Many people, including me, use these fragrant flowers to make Elderflower Cordial but they can also be used to make beautiful floral-flavoured Elderflower Gin. Unlike some flavoured gins, such as Rhubarb Gin, which take a number of weeks to mature before they can be drunk, Elderflower Gin is ready the next day! It is great on its own or with a mixer, such as tonic, or with sparkling wine.
Elderflowers are a good starting point for new “foragers” as they are so widely available and easily recognisable. They are the blossoms of the elder (Sambucus nigra) which is a small tree or shrub commonly found in woodlands and gardens throughout the UK. The small creamy-white flowers are arranged in big clusters and bloom in late May or early June. In autumn, they turn into purple elderberries which also have a range of culinary uses.
This Rose and Strawberry Cream cake is one of my favourite show-stopping recipes for a summer celebration. It is a basic Victoria sponge cake, delicately flavoured with rose, sandwiched with rose-scented strawberry jam and whipped cream.
I created this Rose and Strawberry Cream Cake for a family birthday. My brief was to produce a simple Victoria Sandwich cake with jam and cream with no “funny stuff” (why do my family always say this….?). I tried very hard to stick to the brief and started off with a classic strawberry-and-cream Victoria Sandwich cake but, inevitably, I got enthused by the possibilities of adding an element of rose (strawberry and rose – such a great combination!).
My efforts resulted in a lovely buttery Victoria sponge, sandwiched together with strawberry and rose-flavoured jam and billowing cream, and adorned by romantically-strewn rose petals. I was very proud until my daughter said to me “It’s not the most masculine of cakes, is it?” and I was struck by the realisation that perhaps my hearty, hill-walking husband might not be as enthusiastic about the rose petals as I was….. Luckily, he tends to focus on how things taste and was quite happy with his rather girly looking cake. (And as one of my sons, quite rightly, commented, “you need to break those gender stereotypes, mum…!”).
What you need to know about my Rose and Strawberry Cream cake
It is very easy to make. I generally make it the day before we are planning to eat it as you need to make sure the cake is completely cool before assembling it.
You don’t need access to fresh roses in order to make this cake as the flavouring comes from rosewater. I have lots of roses in my garden and often make Crystallised Rose Petals to decorate the cake. They are very easy to make but you do need to make them the day before so that they have time to dry off. However, if you do not have access to fresh roses which you are certain have not been chemically-sprayed, you can decorate the cake differently. For example, sliced fresh strawberries or piped cream would look pretty good.
I use my home-made Strawberry and Rose Geranium Jam in this cake but, if you don’t have the time or inclination to make this, you can flavour ordinary strawberry jam with rosewater. Just add a few drops of rosewater to four tablespoons of home-made or store-bought strawberry jam.
Set your oven to 180 degrees centigrade, 350 degrees fahrenheit or Gas Mark 4.
Cream the butter with the sugar. (I usually soften the butter for about 30 seconds in the microwave first as it makes it much easier!)
Gradually add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture. If it looks as if it is going to curdle, add some of the self-raising flour.
Once the eggs have been incorporated add the rest of the self-raising flour.
Add the milk, vanilla extract and rosewater.
Grease your Victoria Sandwich tins or containers and then add the cake mixture.
Bake your cakes in the oven for around 35 minutes. They are done when they are golden brown, springy to the touch and have shrunk away from the edge of the tin. You can test this by inserting a skewer in the middle of the cake – if it comes out cleanly with no mixture attached, your cake is done.
Allow your cakes to cool on a rack before removing them from the tins or containers.
Method: Filling and topping
Spread the rose-flavoured strawberry jam over the top of one of your cakes.
Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Spread it on top of the jam. Then place the other cake on top.
Put the icing sugar in a sieve and sift it over the top of the assembled cake.
In the (unlikely) event that there is any cake left over, this needs to be stored in the fridge due to the cream icing. It will keep for a couple of days but, like all sponge cakes, it tastes better when it is freshly made.
It is early summer, the roses are blooming and it is time to make Crystallised Rose Petals! I love using edible flowers in my cooking and roses are one of my favourites as they smell wonderful and come in some many fantastic colours – ruby red, crimson, shell pink, soft yellow, pure white…. There is something very romantic and decadent about strewing rose petals over your home-made cake or dessert!
