A Simple Cranachan Dessert

Cranachan Made Simple:

I’ve made cranachan for years, but, while the recipe was never quite the same from meal to meal,  it wasn’t until I came across a recipe for ‘Cranachan Trifle‘ from BBC Good Food that I tried sweetening the toasted oats, making a kind of granola, rather than adding a lot more honey to the cream or to the raspberry mixture.  The result is a crunchier than normal cranachan, and is best put together just before you are ready to eat.   It may not be very authentic, but it works very well, though I’ve discovered that you don’t need to add flour and my not-so-sweet tooth means that I prefer not to add any extra sugar to the raspberries.  I also like a LOT of raspberries, probably the result of not being able to eat strawberries.  The start of the raspberry season for me is a signal to start making desserts based on raspberries.  And, after a recent trip to Flahavan’s in Ireland, I have a good stock of oats just waiting to be turned into cranachan – even if that is taking a traditional Scottish recipe and making it with Irish oats!

This year, I feel as if I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to make cranachan for ages.  While I could happily make and eat dessert every day, it’s something I only do when I have guests.  Serendipitously, a Sunday lunch co-incided with the start of fresh British raspberries in the shops.  I have to admit, the meal was planned around dessert.  Cold meats, cheese and artichoke antipasti to start.  Chicken with Jersey Royals and British Asparagus as the main course.  Then, the cranachan.

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Simple Raspberry Cranachan

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Simple Scottish summer dessert

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings: 6

Author: Fiona Maclean

Ingredients

Oat Crunch

• 150 g Rolled oats
• 3 tablespoons Runny Honey
• 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 100 g Butter
• 300 ml Whipping Cream
• 200 g Mascapone
• 400 g Raspberries
• 2 tablespoons Runny Honey
• 2 Tablespoon Whisky

Instructions

1. Make the oat crunch by melting the butter and honey in a pan then stirring through the oats and brown sugar to coat well.
2. Spread the mixture on a piece of baking parchment on a baking tray and cook for 15-20 minutes at 170C
3. Once you see the edges start to darken, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Break up into granola sized chunks and store in an airtight container till needed (this mix will keep for a few days)
4. Whip the cream lightly and then whip in the mascapone, honey and whisky till the mixture reaches soft peak stage
5. Take one third of the raspberries and pass through a fine metal sieve
6. Add half of the rest of the raspberries and crush lightly. Reserve the remain rasperries for topping at the end
7. Once you are ready to serve layer up the dessert into a pretty trifle bowl or individual serving glasses starting with cream, then oats then crushed raspberries. Decorate with the remaining raspberries

Made with Flahavan’s organic oats, it was a perfect finale to the meal.  Delicious.

This recipe does work very well with frozen raspberries and if you are really trying to be healthy, try replacing the mascarpone with greek yoghurt or quark.  I’d recommend leaving the diet alone for one evening though and just enjoying the rich, whisky cream.