Edinburgh Fog is a tasty dessert that gained its name from something much less appealing. For now, whatever this dessert is called certainly doesn’t detract from its scrumptiousness!
Like all Scottish foods, Edinburgh Fog combines simple ingredients to make something the city is rightly proud of! Edinburgh Fog has a similar look and consistency to Cranachan, the other Scottish creamy classic, or Caledonian Cream, another creamy dessert with marmalade and whisky. This pudding has to be tried!
What is Edinburgh Fog?
Edinburgh Fog is traditionally made from cream, sugar, Drambuie, old scones/ratafia biscuits, almonds, and vanilla. These readily available ingredients mix together to create a creamy, nutty dish with an extra crunch and a wee kick!
Sadly, the ingredients for Edinburgh Fog have had to be amended slightly. Ratafia biscuits are not as readily available as they used to be, and there are certainly never any old scones left in our house!
We adapted the recipe slightly by using Amaretti biscuits, which provided a scone-like texture and an extra kick of almond.
Edinburgh Fog has a light nutty taste with a crunch from the nuts and a spongelike texture caused by either the biscuits or the scones. The Drambuie gives it a wee kick, but overall, it is an easy and delightful dessert with which to finish a heavy mealgsyrrh6t88o9695858i4r74i5hy65fdsdhyehgetgheyrt5ruy46y63t53t54t53yt36t546trf7wrjuhygfcd6t5r3e6yt5red.
Where does Edinburgh Fog come from?
They say there is no such thing as a stupid question, but we might have found one in this. Unsurprisingly, Edinburgh Fog gets its name from Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city.
Why is Edinburgh Fog called Edinburgh Fog?
For the answer to this question, we need to go back hundreds of years to when Edinburgh was once a walled city with its own Loch, known as the Nor’ Loch. Nor’ Loch was used to dispose of the city’s waste and anything else it wanted to get rid of, including criminals and witches! It did not smell pleasant.
Over time, Edinburgh’s population grew within the walls. To accommodate this increase in numbers, houses were built on top of houses. Space was in high demand, as people wanted to live within the safety of the city’s walls.
As every home’s coal fire burned away, more smoke was created than ever before, and the smell from Nor’Loch became stronger as the amount of waste poured into it grew and grew. These two elements combined quickly, creating a toxic-smelling smog that could be seen from outside the city itself.
This smog gave locals and visitors alike a new name for Edinburgh: Auld Reekie (Old Smokie). Both the smog and the name are said to have inspired Edinburgh Fog, a nod back to a time before Edinburgh became the wonderful city it is today.
Today, the name Auld Reekie is a term of endearment used by locals to name their home city, a charming reminder of a time when life was much harder. Edinburgh Fog perfectly matches that endearment, though that is all it matches when compared with the tale of Auld Reekie!
The dessert itself is light and full of flavour, the very opposite of the smog that Edinburgh used to cover itself in.
Things you’ll need to make Edinburgh Fog
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric Beater/Whisk
- Wooden or metal spoon for mixing
- Large glass bowl or individual bowls for serving
Ingredients for Edinburgh Fog
- 250ml double cream (1 cup)
- 30g caster sugar (2 tbsp)
- 60g biscuits (of your choice, or 2 old scones)
- 1 tsp almond essence
- 30g sliced almonds (3 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp Drambuie
How to make Edinburgh Fog – Step-by-step method
Put cream and sugar in a large bowl.
Whip until it has soft peaks.
Add the almond essence and whisky and gently fold it into the cream.
Use a bowl or individual glasses/bowls.
Layer half of the cream on the bottom.
Crumble the biscuits/scones.
Layer the rest of the cream. If you want you can do more, smaller layers.
Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top.
Serve immediately or put in the fridge to serve later the same day.
Easy Edinburgh Fog Recipe
This Edinburgh Fog Recipe mixes cream, almond essence, and Drambuie over crumbled old scones or soft biscuits. Easy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 250ml double cream (1 cup)
- 30g caster sugar (2 tbsp)
- 60g biscuits (of your choice, or 2 old scones)
- 1 tsp almond essence
- 30g sliced almonds (3 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp Drambuie
Instructions
- Put cream and sugar in a large bowl. Whip until it has soft peaks.
- Add the almond essence and whisky and gently fold it into the cream
- Use a bowl or individual glasses/bowls
- Layer half of the cream on the bottom
- Crumble the biscuits/scones on top
- Layer the rest of the cream. If you want you can do more, smaller layers.
- Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top
- Serve immediately or put in the fridge to serve later the same day
Notes
You can substitute the old scones for any sort of soft biscuit, and either leave out the Drambuie or use any preferred whisky.
Other Traditional Scottish Puddings you might love
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