Lemon Elderflower Cake Recipe

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This easy recipe for a Lemon Elderflower Cake is light and fluffy and full of summertime flavor. Frosted with an elderflower meringue buttercream, with lemon curd in the center and a light dusting of dried elderflowers.

Check out all of our lemon recipes too!

I’m beyond excited to share this cake recipe! Not surprisingly, my favorite detail about the Royal wedding happing in May is the cake!

A very lucky native California baker, now London-based, Claire Ptak has been hired to bake a lemon elderflower cake for the celebration.

The flavor combination sounded so fresh and springy to me, I had to try one for myself! Elderflower is a small white flower that blooms in the summer. It has a warm floral flavor.

Close up of sliced lemons on top of the cake

The flowers can be pretty hard to find fresh during the year. Instead, we used St-Germain which is an elderflower liquor that’s easily available at most liquor stores.

To garnish the cake, I bought dried organic elderflowers on Etsy. They were perfect to sprinkle over the top of our lemon elderflower cake!

This cake literally reminds me so much of something you would taste at a wedding!

How to make Lemon Elderflower Cake

Ingredient Notes

Cake flour

Baking powder

Salt

Whole milk

Granulated sugar

Egg whites

Unsalted butter, room temp

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lemon extract

Elderflower liqueur

Directions

  • Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
  • Beat the butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy and add in lemon zest.
  • Using a fork whisk egg whites, milk, and extract together in a bowl.
  • Alternate the dry and wet ingredients into the butter mixture beating on medium until incorporated.
  • Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans with butter and parchment paper.
  • Pour the batter evenly into the pans and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.
  • Do not overbake or they will become dry.
  • Mix 1 cup lemon curd with 3 teaspoons elderflower liqueur to spread in the middle of the cake when it’s cooled.
  • Once the cake is baked and cooled, remove it from each pan and spread a layer of lemon curd on one layer. Then stack them and continue frosting with the buttercream.
A slice of lemon elderflower cake on a white plate

What is lemon Elderflower Cake?

This cake is a classic white lemon cake with elderflower lemon curd in the center and an elderflower meringue buttercream frosting.

The cake is moist and the flavors are present in every bite! They’re not overpowering, but just right.

Lemon Elderflower Cake with Buttercream Meringue Frosting

The buttercream meringue is one of my favorite frosting recipes. It’s light in texture and flavor and the consistency is creamy and whipped!

It’s really so good!! This frosting is flavored with elderflower liquor and fresh lemon for a beautifully delicious topping.

A lemon elderflower cake decorated with slices of lemon

What does it taste like?

This cake is the perfect balance of floral flavors and fresh lemon. If you’ve ever had a really good white cake, it’s very similar to that. A moist white cake with lemon and the best buttercream meringue frosting!

It’s such a perfect summer cake as it’s very light and even better, perfect for a wedding! If you only make one cake this year, you have to make this one!

Tips for making Lemon Elderflower Cake

  • Make sure the cake has cooled before layering it and adding the buttercream.
  • Do not overbake the cakes or they will become dry.
  • Grease your cake pans and use parchment so they don’t stick.
  • Make sure your cake ingredients are at room temperature.
A slice of cake on a plate

Be sure to check these other occasion cakes!

Orange Rum Cake with Meringue Buttercream

Momofuku Milk Bar’s 4th July Cake

Marble Drip Cake

Buttermilk Cake Recipe

The Best Lavender Cake

Easy Pistachio Cake

Super Moist Chocolate Cake

Let us know what you think!

If you have tried this Lemon Elderflower Cake recipe, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

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Lemon Elderflower Cake Recipe

Lemon Elderflower Cake Recipe

A cake that’s perfect for summer
4.50 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings (one 8″ cake)
Calories: 559kcal
Author: Eden

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups cake flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 3/4 cup butter, room temp
  • 1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
  • 1 jar fresh lemon curd for the filling

Instructions

  • Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
  • Beat the butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy and add in lemon zest.
  • Using a fork whisk egg whites, milk and extract together in a bowl.
  • Alternate the dry and wet ingredients into the butter mixture beating on medium until incorporated.
  • Prepare two 8 inch round cake pans with butter and parchment paper.
  • Pour the batter evenly into the pans and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
  • Do you not over bakes or they will become dry.
  • Mix 1 cup lemon curd with 3 teaspoons elderflower liqueur to spread in the middle of the cake when it’s cooled.

