Elderflower is starting to bloom, so what better time to make the most of it! I love the combination of elderflower and lime, so dusted off my 'How To Be A Domestic Goddess' book by Nigella Lawson to make an epic lime curd to go with the cake.
There are so many things you can do with elderflower, from syrups, jams and honeys and a whole variety of alcohols.
As it was early in the season when I made this, I only had a small handful of elderflower so decided to use it to garnish the cake, and used elderflower cordial instead.
So fear not, you can still make this recipe even if you haven't gone out foraging.
If you have, or want to make your own syrup, you can use that in place of the cordial, which is what I plan to do once mine is ready.
I use this elderflower syrup recipe from All That I'm Eating.
Notes on the elderflower and lime cake recipe:
Firstly it uses part butter, part oil.
This is because I love the crumb you get from a good buttery sponge, but they can dry and go stale quickly. So I find substituting a little butter for vegetable oil helps to keep it moist for longer.
Secondly, I also substitute part of the flour for wholemeal flour.
This is for the extra texture. Trust me it adds a depth to the sponge which is delicious, and also helps keep it from going soggy with the addition of the syrup.
Finally, a little tip to help you get perfectly risen, flat cakes that look beautiful is... two old rags!
That's right!
Cut an old tea towel in half lengthways, dampen, and carefully tie around the cake tin before baking. Make sure it doesn't get under the tin otherwise it will rise slanted (I've made this mistake).
But if you get it just right, the cakes will come out perfectly flat and that makes for a much better looking cake.
A note on the lime curd too:
There is nothing wrong with buying some from the supermarket, but if you do want to make your own, the best recipe by far I have tried is the one from Nigella's How To Be A Domestic Goddess book.
I have included the recipe I used in this cake for ease, but it was more of a concoction of what I had in the house.
It still turned out delicious, but not quite to Nigella's standards.
Elderflower and Lime Cake
Ingredients
- CAKE
- 150 g Self raising flour
- 75 g Wholemeal flour
- 150 g softened butter
- 75 g vegetable oil rapeseed or sunflower is best
- 225 g Soft brown sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1/2 lime zest
- juice 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon elderflower cordial/syrup
- LIME CURD
- 150 g butter
- 150 g Soft brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 lime juice
- 1 lime zest
- BUTTERCREAM
- 200 g butter
- 250 g icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon elderflower cordial/syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or essence
Instructions
- First make the lime curd (if making home made)
- In a bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water, add the butter, lime juice and zest, and the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- In a separate bowl whisk the eggs until they are thick and pale.
- Add the eggs to the butter mixture and keep on the heat. Be sure not to boil the mixture and stir regularly for 25 plus minutes until it has thickened.
- Strain through a fine sieve to remove any lumps or zest and refrigerate.
- For the cakes:
- Pre heat the oven to 170'C
- Take 2 20cm cake tins and butter well.
- Cream the butter,oil and sugar together until pale.
- Add the eggs, vanilla and lime zest and mix again fully.
- Slowly combine the flour, and mix until there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth.
- Separate between the two cake tins and bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- While baking combine the lime juice and elderflower syrup and set to one side.
- Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven and poke small holes into the sponge with a skewer, then carefully and evenly pour the lime juice and syrup mixture over the two cakes and allow to cool before turning out of the pans.
- For the buttercream
- Mix the icing sugar, vanilla, syrup and the butter together with a spoon until roughly combined, then whisk with an electric whisk until pale and fluffly.
- To assemble:
- Spread half the buttercream on one cake, and some of the lime curd (there will be some left over) on the other cake and sandwich together.
- Use the remaining buttercream to decorate the top of the cake.
- Use any excess to smooth along the sides to create a 'bare sides' look. The best tools to use to smooth and shape the buttercream are a palette knife and a spatula.
- Finally decorate with any elderflowers you have left over.
I'm entering this into this months Credit Crunch Munch with Fab Food 4 All and Fuss Free FlavoursĀ
If you're looking for other ideas for using up elderflower you could also try:
Strawberry and elderflower mojitoĀ from Celery & Cupcakes
Elderflower and lime no-churn ice creamĀ from Fuss Free Flavours
Elderflower Panna Cotta (dairy-free)Ā from Hedgecombers
Mint and elderflower slushieĀ from Coriander Queen
Elderflower and gooseberry ice creamĀ from Thinly Spread
Elderflower and white chocolate cupcakes Ā from Tin & Thyme
Oh my gosh those photos are absolutely stunning. I love the second shot where some of the lime curd is busting out of the sides with that rather sexy drizzle. God I love food! this really does look fantastic. Can't wait to forage for some elderflower now this weekend!
What a beautiful cake, I love the idea of elderflower buttercream and with the lime curd too, delicious. Thanks for the flat sponge tip, I will try it next time I make a sponge. Stunning photos.
I've never actually made anything with elderflower (so shaming!) but I did get excited at an elderflower filled hedgerow when I was staying in the country last weekend. It did inspire me to go and forage and give it a go! This cake looks beautiful Lisa, and I love the idea of using lime curd!
Love homemade lime curd and I love the sound of your cake. It looks beautiful. Must go and find some elderflowers before they all disappear.
Your presentation and photography are amazing! I love the way the simple minimalist icing makes the elegant elderflower stand out.
Thanks so much! I was proud of this one too š xxx