These sugary petals are really easy to make providing you have access to flowers that you know have not been treated with any chemicals. If you have roses in your garden, or have a kind friend or neighbour who does, you are all set! Don’t use roses that are sold as cut flowers as they probably will have been chemically treated.
You can crystallise any kind of edible flower. It has the effect of both preserving the petals – if you don’t do this, they wilt very quickly – and also making them taste sweet and sugary!
It is very easy to make Crystallised Rose petals, in fact it is a great activity to do with children. However, if you are planning on using them to decorate a cake or pudding, you do need to make them the day before to allow them time to dry.
Sugary Crystallised Rose Petals look beautiful as a decoration on cakes and puddings and add a delicious rose flavour.
Ingredients
Scale
Petals from 3–4 roses
1 egg white
Caster sugar
Instructions
Wash the rose petals and dry gently using kitchen paper.
Paint each petal with egg white and then dip it into the caster sugar.
Place on the cake rack to dry and harden. This will take about 24 hours.
Use to decorate cakes or puddings.
Notes
Make sure that you use rose petals that have not been treated with any chemicals. The best place is from your garden as you will know what has been used on the roses. Don’t use shop-bought roses unless they are specifically designated as being for culinary use.
The flavour will be better if you use strongly scented roses.
Lilac cake with mascarpone and lilac honey frosting
Lilac and Vanilla Victoria Sandwich Cake with Lilac Honey and Mascarpone Frosting
This Lilac and Vanilla Victoria Sandwich Cake is early summer on a plate! It tastes wonderful – creamy, buttery and floral – and looks beautiful with its decoration of edible flowers. I made my Lilac Cake for a special family tea, which thanks to recent surprisingly sunny weather, we were actually able to eat in the garden, close to the tree that had provided the blossoms.
This is a simple Victoria Sandwich cake, which is flavoured with lilac through the use of Lilac Sugar in the cake mix and Lilac Honey in the frosting. It is really easy to make both the flavoured Sugar and Honey but you need to do this around a week before you plan to make your Lilac Cakee to allow the lilac flavour to be absorbed. If you don’t have the time, inclination or opportunity to do this, you can make the cake without the lilac flavour – just use ordinary sugar in the cake mix and ordinary honey in the frosting. The cake will still be delicious but, personally, I think it is worth going down the lilac route as the taste is unusual and results in a beautiful floral cake (to taste and to look at!) which captures the spirit of an early English summer.
Lilac honey
Equipment
2 x 21 cm [amazon_textlink asin=’B002G35WFC|B00K5ZK81G|B002G35WFC|B014J9VFOC|B002G35WFC’ text=’Victoria Sandwich tins’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’tastebotanica-21success|tastebotanica-20|tastebotani0c-21success|tastebotani0a-21success|tastebotani01-21success’ marketplace=’UK|US|IT|FR|DE’ link_id=’936725f8-6890-11e8-ac41-2f4f94c5f60d’] or containers
This is a fabulous Lilac Cake which celebrates the taste of English lilac. It looks and tastes amazing and would be fantastic for an early summer birthday or special party.
Set your oven to 180 degrees centigrade or Gas Mark 4.
Cream the butter with the sugar. (I usually soften the butter for about 30 seconds in the microwave first as it makes it much easier!)
Gradually add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture. If it looks as if it is going to curdle, add some of the self-raising flour.
Once the eggs have been incorporated add the rest of the self-raising flour.
Add the milk and the vanilla extract. It really makes a difference if you use a good quality vanilla extract – as opposed to vanilla essence – as this will give it a much more intense flavour.
Grease your Victoria Sandwich tins or containers and then add the cake mixture.
Bake your cakes in the oven for around 35 minutes. They are done when they are golden brown, springy to the touch and have shrunk away from the edge of the tin. You can test this by inserting a skewer in the middle of the cake – if it comes out cleanly with no mixture attached, your cake is done.
Allow your cakes to cool on a rack before removing them from the tins or containers.
Method: Frosting
Beat the mascarpone and honey together in a food processor or using a hand blender until the mixture has thickened slightly.
Use a third of the frosting to sandwich together your two cakes.
Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the assembled Lilac Cake.
