Scones are one of my favorite things to bake. There are basically endless options when it comes to the flavor. Generally, I stick to sweet scones and the savory versions I just make into biscuits. These sweet potato cardamom scones do have it all. These are probably the closest you’ll get to a savory scone from me, but they are firmly in sweet territory. They have natural sweetness from the sweet potato, but also a little savory because it is a potato after all. Spice from the cardamom. Crisp edges, soft interior, creamy glaze.
To me, these give total cozy fall vibes. If you’ve never used cardamom before, it has a very unique and fragrant profile. It’s almost floral while also being peppery and woodsy. It can be used in many ways, both sweet and savory dishes. I often use it with cinnamon and nutmeg and those types of spices. However, I wanted it to be the star flavor in this bake.
Scones are a great bake because they don’t require any fancy equipment, advanced techniques, and not much time. This bench scraper is pretty much the only tool I use that might not be in your kitchen. These take about 30 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to bake. Here are some other delicious scone recipes I’d recommend:
Keeping your ingredients cold and moving quickly are the best tip I can give you when you make these sweet potato cardamom scones. Honestly, it’s the best tip when making pastry in general. However, you don’t want to move so quickly that you forget steps so take the time you need. The more you make scones, the quicker you get.
Sticking the scones in the freezer before baking them I think is a non-negotiable step for me. While it IS optional, it will give your scones better rise. I use that time to clean the kitchen from the mess I just made while they chill.
Sweet potato Cardamom Scones Key Ingredients
- Sweet potato – These scones don’t really taste like sweet potato. It’s going to add tenderness and moisture and a slight sweetness. The same way potato bread doesn’t really taste like potatoes. You only need about 100g so a small sweet potato will be fine.
- Cardamom – As I said above, this is going to give a unique flavor that is both a little sweet and savory. Cardamom adds a lot of depth to dishes. Look for ground cardamom, unless you want to buy the pods and ground them yourself.
- Brown sugar – Dark brown sugar will give you that molasses caramel flavor and added moisture and richness to the scones.
Ingredients
- 1 Small-Med Sweet Potato
- 300 g AP flour 2½ cups
- ½ tsp Sea salt
- 50 g Dark brown sugar ¼ cup
- ¼ tsp Baking soda
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tbsp Cardamom
- ½ cup Unsalted butter cold
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp Heavy whipping cream cold
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 large Egg cold
Glaze
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp Unsalted butter melted
- 2 tbsp Dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Milk
- pinch Sea salt
Instructions
- Peel and dice your sweet potato. Place into a sauce pan and fill to cover the potatoes with cold water. Place over medium heat.
- Allow the potatoes to cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat, drain water.
- Measure out about 100g (about ½ cup) of potato into a bowl and mash until smooth. Allow to cool.
- Place your butter in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes while your sweet potato cools. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- In a large bowl, add flour, dark brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cardamom. Whisk together.
- Take your butter from the freezer and grate into your flour mixture. Halfway through, stop and fluff the butter into the flour using a fork. Grate remaining butter in and repeat.
- Create a well in the middle of your ingredients and add cooled sweet potato, heavy cream, beaten egg, and vanilla.
- Using a fork, bring the dry ingredients into the wet and mix gently until a rough dough comes together.
- Gather the dough together using your hands into a disc like shape in the bowl. Fold the dough over onto itself, press back out and repeat 2 more times.
- Place the dough onto your lined baking sheet and press out into a square or circle that is about 1½ inches thick.
- Using a knife or bench scraper, cut into 8-9 pieces (depending on shape). When you cut, do not use a sawing motion but cut straight down.
- Pull the scones slightly apart, and place into freezer to chill.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- When oven is ready and scones feel somewhat firm but not frozen (about 20 minutes), remove them from the freezer and brush the tops with heavy cream. If you do not plan to glaze them, I'd recommend sprinkling them with some turbinado sugar.
- Bake the scones on the center rack of your oven for about 20-25 minutes. The tops should be lightly golden. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
- While scones cool, prepare the glaze. In a medium-small bowl, melt your butter and add brown sugar, salt, powdered sugar and milk. Whisk until smooth.
- When scones have cooled, spoon or drizzle glaze on top. Store scones in an airtight container for 2-3 days, but they are best right after baking. Enjoy!