Nutrition

Serving: 0g | Calories: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 384mg | Potassium: 261mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @sugarandcharm or tag us #sugarandcharm!
Lemon Elderflower Cake

Lemon Elderflower Buttercream Frosting Recipe

A light and citrusy buttercream
4.75 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings (for an 8″ cake)
Calories: 416kcal
Author: Eden

Ingredients

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon extract
  • 1 tbsp elderflower liqueur

Instructions

  • Add the sugar and the egg whites into a heatproof mixing bowl.
  • Fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water.
  • Whisk constantly until the mixture is hot, sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are a little frothy. About 4 minutes. It should look like a shiny marshmallow cream.
  • With the whisk attachment, transfer to a mixing bowl and beat eggs on medium speed until cooled and thicker for about 5 minutes.
  • Switch to the paddle attachment and add in one stick of room temperature butter at a time, beating until smooth.
  • On medium speed, add in the lemon juice and elderflower liqueur.
  • If the buttercream curdles or separates, just keep beating until it comes back together. You should end up with a shiny, smooth and absolutely delicious buttercream frosting!

Nutrition

Serving: 0g | Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 29mg | Potassium: 42mg | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 1060IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 10mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @sugarandcharm or tag us #sugarandcharm!

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28 thoughts on “Lemon Elderflower Cake Recipe”

  1. 5 stars
    I made this cake and icing for the first time two years ago and it was a huge success. I’ve made it again omitting the elderflower and it was just as good. I’ve adapted it to my base cake!

    Reply
  2. I just found your site for the very first time and may I say, I’m impressed! It reminds me a lot of the way that Martha used to be. I miss the the old Martha but I’m glad to see that her legacy is being preserved by the next generation. And I mean that as the highest compliment! I will certainly visit again, and thank you for the wonderful recipe. I’m going to try it out very soon.

    Reply
    • Thank you for that Rebecca! That truly is a very sweet comment. I grew up with Martha and she is such an inspiration! I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!

      Reply
  3. I tried this recipe and it came out really dry. I think 1 stick of butter might be wrong. I checked my other cake recipes and for that amount of flour most use 1 cup of butter which is 2 sticks. I will give this recipe another go.

    Reply
  4. Is it possible to make this as a 9×13 and maybe put the curd in as a poke cake? I have a party coming up and think 9×13 might work better…or I can always make 2 cakes 😉

    Reply
  5. I am just getting ready to make the frosting for this cake and I saw below, that someone had trouble with the frosting. Do you have any reply to that comment or are there any suggestions/tips that you can offer?

    Reply
    • Hi Jani! This frosting is SO good when made right! My only tip is to make sure you whisk the sugar and eggs until the eggs are hot and frothy and the sugar is melted. When you think it’s finished keep whisking over the heat for another minute. The temperature is what will make the frosting thick. Other than that it’s a pretty simple recipe. Butter needs to be soft too. Don’t try to beat cold butter in. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  6. Can you please clarify that one stick of butter is 1/2C of butter aka 113g and not 1C of butter? Sticks very in size and the sugar butter combo is very dense.

    Reply
  7. Hi! I making this cake today! It seems to me the cake batter is very liquidy. Are you sure it’s just 2 and 1/4 cups flour? Thanks!

    Reply
  8. tried this for a church supper- made 2, one as a sort of trial: the second cake worked better, but the frosting was a problem. The first one curdled, as warned, so I kept beating, and it became more buttery, but the taste was more butter than lemon, and not very sweet. The second frosting did not curdle, but never became thick enough to frost. I think I may have added to much of the elderflower or juice. Since the frosting is almost a 7 minute frosting, with butter added, I think if I make this again, I will make a 7 minute frosting- no butter- and use lemon extract- and if it will hold its shape, a little elderflower.

    Reply
    • I think this could be easily transformed into cupcakes. The only major thing would be how long you cook them for, so make sure they don’t over cook. Cupcakes cook a lot faster! Also, you could add in some lemon preserves in the center of the cupcake! Good luck!

      Reply
    • I was so excited to make this cake, but was a little bit disappointed in the result. My cake was very sticky, and you mentioned using parchment paper, but never explained what to do with it, so I left it out. The picture of your cake is fluffy and white, where mine came out sticky and honey colored. The timing between battery in the middle and overdone was less than 3 minutes. I also had an issue with my lemon curd. It was cold when I spread it, straight out of the fridge, but it ran all done the sides as soon as I dropped the second layer on top, and when I cut the cake, the curd ran out into a puddle on my cake plate. Any suggestions? I’m not a big cake baker, so I’m hoping you can share some tips and where I may have gone wrong. I’d love to tweak and re-attempt because the flavors are delicious- especially the lemon buttercream frosting!

      Reply
  9. Hi, I would like to make this cake for a Royal Wedding viewing party. I have been looking at some recipes that use elderflower liqueur and others that use elderflower syrup. What is the difference that they individually would have on the cake? Can/should both be used?
    Thanks in advance!

    Reply

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