Lemon elderflower cake is a semi-homemade dessert that offers a perfect balance of tangy lemon zest and delicate floral notes, making it both easy to prepare and impressively sophisticated. This charming dessert not only simplifies your baking process but also adds a refreshing twist, making every occasion feel special and celebratory.
Lemon Elderflower Cake: Trying a New Flavor
I was inspired by a royal wedding to create a lemon elderflower cake. Elderflower was a flavor I was unfamiliar with; however, it’s quite popular in the U.K., and I was eager to explore something new. If you haven’t had the chance to taste elderflower, it has a delicate floral flavor that’s both sweet and slightly fruity, reminiscent of a mix between pear and lychee. This unique taste pairs well with the zesty brightness of lemon, resulting in a refreshing and elegant dessert.
Lemon-Elderflower Cake: Buttercream
The lemon elderflower buttercream is the perfect finishing touch to this cake. It has a creamy texture that’s both indulgent and light. With the bright notes of zesty lemon balanced by the delicate floral essence of elderflower syrup, this buttercream is a blend of sweetness and sophistication.
Cake Size
This recipe will make three 6-inch cake layers or two 8-inch layers. You can also make 24 cupcakes from this recipe.
Have the Ingredients at Room Temperature
For optimal baking, it’s important to bring cold ingredients to room temperature before mixing. This includes buttermilk, sour cream, lemon juice, and eggs. When ingredients are at room temperature, they blend more effectively and ensure that the cake layers bake evenly.
Lemon Elderflower Cake: Sift the Dry Ingredients
You do not need a mixer to make this cake because all the ingredients are stirred together. However, you will need to sift the cake mix to break up any clumps before adding it to the wet mixture. Use an old-fashioned sifter or a wire mesh strainer to sift. If using a mesh strainer, place the dry ingredients in it and either shake it or use a small whisk or a large spoon to stir them through the strainer until they are all sifted through.
Sifting the dry ingredients keeps lumps out of the batter and lets you stir less, resulting in a tender cake. Over-stirring causes gluten to form, resulting in a chewy cake rather than a light and airy one.
Layer Cake Baking Tip
Layer cakes can sometimes stick to the pans and tear when you try to remove them. Fortunately, there is a way to prevent this with parchment paper.
- Grease and flour the pans as you normally would.
- Cut circles from parchment paper and fit them into the bottoms of the pans. Cut them slightly smaller than the bottom of the pan so they don’t overlap the sides. (You can also buy precut parchment circles.)
- Grease and flour the parchment circles (optional)
- Pour the cake batter into the pans.
These circles help the cake come out of the pans without tearing. Once you flip the cakes out of the pans, peel off the parchment papers and discard them.
Lemon Elderflower Cake: The Layers Bake Quickly
These cake layers will bake quickly, so be ready to check them with a toothpick as soon as the timer goes off. Also, be sure not to overbake them so they will be light, airy, and delicious! Enjoy!
Other Cake Recipes You Might Enjoy
Click on each name or photo to link to the recipe.
Lemon Elderflower Cake
Equipment
- (3) 6-inch cake pans
- fine mesh strainer (sieve) for sifting flour
- piping bag
- medium-sized star tip
Ingredients
Cake
- zest from 1 lemon
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ⅔ cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 box white cake mix (Duncan Hines used)
- vegetable shortening (for coating the pans)
- extra flour (for coating the pans)
Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1.5 tablespoons elderflower syrup
- 1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 large lemon, zested
Decorations
- edible flowers
- 1 lemon, sliced
- ⅛ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour the cake pans. Cut parchment paper circles and place them in the prepared pans. Grease and flour the parchment circles.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and juice, buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla, eggs, egg white, and oil until smooth and well blended.
- Sift the cake mix into the wet ingredients. Stir just until blended. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake on the center rack for 26-28 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check for doneness. If it comes out clean or with crumbs, the cake is done. If not, bake for a few additional minutes and check it again with a toothpick.
- After baking, let cakes cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and flip onto a cooling rack. Remove the parchment paper circles and cool completely.
Buttercream
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth.
- Sift sugar and salt together, then add it to the butter one cup at a time, beating until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the elderflower syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and beat until thoroughly mixed for about 5 minutes.
- Frost each layer, taking time to smooth the frosting as you go. Use a piping bag fitted with a star tip to pipe buttercream stars around the bottom of the cake.
Decorations
- Wash and dry the edible flowers, then set them aside.
- Cut the lemon into slices and set aside.
- Cut flower stems to the desired length. Shorter stems work best.
- Heat the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted. Dip the flower stems in the chocolate to seal them; let them dry.
- Place flowers and lemon slices on the cake in a pleasing arrangement.