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Lo and behold, the Royal Wedding Cake is here. This Elderflower and Lemon cake consists of a dedicated sponge filled with loads of whipped cream and fresh berries. Perfect spring cake!
Like a sweet treat in warmer weather? I created this Blueberry Limoncello Trifle with summer in mind!
Spring is in the air or is it love? Although some time has passed, I still remember the buzz and excitement as the country was getting ready to celebrate the royal wedding and planning warmer weather shenanigans!
I didn’t want to be left behind, so my contribution came in the form of a cake. But not just any cake. This is the cake! The Royal Wedding Cake!
Ever since the official flavours of lemon and elderflower were released there’s been so much talk of how unusual the royal choice is!
They walked away from the classic fruit cake in favour of elderflower and lemon cake but can you really blame them? I have never been a fan of fruit cakes so, tradition or not, I am a rebel at heart and I wholeheartedly support them!
Summer cake
Another thing I support is elderflower. In fact I might be THE biggest elderflower supporter out there. I have been known to use it anywhere I could imagine like this Rose Rhubarb Layer Cake, a Pimm’s cocktail or to make my own version of a Bellini.
With summer coming up, I wanted to share a cake that is not as heavy as they come. It’s lighter, both in styling and in flavour.
The fresh summer berries, subtle floral scent of elderflowers and bright lemon flavours take this cake to the next level of deliciousness!
I’ve also styled it with just a thin layer of the cream cheese frosting on the sides of the cake. This is a more subtle look that I think looks perfect for this cake, and keeps the cake from being overwhelmed with sweet, rich frosting.
My whole family approved. Will you?
Serving suggestions
Assembling a cake like this early is always a good option. Keep it in a refrigerator until the time is right, but remember to take it our 20 minutes before serving. Otherwise, the cake can be too firm and the coolness can dull the flavour.
Giving the cake some time to sit at room temperature will mean that it is less dense, and the cream filling will have a far more pleasant texture.
Storage and leftovers
Any cake you have leftover should be refrigerated and eaten in 3-4 days. Keep it in an airtight container like a This is an affiliate link.cake box so it doesn’t dry out or absorb smells from other items in the fridge.
Or to keep it even longer, freeze it! To keep the shape of the cake intact, let it freeze for a couple of hours before covering snugly with plastic wrap. This means that the cake is slightly firm when it comes time to wrap so there is less chance of it becoming crushed.
More stunning cakes
- Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Ricotta Cake
- Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Cake
- Summer Peach Cake with Red Berries
Elderflower, Lemon and Summer Berry Cake (The Royal Wedding Cake)
Ingredients
For the cake
- 500g / 2 cups unsalted butter, cubed
- 300g / 1½ cups sugar, See Recipe Notes if using sugar alternative
- 9 eggs, medium
- 225g / 1¾ cup all purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 90g / 1 cup ground almonds
- 4 lemons, zest only
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.vanilla
For the fruit filling
- 350g / 3 cups mixed summer berries (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries), hulled and chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- 2 tbsp elderflower cordial
For the cream filling
- 300ml / 1⅓ cup double cream/whipping cream
- 100ml / 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, plain and full fat
- 50g / 1/4 cup icing sugar, See Recipe Notes if using sugar alternative
- 2 tsp elderflower cordial
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.vanilla
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350F, gas mark 3. Grease and line 3 x 20cm/8 inch round cake tins.
- Add the butter to a pan and set over a low heat to melt, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
- Add the eggs and sugar to a bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk for 5-7 minutes, until pale and foamy. The volume should triple. With the whisk still running, pour in the melted butter and whisk briefly until combined.
- Gently fold in the flour, baking powder and baking soda, ground almonds, lemon zest and vanilla until just combined- being careful not to over mix so that you keep the nice light texture.
- Once combined divide equally among the prepared cake tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes until light golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins for 10 minutes then carefully remove from their tins and cool on a wire rack.
For the fruit filling
- Meanwhile make the fruit filling. Add the berries, cordial and mint to a bowl, toss gently to coat and set aside for 30 minutes to macerate. Once macerated drain and reserve the juice from the berries.
For the cream filling
- When you are ready to assemble add the cream to a large bowl with the icing sugar and beat with an electric hand whisk until very soft peaks form. Carefully fold in the yogurt and cordial until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
To assemble the cake
- Set one sponge on a serving plate and evenly spread over one third of the cream mixture ensuring it goes right to the edge. Make a round dip in the middle of the cream and spoon in a quarter of the drained berry mix. Place the second sponge on top and repeat this process with the next layer.
- Finish with the final sponge layer. Spread half the remaining cream over the top of the cake and then use a long pallet knife to spread the rest of the cream mixture around the cake, giving the edges of the sponge a thin crumb coating and a smooth finish. Garnish the top of the cake and plate with flowers and serve with the remaining berries and elderflower juices.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So glad i found your recipe through Pinterest. I have a celebration here next week and wanted to make this. I love the combination and like you love elderflower
I hope you love the cake as much as we did, Carol! Enjoy your celebration!
Hello,
Can this cake stand at room temperature for a party or will it start to melt? Which cake would you recommend that has white colored cream that can be used to display during a party?
I wouldn’t recommend having this cake displayed for hours, Natalie. The cream filling can spoil very quickly, especially in the summer. You can use a typical American buttercream, which is a combination of butter and powdered sugar with a touch of milk. It will be food safe at room temperature and more stable but once again if it gets too hot it might melt. Summer parties are tricky for desserts!
Top decorated with flowers are made with cream ? or original flowers?
The flowers are real, Ashwini.
How many eggs?
All ingredients are listed in the recipe card, Amy.
Hi, if I wanted to replace Splenda with sugar, how much would you use? The same, 12 Tbsp? Many thanks.
Hi Sylvia, I would use 1 1/2 cups/300g of sugar for the sponge and 1/4cup/50g of icing sugar for the cream filling. Let me know how it goes!!
Can you substitute sugar for Splenda?
Hi Rebecca, yes you absolutely can!
This beautiful cake is much nicer than the “usual” Royal Wedding Cake, a fruitcake. I must admit I’m a new Elderflower fan and my Bundt cake from last month’s #BundtBakers was absolutely fabulous. Check it out. This one is made with Splenda, my personal sugar replacement. Great looking cake.
Thanks so much, yes elderflower has such magical scent and flavour! I am sure it made your bundt cake stand out!
Absolutely stunning. Wish I could join you for a slice!
Oh I would love to share it with you, Aimee!! 🙂 This cake and endless cups of tea sound amazing!
… Sounds just lovely … have printed off my copy ready for next week !! Thank you for sharing xx
You are very welcome, Simona. Please let me know how it goes!
I think you’ve missed the eggs in the ingredients list – how many please? Cake looks and sounds delicious!
Thanks so much for catching that, Dawn!! The eggs have been added!