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Lemon Elderflower Cake

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this vegan and gluten free Lemon Elderflower Layer Cake is royally delicious! bright lemon cake surrounded by smooth and sweet elderflower frosting.

recipe originally published May 6, 2018

 

Lemon Elderflower Layer Cake on a light green cake stand, cake garnished with pink edible dried flowers and yellow lemon peel curls

Table of Contents

  1. What Is Elderflower?
  2. How To Make A Layer Cake
  3. Tips For The Best Layer Cake
  4. Storing Unfrosted Layer Cake
  5. Storing Frosted Layer Cake
  6. How To Make Lemon Elderflower Layer Cake
  7. Vegan Cake Recipes
  8. Vegan Lemon Recipes
  9. Lemon Elderflower Cake Recipe

Lemon Elderflower Cake

A Lemon Elderflower Layer Cake was the Royal wedding cake of Duke and Duchess Sussex. 

Veering from tradition, spring inspired flavors were the focus of the cake served at their Windsor Castle reception. As soon as I first heard that Prince Harry and Meghan chose to forgo the traditional fruit cake for this bright floral flavor?

I grabbed my favorite elderflower cordial and made one myself.

Lemon Elderflower Layer Cake

This vegan Lemon Elderflower Cake is brunch perfect. It works for Mother’s Day, girls night in, summer birthday celebrations, and every warm weather brunch I host from now until infinity.

You might recall that William and Kate’s 2011 Royal Wedding celebrations included a groom’s cake. It was the Queen’s favorite Chocolate Biscuit Cake, served alongside their multi layered wedding cake.

 

How To Make Lemon Elderflower Cake

For this recipe, we used Elderflower Cordial for the flavoring.

While the elderflower flavor was mainly used in the mousse frosting, we did infuse the flavor into the cake by brushing each cooled lemon cake layer with the cordial.

For this vegan gluten free lemon elderflower cake recipe, I intended the texture to be more dense, something substantial enough to stand as a solid layer cake. The cake has a good crumb, and is closer to a pound cake than a light sponge. Not quite a pound cake, but close.

If you prefer a light sponge, see our other Lemon Cake recipe.

Continue reading for tips on making a layer cake, and using different size cake pans.

 

Lemon Elderflower Layer Cake on light green cake stand; one slice cut from it showing inside layers, slice on plate in front of cake stand

 

What is Elderflower?

Floral and fruity without being perfume-y, Elderflower has been the sweetheart flavor of cocktails for a while. From a small white flower of the elderberry bush, Elderflower is generally found in the form of a cordial or syrup.

Elderflower cordial is easy to find! Many stores carry it, and is available to order online.

 

How To Make A Layer Cake

This vegan gluten free Lemon Elderflower Layer Cake has been made several times, in different sizes:

 

Tips For the Best layer Cake:

  • Measure the same amount of cake batter into each cake pan, ensuring uniform layers
  • Cool layers completely before trimming or frosting
  • Carefully trim each layer for a flat top, using a serrated knife
  • Use an offset spatula to fill each layer, evenly spreading frosting 
  • Allow frosting to go past the edge of each layer – this will incorporate into the final outer frosting

 

overhead view of full Lemon Elderflower Layer Cake on a light green cake stand; cake garnished with pink edible dried flowers and yellow curled lemon peel

 

Storing Unfrosted Layer Cake

The layers of cake can be made ahead of time:

  • Wrap each unfrosted layer of cake in plastic wrap – carefully, completely, and separately.
  • Stack the tightly wrapped layers and wrap them all together in another piece of plastic wrap.
  • Store at room temperature or in refrigerator for 2-3 days.
  • Storing longer than 2-3 days? Place the above wrapped cakes in a freezer safe ziplock / container and freeze. 
 

Storing Frosted Layer Cake

  • A frosted layer cake will keep 3-4 days. Store in refrigerator, loosely covered in plastic wrap. Tip: poke toothpicks around outer edge of cake, to keep plastic wrap from touching frosting.
  • If there is fresh fruit or curd, enjoy the cake within 2 days, tops.

 

single slice of Vegan Lemon Elderflower Cake, garnished with yellow lemon peel curls and pink edible dried flowers

 

Vegan Cake Recipes

 

Vegan Lemon Recipes

 

single bite of Lemon Elderflower Layer Cake on a fork: white frosting, yellow lemon peel curl, pink edible dried flower

 

slice of Lemon Elderflower Cake with white frosting on a tea saucer, slice of lemon in background

 

Did You Make This Recipe? 

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Yield: 1 layer cake

Lemon Elderflower Cake

Lemon Elderflower Cake

Royally Delicious! this vegan and gluten free cake has bright and light flavors surrounded by smooth and sweet elderflower frosting.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

(make ahead) 1 batch Elderflower Mousse:

  • 1 (14 ounce) block extra-firm tofu, drained
  • 3 tablespoons vegan powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup elderflower cordial
  • 1/2 cup (full fat) canned coconut cream (solid from top of can)
  • 6 ounces (1 cup) vegan white chocolate, chips or chopped

Cake:

Instructions

MOUSSE:

    1. Add tofu, powdered sugar, and elderflower cordial to blender. Pulse a few times to roughly combine.
    2. Heat milk to a simmer in small saucepan over low heat. Add chopped white chocolate or chips, stirring until melted into warm milk. Remove from heat.
    3. Immediately and carefully transfer melted chocolate milk to blender. Cover and blend just until contents are completely smooth.
    4. Transfer mixture to container with a cover. Refrigerate several hours to set into a mousse consistency.

