Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones Recipe (2024)

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A recipe given to President Eisenhower by Queen Elizabeth II for drop scones, also known as Scottish pancakes.

By

Elise Bauer

Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones Recipe (1)

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Updated February 18, 2022

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Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones Recipe (2)

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In honor of all things Royal, we present to you a recipe for drop scones, otherwise known as "Scotch pancakes", that Queen Elizabeth made for President Dwight Eisenhower on the occasion of his visit to Balmoral castle in 1959.

According to the National Archives, the Queen prepared drop scones for the President, using a family recipe. Later she sent the President a letter and enclosed the recipe, with annotations and a suggestion to use treacle in place of the caster sugar.

When I first started testing this recipe, I couldn't understand why the dough was more of a pancake batter, and not "scone-like" as I had imagined. Here in the states we think of drop scones like drop biscuits, instead of cutting out triangular shape scones for baking, we drop the dough from a spoon onto the baking pan.

But "drop scones" in parts of the UK, in particular Scotland, where Balmoral castle is situated, are more like American pancakes than typical scones. Drop scones are thicker than American pancakes, and a little smaller.

Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones Recipe (4)

If you read the Queen's recipe in the image above, note the use of "teacups" as measurements for flour and milk. Before Fanny Farmer we used teacups for measures as well.

To figure out how much a typical teacup holds, I tested two teacups, an English made one, and a French limoge. Oddly, when I filled each (completely different shape) tea cup with flour and weighed them, the result for each was exactly 100 grams.

By volume, the teacups were each 3/4 of an American standard cup. So "4 teacups" would be 3 American cups, and "2 teacups" would be 1 1/2 cups.

European butter has a much higher fat content than standard American butter, so if you have European butter, you may want to use it, to more closely replicate what the Queen was making.

Most recipes for drop scones I found add a little salt. I don't know if the Queen used salted butter or not. Her recipe doesn't call for it, but since I use unsalted butter, I added a little salt to the batter.

A note on the cream of tartar. We happen to have some in our pantry, but many people don't. Cream of tartar is a dry acid. It combines with the alkaline baking soda to create the leavening in the scones.

Baking powder is just the combination of baking soda and cream of tartar with some corn starch thrown in, so if you don't have cream of tartar, you can substitute both the baking soda and the cream of tartar with baking powder.

Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time25 mins

Servings16 scones

I've changed the method just a little from the Queen's original by adding the wet ingredients to the dry, instead of the dry to the wet.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups (400g) all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking soda

  • 3 teaspoons cream of tartar

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1/4 cup superfine sugar, or heaping 1/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) whole milk (and maybe a little more if needed)

  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Method

  1. Mix the dry ingredients:

    Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl.

  2. Mix the wet ingredients:

    In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Then whisk in most of the milk.

  3. Make the batter:

    Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the milk egg mixture. Whisk until smooth, adding more milk until you get the right consistency - thin enough to spread on the pan, but not so thin as to run. Fold in the melted butter.

  4. Cook the drop scones:

    Heat a griddle or large cast iron pan on medium to medium low heat. Coat the pan with a little butter, spreading it with a folded over paper towel. Drop large spoonfuls of batter on the griddle to form pancakes. When bubbles start to appear on the surface (after 2 to 3 minutes), use a metal spatula to flip the pancakes over. Cook for another minute, until lightly browned. Remove to a plate and cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm while you cook the rest of the drop scones.

    Serve with butter, jam, or golden syrup (Americans sub maple syrup).

Simple Tip!

An extra note here, when I first started playing with the recipe, I didn't realize it was for what are essentially pancakes. I was expecting more traditional scones, and therefore kept working at the recipe until I got them. I did manage to pull a more traditional scone out of the Queen's recipe, just by doing a couple of things. I reduced the milk to 1 cup. I mixed the ingredients until they just came together as a sticky, shaggy dough. I used heaping tablespoons of European butter. With this mixture you can make drop biscuits. Just measure out 1/4-cup scoops of the batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 12-14 minutes, until nicely browned on top. Serve warm with butter and jam.