Take the small lilac flowers off the flower heads and wash them in cold water. Allow to dry off on kitchen towel and then use them to decorate the top of the cake. You need to complete this part of the decoration just before you are ready to serve the cake to ensure that the flowers look fresh and lovely!
In the (unlikely) event that there is any Lilac Cake left over, this needs to be stored in the fridge due to the mascarpone icing. It will keep for a couple of days but, like all sponge cakes, it tastes better when it is freshly made.
Notes
Make sure that the lilac you use has not been treated with chemicals. The best place to get it is from your garden or that of a friend or neighbour. Shop-bought lilac is not suitable for this recipe.
These Elderflower and Lemon Cupcakes are the perfect easy summer baking recipe. The sponge is light and buttery. The use of fresh lemon makes them fresh and zesty and perfectly balances the floral flavour of the elderflower. The flavour of the cakes is echoed in the buttercream which is flavoured with fresh lemon juice and elderflower cordial.
Over the past few years, elderflower has become a very popular flavouring for all kinds of cakes and desserts. I first made these Elderflower Cupcakes a number of years ago at the request of my daughter for her to share with her biology class. Each week a member of the class brings in cakes to share – school doesn’t sound so bad nowadays – and she specifically asked me not to make cakes with an unusual flavour. Her exact words were “don’t make the flavour too ‘out there’, mum”. After a focused discussion, during which various flavours were discounted – lilac? (No), Lady Grey tea? (No!), dandelion? (Seriously?!!) – we agreed on elderflower.
Although I love elderflower and use it in desserts regularly, this was the first time I had tried it in Elderflower Cupcakes. I am not really a big cupcake maker! I made two batches – one with just elderflower and one with elderflower and lemon. When I tasted them, I understood immediately why it is usual to include lemon as an additional flavouring. The cupcakes made just with elderflower were far too sweet for my taste but those made with elderflower and lemon were just right – floral but zesty!
What you need to know about these cupcakes
You don’t need access to fresh elderflowers to make them. In England, elderflowers are in season in May and June and are very common in hedgerows and the edge of woodland. I use fresh elderflowers to make many recipes including Elderflower Cordial. I really love making my own cordial but you can make these cupcakes using store-bought cordial and they taste just as good.
Cupcakes are very easy to make and quick to bake. Therefore, you can whip up a batch in under half an hour. However, you need to allow them to cool completely before you add the buttercream icing otherwise it will just melt into the cakes. I generally make these cakes the day before I plan to eat them so they have plenty of time to cool down.
I am not a brilliant icing piper. When I make these cupcakes, I generally simply put a teaspoon of icing onto each cake and smooth it down. I will always add some additional decorative element to make up for my lack of icing skills. If fresh elderflowers are in season, I will add a sprig to each cake. If not, I will add a little grated lemon zest as I think it is helpful to give a clue to the flavour of the cakes.
I am a big fan of elderflower and love its distinctive floral flavour. I have lots of recipes, some using fresh elderflowers and some which can be made with shop-bought elderflower cordial.
Fresh Elderflower Cordial – very easy to make with fresh elderflowers and can be diluted as a drink and also used as a flavouring in other recipes.
Home-made Elderflower Gin – very easy to make with fresh elderflowers and great drunk on its own or as the basis for floral cocktails.
Elderflower Vinegar – delicious floral flavoured vinegar which is brilliant in salad dressings
Simple Elderflower Ice Cream – delicious floral ice cream which can be made using shop-bought elderflower cordial.
Elderflower and Gooseberry Sorbet – a refreshing floral sorbet that celebrates the brilliant flavour match of elderflower and gooseberry.
Make the cake batter by creaming together the 250 g butter with the 250 g sugar. Add the eggs gradually to ensure the mixture does not curdle. Then add the 250 g self-raising flour.
Add the grated lemon zest and the 4 tbs of cordial to the mixture and stir to combine.
Put a dessert spoon of the cake mixture into each of the cupcake papers.
Put your cupcake trays into the oven and cook for around 15 minutes. The cakes will be done when they are golden brown and springy to the touch.
Remove the cupcakes from the trays and put on a rack to cool.
Make the icing by putting the 500g icing sugar, 250 g butter, lemon juice and 3 tbs elderflower cordial in a mixing bowl and beating until they form a pale, smooth icing. Ice the cooled cupcakes and decorate as you wish!
