Scottish Snow Cake Recipe
User Reviews
4.8
Scottish Snow Cake Recipe
Description
The Scottish Snow Cake starts with a short crust pastry base made from cold butter rubbed into flour and sugar, pressed firmly into a pan and baked briefly. Raspberry jam spreads over the cooled pastry, adding fruity tartness. The cake layer is created from creamed butter and sugar, beaten eggs, and self-rising flour, resulting in a pale, fluffy batter that's poured over the jam and baked until set.
The topping consists of a smooth icing made from powdered sugar mixed with water or milk, which is spread evenly on the cooled cake and topped with shredded unsweetened coconut. This combination delivers contrasts in texture: a firm and crumbly base, a light and moist cake, and a sweet, slightly chewy coconut topping.
The cake is suitable for serving with tea or as a dessert, offering a balance of sweetness from the jam and icing and richness from the butter. The coconut provides both flavor and a snowy visual effect.
Jam and coconut quantities can be adjusted to preference for sweetness or texture. Using room temperature butter for the cake ensures easier creaming and a lighter batter. Baking temperatures are reduced between steps to prevent overbaking the pastry or cake layers.
Ingredients
Short Crust Pastry
- 2 c all-purpose flour plain flour in UK
- 6 oz butter 1 ½ sticks, cold, unsalted
- ¼ c sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- pinch salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 8 oz raspberry jam (to cover the pastry)
Cake
- 6 oz butter unsalted and at room temperature (if you only have salted butter, omit the salt)
- ⅔ c superfine sugar caster sugar in the UK, or baker’s sugar
- 3 egg beaten
- 1 ¼ c self-rising flour all purpose flour with 1 tsp baking powder, SIFTED
- pinch salt
Topping
- 1 c powdered sugar aka confectioner's sugar
- 1 tsp water or milk (add as needed for consistency required)
- ½ c unsweetened coconut shredded, to sprinkle on top - more or less as desired
Instructions
- Oven temp 375˚F (190˚C) for pastry.
- Make the Pastry Base
- Using two knives of a pastry cutter, cut the butter finely into the sugar, but do not cream.
- Add the egg yolk and stir to combine.
- Add the flour. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it has a breadcrumb texture.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9"x13" cake pan, pressing firmly.
- Bake for about 10 minutes. Don't let it start to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, while making the cake batter.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350° F (180°C)
- Make the Cake
- In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. It will begin to pale in color, too.
- Add about one third of the beaten eggs, and mix well at medium speed.
- Then add about a third of the sifted flour. Repeat this step. Add the rest of the eggs and mix well, then turn the mixer to low and add the final flour and just mix until well combined.
- Prepare the Cake for Baking
- Spoon the jam evenly onto the pastry base taking care not to let it reach the side of the pan.
- Place dollops of cake batter all over the jam to make it easier to spread. (Try not to let the jam get mixed into the batter.)
- Spread the batter evenly all over the jam and pastry.
- Pop the cake into the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Do not open the oven until you start to smell the cake and it looks well risen (through the glass). Gently insert a cake tester or skewer into the center of the cake to check that it's completely cooked before removing from the oven. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
- Decorate the Snow Cake
- Run a knife around the cake, down to the pastry, then shake the pan. You should feel that the cake is loose in the pan before decorating it.
- Put the confectioner's sugar in a bowl and slowly add the milk or water a little at a time (1/2 tsp) until a thick, but runny consistency is reached. Adjust with more sugar or liquid if you see the icing isn't spreading nicely. Cover the cake with this icing.
- Before the icing begins to dry, sprinkle generously with finely shredded, unsweetened coconut.
- Allow the icing to dry and set completely which will take a few hours. Once it's set, use a serrated knife to cut the cake into squares (cutting into 18 pieces is a good size). Alternatively, you can cut the Scottish Snow Cake into fingers or even diamond shapes. Keep covered at room temperature.
Notes
- Adjust the amount of jam and shredded coconut according to personal preference.
- Use room temperature butter when making the cake batter to ensure proper creaming.
- Bake the pastry base without browning to maintain a delicate crust.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 18pieces
Amount Per Serving
Calories 347 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1 | |
| Calories | 347kcal | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | 43g | 14% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 11g | 55% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 79mg | 26% |
| Sodium | 138mg | 6% |
| Potassium | 62mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 23g | 46% |
| Vitamin A | 527IU | 11% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 17mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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