and top with a raspberry or three.
- Refrigerate until ready to eat, but take them out about 20 minutes before serving, for better flavor.
Notes
It's important to use good quality ingredients for this dessert to taste as it should. For example, Hamlyn's pinhead oats, The Scottish Bee Honey, Sam Heughan's The Sassenach whisky, organic heavy cream, and organic or homegrown raspberries :)
If you place an order through this link at The Scottish Grocer, use code CHRISTINASCUCINA for a 10% discount.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 glassAmount Per Serving: Calories: 116Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 4mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
Click below for the video:
Ginger Zee and Sam Heughan on IGTV Live, Good Morning America
LA Living…
you learn to deal with brush fires as a regular occurrence.
Christina’s Cucina is a Scottish Grocer USA affiliate and participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Christina – Double Devon cream is available in some of the higher-end stores here and can be purchased online. Is this the cream you prefer for a traditional Cranachan?
Hi Sandra, no that’s an English cream, so traditionally it wouldn’t be the one that would have been used (plus it’s very thick). However, given that the cream here (I’m assuming you’re in N. America) is nothing like Scottish cream, just try to get the heaviest whipping cream without additives that you can find and whip it until it’s thick (but not too thick). Let me know what you think of Cranachan! :)
I made this for an outdoor picnic. I layered the berries and cream in shortbread baked in springform pans; a touch of unflavored gelatin kept the cream from collapsing in the heat. They were a hit. Wish I could post a pic.
Wonderful, John!! That sounds fabulous! Are you on Facebook? You can post a photo to my page there, or else you can email it to me :)
I am about to make this for the first time for a Robert Burns dinner. I’ve read so many different recipes online and made a decent first attempt last night. My question is: what do you think of drizzling frozen raspberries with Chambord? I read that it is a raspberry liquer so it might give the frozen (the fresh ones just really aren’t and like you said, they’re bitter here) berries a better flavor? Or would it buck against the whiskey taste? Also, is Tullamore Dew a decent whiskey brand?
Hi Jen, if you want to add some liqueur to the raspberries because they’re frozen, I’d add some sugar and the same whisky you’re using. It will make more of a sauce, but since you’re using frozen you need to make the best of it as you’re trying to do. I do think the Chambord and whisky would fight each other. Also, I can’t advise you regarding Tullamore Dew (I asked my dad and he’s never had it either), but I will say, it’s an Irish whiskey (haha!) Good luck! Let me know how it turns out! :) CC
Do you think I could jumbo size this into a 25 QT bowl for a large group of people? Any suggestions on how many times I should double the recipe? Thanks for your help!
Oh goodness, 25 quarts is massive- like 6 gallons! I honestly wouldn’t advise it. Can you make a few smaller bowls? That would make it easier to make and put together. One recipe serves 6 people, so just make as much as you need to serve. If you like, you could have smaller servings so one recipe could do 8 people. Good luck, sounds like a large gathering!! :)
We’re not whiskey fans; can you suggest a substitute? Reminded me of trifle til I read the recipe – yum!
A non-alcoholic substitution preferably so I can serve it to the kids. =D
Hi there, hmm…that’s a good question. I suppose one could always soak the oats in water, that’s the safest bet, however, I wonder if orange juice might be a nice addition. It wouldn’t taste like traditional Cranachan with the orange flavor, but if that doesn’t matter to you, I’d probably try the oj. Let me know if you make it and how the non-alcoholic version is! :) CC
[…] Scottish Cranachan by Christina’s […]
What a marvelous combination! Whiskey and oats – yum!
Absolutely! Very Scottish! :)
Oh, I love Cranachan. But having said that, I haven’t had this dessert in so long – last time I remember was at my wedding 18 years ago in Edinburgh! Crikey. High time I make this again. Thanks for the Scottish push to get back to my roots again from time to time!
Oh yes, you simply must make it! 18 years is too long in between Cranachans! I’m sure the raspberries in France are wonderful, too! CC