We’re just a few weeks from the Royal Wedding. You’ve undoubtedly heard that Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake will be a lemon elderflower cake baked by Violet Bakery’s Claire Ptak. It’s not a flavor profile that most of us in the States are all that familiar with, but it’s a well loved harbinger of spring in Northern Europe. Used since Victorian times by herbalists, the bark and berries have served as a cold remedy and to soothe pain after childbirth. Still, the elderflower product that’s most familiar to Americans is likely St. Germain, the French liqueur.
I scoured the Internet and my local stores and tried a few elderflower options so you don’t have to:
- Belvoir Fruit Farms Elderflower Cordial (World Market, $8.99 ) — This is your best option. It’s currently out of stock on World Market online, but check your local World Market store. It’s also available on Amazon, but it’s a bit more expensive.
- Assembly Elderflower Spritz Cocktail Syrup (Target, $7.99) — No discernable elderflower scent or flavor, tastes artificial. SKIP.
- Lemon Elderflower Soda (Trader Joe’s, $3.49) — Lovely elderflower scent, nice balance of lemon flavor.
- St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (Bev Mo, Total Wine, etc.) — 21+ in the US
You can easily make a quick mimosa to toast Harry and Meghan, combining Champagne or Prosecco with a tablespoon or two of the elderflower cordial. It’s non-alcoholic, just a simple syrup mixed with 8 percent elderflower and lemon. That said, it’s strong stuff, so start with 1 T. and go from there.
It’ll be 4 a.m. Pacific as the festivities get going on May 19, so I opted to create the lemon elderflower cake the easy way, using Trader Joe’s boxed vanilla cake mix. It’s clean compared to most boxed mixes. You add eggs, butter and with my recipe, Trader Joe’s lemon elderflower soda and lemon zest. You’ll drizzle the cake with some of the elderflower cordial while it’s still warm. The result is a light, refreshing whiff of spring. It’s far subtler than Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon cake mix, which packs a major lemon punch that overshadows the elderflower completely.
The lemon drizzle loaf cake in the Violet Bakery cookbook is also quite good, if you prefer to go completely from scratch. I was able to check out the book via my library, it’s of course available on Amazon, too.
Lemon Elderflower Cake
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz. box Trader Joe's Vanilla Cake and Baking Mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 c. melted butter (1 stick) + more to grease the baking pan
- 1 c. Trader Joe's lemon elderflower soda
- 2 t. fresh lemon zest
- 2 T. Belvoir Lemon Elderflower cordial
- 1/4 c. powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together eggs, melted butter, soda and lemon zest. Add the cake mix and whisk together until the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 40-43 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pan. Using a toothpick, poke several holes in the cake. Drizzle the still warm cake with the elderflower cordial. When cool, dust the cake with powdered sugar.
If you're making it ahead, dust with powdered sugar just before serving, as the cake will absorb the sugar overnight.
