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Lemon and elderflower cake
Did you know Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had a lemon and elderflower cake at their wedding? Now you can make a royal-worthy dessert at home!
YIELDS
4
TO
6
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from one large lemon
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2/3 cup milk, room temperature
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed, from one medium lemon
Elderflower Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting and Filling
- 600g sugar
- 450g egg whites
- 675g butter, cubed room temperature
- 350g white chocolate, melted
- 2-4 tablespoons Elderflower liqueur
Elderflower Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup organic sugar
- 1 cup fresh elder flowers or 1/2 cup organic dried elder flowers
- Zest of one lemon or 1 teaspoon organic lemon peel powder
- 1/2 tablespoon crushed organic cardamom pods
Berry Compote
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups raspberries
- 1/2 lemon juice and zest
- 2 cups sugar
Directions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour three eight-inch cake rounds and line them with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, and lemon zest until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (approximately three minutes).
- Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture with milk and lemon juice, beginning and ending with flour (three additions of flour and two of milk and lemon juice). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Spread batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
- Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto the wire rack to cool completely.
Elderflower Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting and Filling
- In a large bowl over a bain-marie, combine egg whites and sugar and cook whisking until tacky stage.
- Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until cool to the touch.
- Add in softened butter in stages and whisk until incorporated.
- Switch to the paddle attachment and add melted white chocolate and Elderflower liqueur.
- Beat until incorporated.
- Set aside, and covered with cling wrap until assembling the final cake.
Elderflower Simple Syrup
- Add water and sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to just below a boil on medium heat.
- Add elderflowers, lemon zest or lemon peel powder, and cardamom. Infuse for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Strain well. Leave to cool and drizzle on each cake layer, completely soaking the top side of each.
- Set aside until assembling the final cake.
Berry Compote
- Crush berries in a pan, add sugar, lemon juice, and zest, and bring to a boil for four minutes
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely before proceeding with assembly.
Assemble and Serve
- Place one soaked cake layer onto a cake board. Pipe a border of buttercream to the edge of the cake.
- Inside the border fill with the berry compote
- Place the second soaked layer on top of the buttercream/ compote and repeat the buttercream border and compote filling
- Place the third final layer on top of the buttercream/ compote and apply crumb coat with buttercream to the full cake. Place in the refrigerator to cool for one to two hours
- Apply the final coat of buttercream to the cooled cake and decorate it to your personal taste. Enjoy!
