Back in London again - Scones and tea

One way that we reminisce about our trip to London and kind of relive it here is by enjoying afteroon tea, or specifically tea and scones with butter/cream/jam.

Below is a recipe on a scone that works. Ofcourse the first time I tried it looked mouth watering but tasted bitter because I used baking soda instead of baking powder (first disaster in cooking :(( ). Below is a description of when to use baking powder and when to use baking soda.

Some recipes call for baking soda, while others call for baking powder. Which ingredient is used depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. The ultimate goal is to produce a tasty product with a pleasing texture. Baking soda is basic and will yield a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk. You'll find baking soda in cookie recipes. Baking powder contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in cakes and biscuits

Lesson learnt: So if you see baking soda but don't see buttermilk, recheck recipe and think twice ;)

Ingredients

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup cream
1 egg
Handful dried currants or dried cranberries

Method:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix well. Cut in butter and shortening. In a separate bowl, combine cream with beaten egg then add to dry ingredients. Stir in fruit. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll dough out and cut into biscuit size rounds. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown.

Twist to the recipe (Courtesy Ina Garten from Food network): Add orange zest