  • Scones
  • Baking
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
140Calories
3g Fat
24g Carbs
4g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories140
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g4%
Saturated Fat 2g8%
Cholesterol 29mg10%
Sodium 221mg10%
Total Carbohydrate 24g9%
Dietary Fiber 1g2%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 33mg3%
Iron 1mg7%
Potassium 158mg3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What did the Queen put on her scones? ›

In an interview earlier this year, Darren McGrady, a former royal chef, said that the queen spread a layer of jam on her scone, then added cream. That jam-first method in known as the Cornish style — versus the Devonshire style, which layers cream first.

What is the difference between American scones and British scones? ›

British scones are more closely related to American biscuits. While a British "biscuit" is what we would call a crunchy cookie! Sometimes made with raisins or sultanas, British scones are on the plain side compared with American scones, which are typically heavily flavored and topped with a drizzle or glaze.

What is Queen Elizabeth's pancake recipe? ›

Beat two eggs with 4 tablespoons of sugar and about one teacup (or 3/4 of a cup) of milk. Add 4 teacups of flour and mix in another teacup of milk "as required" Mix in 3 teaspoons of cream of tartar and 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate soda (baking soda) Fold in 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

What is the difference between a drop scone and a pikelet? ›

When I was growing up in New Zealand we called them Pikelets! The difference is sometimes in the fact that Drop Scones traditionally used cream or tartar and baking soda with buttermilk, rather than self-raising flour and baking powder which is more common today.

Does The Queen put cream on her scones first? ›

Well, according to Darren McGrady, a former chef who worked for the Royal Family for over 10 years, the Queen prefered jam first. He tweeted: “The Queen always had home-made Balmoral jam first with clotted cream on top at Buckingham Palace garden parties in the royal tea tent and all royal tea parties.”

What do British people call us scones? ›

A Biscuit (U.S.) Is a Scone (U.K.)

A British biscuit is not remotely similar to the fluffy and filling American biscuits made famous in Southern American cuisine. The closest British equivalent to those buttery miracles is a scone, which ain't too bad either.

What do British call biscuits and gravy? ›

Scones and Gravy: The English Equivalent.

What was Queen Elizabeth's favorite dish? ›

Queen Elizabeth adhered to a daily teatime meal; her preference for delicate sandwiches with the crusts cut off was well-publicized. Her favorite version was reported to be smoked salmon with cream cheese. If the old adage is true, one should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper.

What is an Elizabeth sandwich? ›

Ingredients. 2 slices soft white sandwich bread. butter. strawberry jam (or your favorite jam)

What is the queens way to eat scones? ›

So when it comes to the big question of jam or cream first you would imagine her is the definitive answer. And now her head chef Chris Tombling has revealed that at Buckingham Palace the cream is always smeared onto the scone first, followed by a good dollop of jam.

What is another name for drop scones? ›

In honor of all things Royal, we present to you a recipe for drop scones, otherwise known as "Scotch pancakes", that Queen Elizabeth made for President Dwight Eisenhower on the occasion of his visit to Balmoral castle in 1959.

Are drop scones the same as Welsh cakes? ›

According to Doug Windsor, the former national chef of Wales, the two cakes are made in a different way. He explained: "A Welsh cake is made from a dough, while a drop scone is made from a batter and is more of a pancake," he said.

What do they call pancakes in London? ›

In the UK, the word pancakes refers to the same thing, but the word flapjacks refers to something entirely different: a baked good made from oats, resembling what elsewhere may be called a granola bar or oat bar. The word flapjack is traced back to the late 1500s.

What did The Queen put in her scrambled eggs? ›

Shortly after the Queen died in 2022, Australian nutritionist Lee Holmes revealed on her website that a close friend of hers once cooked for the Queen, noting that Her Majesty enjoyed her scrambled eggs prepared with nutmeg and lemon zest, according to the New York Post.

What type of jam did The Queen eat? ›

The Savoy Hotel-trained chef, who worked for the Royal Family for 15 years, said: “The Queen was served jam pennies in the nursery as a little girl, she's had them for afternoon tea ever since.” “Simple, just bread and jam with a little butter – usually strawberry jam.

Is it jam then cream on scones? ›

Cream or jam? Ask the Cornish, and they will tell you that the whole point of cream tea is to have freshly-baked (hopefully still warm) scones, with jam first and clotted cream on top.

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