Cranachan is a classic Scottish dessert made with heavy whipping cream, whole raspberries, scotch whisky and steel-cut oats.
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How to make your own Cranachan at home
Cranachan is a traditional Scottish dessert typically made with simple ingredients like raspberries and double cream folded with steel-cut oats, whisky and heather honey. My version has a Zestuous twist. I decided to turn this delicious dessert into something that will warm your insides.
The oats are soaked in half and half and whisky and then warmed to a porridge-like consistency. The raspberries are heated down to a sauce.
Traditional Scottish recipes use double cream as the layer of cream, but for this recipe, I’m going crème anglaise…with whisky, vanilla and a whole nutmeg seed. Then, for crunch, I toasted and caramelized steel-cut oats and hazelnuts.
Indulge in the king of Scottish desserts with this delicious Cranachan. Perfect for special occasions like a dinner party or a burns night feast.
Warm Cranachan
Ingredients
Whisky Soaked Oats
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1 cup half and half
- 4 tsp whisky
- 1 tbls vanilla
Raspberry Sauce
- 18 raspberries for garnish
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- juice of half 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup sugar
Crispy Oats
- 1/4 cup steel cut oats
- 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
- 1 tbls brown sugar
- 1 tbls granulated sugar
- nutmeg zested 10 times
Whisky Crème Anglaise
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 whole nutmeg seed
- 1 tbls vanilla bean paste
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbls whisky
Instructions
Whisky Soaked Oats
- Combine: Combine 1 cup of steel cut oats in a bowl with the half and half, whisky and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and soak in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
- Heat: Place in a saucepot and heat over medium heat, until warm, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Raspberry Sauce
- Cook: Cook 1 cup raspberries, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepot over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Strain: Strain through a sieve. Discard the seeds. Set aside.
Crispy Oats
- Melt: Place all ingredients in a skillet and heat over medium-low heat. Watch it carefully as the sugar starts to melt. Once it’s all melted. Turn it out onto a sheet of waxed paper to cool. Set aside.
Whisky Crème Anglaise
- Whisk: Heat milk, cream, nutmeg and vanilla in a saucepot over medium heat, until it reaches 170 degrees (or tiny bubbles form around the edge of the pot). Remove from heat.
- Whisk: In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.
- Whisk: Gradually, whisk milk into the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Pour back into the pot and cook over medium heat, until the cream begins to coat a spoon, about 185 degrees. Don’t over cook or your eggs will scramble.
- Pour: Pour the mixture through the sieve into a bowl.
- Stir: Stir in the whisky. Set aside.
Assembly
- Spoon: Spoon Whisky Soaked Oats evenly into the bottom of 6 sundae glasses.
- Pour: Evenly pour raspberry sauce over the oats.
- Pour: Evenly pour the Crème Anglaise over the raspberries.
- Top: Top with Crispy Oats and 3 fresh raspberries.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients for Cranachan
Whisky Soaked Oats
- Bob’s Red Mill steel-cut oats: Also known as Irish or Scottish oats. They’re soaked in whisky and layered between cream and raspberry sauce.
- Half and half: Gives the oats a creamy texture.
- Whisky: Use a good Scottish whisky with rich notes.
- Vanilla: Adds a depth of flavor to the oats.
Raspberry Sauce
- Raspberries for garnish
- Fresh raspberries
- Lemon juice
- Sugar: Sweetens the raspberry sauce.
Crispy Oats
- Bob’s Red Mill steel-cut oats: Used for our crispy oats topping. They’re cooked in sugar until it melts, creating a crispy texture, perfect for topping our Cranachan.
- Chopped hazelnuts: Adds a little crunch.
- Brown sugar: Sweetens the oats.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the oats.
- Nutmeg: Adds a subtle spice flavor.
Whisky Crème Anglaise
- Whole Milk: Provides a creamy and liquid base for a smooth consistency in the crème anglaise.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Adds richness and a luxurious mouthfeel.
- Whole Nutmeg Seed: Infuses the sauce with the warm and aromatic flavor of nutmeg.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: Introduces the sweet and aromatic essence of vanilla.
- Large Egg Yolks: Act as emulsifiers and thickeners, creating a rich and smooth consistency.
- Sugar: Sweetens the créme anglaise.
- Whisky: Adds a distinctive and complex flavor with notes of warmth and smokiness.
Substitutions: If you don’t like whisky, feel free to use rum instead. Instead of steel-cut oats, rolled oats may be used.
See the full recipe card for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to make authentic Cranachan
Whisky Soaked Oats
- Combine: Combine 1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill steel-cut oats in a bowl with the half and half, whisky and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and soak in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
- Heat: Place in a saucepot and heat over medium heat until warm, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Raspberry Sauce
- Cook: Cook 1 cup raspberries, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepot over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Strain: Strain through a sieve. Discard the seeds. Set aside.
Crispy Oats
- Melt: Place all ingredients in a skillet and heat over medium-low heat. Watch it carefully as the sugar starts to melt. Once it’s all melted. Turn it out onto a baking sheet with waxed paper to cool. Set aside.
Whisky Crème Anglaise
- Whisk: Heat milk, heavy cream, nutmeg and vanilla in a saucepot over medium heat until it reaches 170 degrees (or tiny bubbles form around the edge of the pot). Remove from heat.
- Whisk: In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.
- Whisk: Gradually, whisk milk into the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Pour back into the pot and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to coat a spoon, about 185 degrees. Don’t overcook, or your eggs will scramble.
- Pour: Pour the whipped cream mixture through the sieve into a bowl.
- Stir: Stir in the whisky. Set aside.
Assembly
- Spoon: Spoon Whisky Soaked Oats evenly into the bottom of 6 sundae glasses.
- Pour: Evenly pour raspberry sauce over the oats.
- Pour: Evenly pour the Crème Anglaise over the raspberries.
- Top: Top with toasted Oats and 3 fresh raspberries.
How to serve Cranachan
Serve Cranachan in parfait glasses with layers of whisky-soaked oats, raspberry sauce, crispy oats, and whipped créme anglaise.
Storage
Leftover Cranachan can be stored in an airtight container or parfait glass in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to BBC Maestro, Cranachan was originally created as a way to celebrate the end of the raspberry harvest in June. Now, Cranachan is traditionally served during Burns Night supper (January 25th), a celebration of the famous poet Robert Burns.
It’s also known as cream crowdie, according to BBC Maestro.
The Gaelic word for Cranachan is “churn,” according to BBC Maestro.
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I have always wanted to try this. it looks so good!