International Incident Party - Rockin' Pink and Purple Scones!

This marks the first time I am participating in the International Incident Party (IIP), the theme of which this month is “Scones”. It also marks the first time I made scones – ever - so I was truly excited and crossed my fingers that everything would go as planned! This monthly event is normally hosted by Penny from Jeroxie - Addictive & Consuming although this time, there are two other co-hosts: Anh from A Food Lover's Journey and Cherrie from Sweet Cherrie Pie. August is also the month when these two ladies celebrate their birthdays, so these colorful scones are especially dedicated to them. Happy Pyschedelic Birthday, Cherrie and Anh!

Okay, scones… where the heck do I start? There are so many recipes out there and they all seem simple enough to follow, but what about flavors? Yes, also too many that had already been tried and tested. Hmm… I wanted to wander off the beaten path just a little, maybe experiment with newer flavors. Or maybe colors! Hence I came up with these really pretty, as well as pretty tasty, Purple Sweet Potato Scones and Pink Dragonfruit Scones. Nooow, we are ready to PAR-TAY!

"Purple" Sweet Potato Scones.
No, don't adjust your monitor! LOL.

Fuschia pink Dragonfruit Scones!

What I had originally pictured in my mind were some delightfully romantic pink and purple color-coordinated scones. What actually came out (dastard chemistry!), were pink and purple-green scones…. Errm, the purple sweet potato had cooked to a greenish, matcha-like color and I wasn’t sure whether that was due to the added salt, or roasted dessicated coconut, or baking soda or even heat. It basically just turned on me, but after the initial shock, I got used to the mysterious hues of the scones. They were actually quite exotic, both in looks and taste. The bi-colored sesame seeds added some extra interest (as if there wasn’t already enough of it!). These scones were slightly drier in texture than the juicy dragonfruit ones, so I ate mine drenched in a little dulce de leche. You could also have them with some butter and jam or yes, condensed milk!

Dulce de leche on sweet potato-coconut flavors. Yuhmm!

The dragonfruit scones, thank heavens, stayed true to their color. In fact, when I finished glazing them, the fuschia-pink scones (naturally tinted) looked really mesmerizing! I took a bite, and the soft, crumbly moist texture made me go owhhh… Like a vampire, I was in love at first bite. Happily-ever-after kind of fairytale ending.

Do check out what the other party-goers made for this event by scrolling right down to the bottom of this page!

Purple Sweet Potato Scones

Makes 6 scones

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup + 1/3 cup extra, cooked, mashed and cooled purple sweet potato

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon roasted, dessicated coconut

pinch of nutmeg powder

eggwash, for glazing

black and white sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200oC/400oF and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

2. Peel and slice the purple sweet potatoes and steam for 10-15 minutes. Mash and cool before using.
3. In a bowl, whisk butter and sugar until creamy, then add salt and beat in the egg.

4. Mix in the mashed sweet potato until just combined, but do not over mix.

L: Purple sweet potato                                                           R: Roasted, dessicated coconut (store-bought)

5. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and mix in the coconut and nutmeg. Add this to the sweet potato mixture. Dough should be soft but not sticky. Add more flour if necessary to reach this consistency.

6. Turn dough out onto floured surface and gently knead in the extra mashed sweet potato 2-3 times. Shape into a 1-inch thick flat, round circle and cut into six triangular scones. Brush tops with eggwash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk) to give scones a shiny glaze when cooked. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Place scones on baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes until tops are light, golden brown. Serve with jam or condensed milk/dulce de leche while still warm!

Uncooked and cooked scones. Go figure...

Pink Dragonfruit Scones

Makes 6 scones

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup dragonfruit flesh, diced into 1/2- inch chunks

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Dragonfruit glaze:

1 tablespoon dragonfruit puree

1 cup icing sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

2. In a bowl, whisk butter and sugar until creamy, then add salt and beat in the egg.

3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and add to the butter mixture. Dough should be soft but not sticky. With your fingers, knead in the dragonfruit chunks lightly, making sure that you don’t press too hard or the fruit juice will start to seep out. Work quickly, and transfer the dough to the baking tray. (Note: Since dragonfruit is one juicy mama, I figured the flour needed some extra help rising and therefore enlisted the help of double-acting baking powder. It worked!)

Pretty in pink - uncooked scone

Before glazing

4. Once on the tray, shape the dough into a 1-inch thick flat, round circle and cut into six triangular scones. Separate scones, leaving a space of 2-inches in between each.

5. Bake for 15 minutes until tops are light, golden brown. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. If you try to lift them up while they are still hot, the scones are fragile and likely to crumble and fall apart.

6. Prepare glaze by mixing the melted butter with icing sugar and dragonfruit puree, then add milk slowly to reach a glazing consistency. Spoon glaze onto cooled scones and serve.