This royal wedding inspired Lemon Elderflower Cake is going to rock your world! Zingy lemon cake, paired with light and fluffy elderflower buttercream and filled with rich lemon curd – combination worthy of any celebration!
Preheat your fan oven to 160°C (325°F). Grease and line with parchment paper three 6" round cake tins.
In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk until combined and set aside.
In a measuring jug combine sour cream, lemon juice, elderflower cordial and vanilla extract. These are your wet ingredients.
In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, lemon zest and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. (approx. 3 min) Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
Turn the mixer to medium-low speed and add eggs one at a time - making sure it's fully incorporated after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
Alternatively add your dry and wet ingredients, starting and finishing with dry ones. (3 additions of dry and 2 of wet ingredients)
Divide the batter evenly among the 3 tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until skewer inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
Once they're done, let the cakes cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack before removing them from the pans to cool completely.
Elderflower Ermine Buttercream
In a small saucepan combine flour, sugar, salt and milk. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until it thickens.
Once it's done, put a cling film over it touching the surface to prevent "skin" forming and let it cool to room temperature. This is your pudding base. You can do this in a fridge, but before using it let it come to room temperature.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 5 minutes until it's pale and fluffy. Then add spoonful by spoonful of previously made pudding. Mix until it's all nicely incorporated and with no lumps. Add the elderflower cordial and beat for another 30 seconds.
Lemon Curd
In a glass heatproof bowl, using a whisk, combine egg yolks, an egg, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Place the bowl over a bain-marie (a pan of simmering water).
Cook on medium to high heat, whisking constantly so you don't scramble eggs, until it thickens. It takes around 10-15 minutes. It's ready when it can coat the back of a wooden spoon. It will thicken more once cooled.
Once it's done, add the cooled cubed butter and whisk until everything is incorporated and smooth. Strain the curd through a sieve to get rid of any lumps that may have happened and place in a glass jar.
Refrigerate for a couple of hours, until it thickens enough so you can spread it on top of a cake.
Assembly
Using a cake leveler or a long serrated knife level the tops of your cakes if needed.
In the middle of your cake board or a serving plate put some buttercream to stop the cake from moving around.
Spread a nice layer of buttercream on top of the first layer and pipe a border around the outside to hold the lemon curd in. Repeat with the next layer.
Place final layer on top, upside down, and do a thin crumb coat on the cake. For a naked look, leave it like that.
If you want to decorate a whole cake with buttercream, place the crumb coated cake in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before final decorating. The recipe yields enough to coat the whole cake with buttercream.
Notes
If you don't have a standing mixer you can use a hand mixer.
Not all ovens are the same. I suggest to check the cakes at 18 min mark and then adjust the baking time accordingly. Get to know your oven! ;)