    CAKE:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease cake tins and line with parchment (two 8 inch, five 5 inch, etcetera).
  2. Combine milk, coconut oil, applesauce, lemon juice and zest, lemon oil, and sugar. Beat with hand mixer, or (vigorously beat by hand) until completely combined and smooth.
  3. In a small bowl, sift together flours, cornstarch, baking powder and soda. Fold these dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Do not use mixer for this part, do not over mix - stir until just combined and smooth.
  4. Transfer batter evenly among cake tins, smoothing into even layer.
  5. Bake cakes at 350 °F.
  6. Bake for approximately these times, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean: 20 minutes for 5 inch cake tins, 25 minutes for 8 inch cake tins, 30+ minutes for 9 inch or larger.
  7. Remove cakes from oven, set on wire rack to cool slightly before removing from cake tins.
  8. Cool cakes on wire rack completely before frosting.
  9. Carefully cover and move cakes to refrigerator to 'set' frosting, at least one hour. Remove at least one half hour before serving to soften cooled cake.
  10. Store covered in refrigerator.

Notes

cake is dairy, egg, and gluten free, vegan

*Alternatively: if not gluten free, you can use an (accidentally vegan - check the ingredients) boxed cake mix + 12 ounces of lemon lime soda - that is it! no other ingredients! (optional add of lemon oil if you use vanilla / white cake) this gives you Super Fluffy Cake!)

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 281 Total Fat: 15g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 10g Cholesterol: 34mg Sodium: 83mg Carbohydrates: 21g Net Carbohydrates: 17g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 22g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 6g
nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.
© Kristina Sloggett
Cuisine: American / Category: Dessert

 

 

about Kristina:

spabettie Kristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food!  Read more…

 

 

 

 

 

spabettie / Kristina Sloggett is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

 

 

Comments

  2. Jenna says

    I made this for mothers day, and will make it again this afternoon!! big wedding party late tonight (viewing party) and I will have this cake and your biscuit cake too. when I made it the first time, I used a sheet pan and then cut in half for a tall square. (I haven’t made a layer cake before, I hope today’s effort looks half as good as yours!) thank you for contributing to the fun of our weekend 🙂

    Reply

    • Kristina Sloggett says

      SO HAPPY you liked it enough to make twice, Jenna!! YAY! the fact that this was part of both celebrations? you really did make my day. thank YOU.

      Reply

  3. Rickee says

    SO beautiful and subtle. I tried this out last weekend for my mom and day and they loved it. Although it didn;t look as divine as yours, the taste was still something out of the world. Now I am going to check what went wrong with the looks and prepare it again when they come back to stay with me for a month. And I;m going to check out more of your blog when they do. Excited!!!!

    Reply

  4. Amanda says

    This cake is absolutely beautiful! I love the combo of the lemon peel with the flowers. It is as perfect as the light floral and tart lemony combination for the cake.

    Reply

  5. Leslie says

    This cake is so beautiful! I’ve not had elderflower cordial, but it sounds delicious. I’ll have to try this recipe for the next brunch I attend.

    Reply

  6. Andrea says

    my mom would love this, i should make this for her when i go visit her later on this month. i wont be with her for mothers day but i am sure she will love this.

    Reply

    • Kristina Sloggett says

      thank you! layer cakes are extremely difficult for me to orchestrate, so I am happy when I hear this kind of feedback! I was happy with the result… 🙂

      Reply

  8. Alisa says

    You are just too much fun! First off, this stunning cake is definitely fit for a princess. It looks amazing! Second, I love that you get up at 4am to eat cake and watch the weddings – I’ve got a good friend who would LOVE to be right there with you. Me, I’m too lazy … but I’ll take a leftover slice of cake when I get up 🙂

    Reply

    • Kristina Sloggett says

      hee – I wasn’t awake for it, ha! we had too many things going on this weekend for me to justify THE NAP that would have been necessary, so I watched when I woke up… 😉

      Reply

  9. Sarah says

    Kristina this cake has me speachless! So beautiful and the flavors sound amazing. I wish I had time to whip one up with my girls for Mother’s Day.
    If I have another sleepless night tonight or tomorrow I might just end up whipping it up for my parents and family here for my grandmother’s funeral.

    Reply

    • Kristina Sloggett says

      I have had several people tell me they made this for mothers day, and one made it a second time for the wedding, ha! if you do make it, enjoy!! 🙂

      Reply

  15. Dianne says

    Cake for breakfast sounds like a great reason to wake up early to me! This looks almost too pretty to eat!

    Reply

    • Kristina Sloggett says

      THANK YOU. I thought the same, but I had already tasted the frosting, so… yep, almost.

      Reply

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