Royal Wedding Lemon and Elderflower Cake
A free and seasonal fruit coming into our lives in May and June is the much underused Elderflower and this made me think of the wonderful cake enjoyed at the Royal Wedding of Harry and Meghan 2 years ago. Some friends were lucky enough to attend the wedding and told me the cake was absolutely delicious, moist but light and with a very summery flavour...and apparently George Clooney really is a wonderful man! So if you are out on a walk and see some elderflower you can forage, then have a go at this and give yourself a right royal treat! But you must make the elderflowers into cordial first, or just use shop bought cordial.
Ingredients For an 18cm (7-inch) cake:
Zest of 2 lemons 180 g butter 180 g caster sugar
3 large eggs 225 g self-raising flour 2 teaspoons baking powder (10ml)
For the marinade:
1 lemon, juiced 2 tablespoons elderflower cordial (30ml)
For the filling: 2-3 tablespoons lemon curd
For the frosting: 60 g butter, at room temperature 120 g full-fat cream cheese
350 g icing sugar Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon elderflower cordial (5ml) 1 teaspoon lemon curd, rounded tsp (10ml)
Preheat the oven to 190°C/ 170°C fan/ gas mark 5/ 375°F
Line the tins with paper liners
For the cake:
Beat all the cake ingredients together thoroughly
Spoon the mixture equally into the tins. Smooth the tops with a palette knife and make a slight dip in the centre
Cook for 25-30 minutes. Leave the cakes in the tins and marinate the cakes immediately.
For the lemon and elderflower marinade:
Mix the lemon juice and elderflower cordial
Prick the top of the cakes with a cocktail stick. Spoon the marinade over and leave the cakes in the tin to cool.
For the filling and cream cheese frosting:
Zest the lemon. Measure the ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and beat together until smooth – but don’t overbeat
Take the cooled cakes from the tins and put them on your serving plate. Choose the better of the cakes as the top one
If necessary level the tops of the cakes with a sharp knife. I usually use both cakes the right way up, i.e. with the top facing upwards. Spread the lemon curd over the bottom cake and position the other on top. Using a palette knife, smooth the icing over the top and sides of the cake.
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