Oh. My. GOD. The royal wedding was this Saturday, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wed in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. I’m not embarrassed to admit that I watched about two full hours of the coverage, and even teared up a bit when Meghan and her swoonworthy veil started her walk alone down the aisle. Here’s my favorite fun tidbit – Prince Harry had to get special permission from the Queen to wear his beard while in Army uniform! Anyway, James is a Brit, I absolutely adore Meghan Markle, and so it’s no surprise that we were wrapped up in the glitz and glamour. My friend Kate was so excited too she flew all the way from San Francisco to celebrate with us!
And so, when I learned back in March that Prince Harry and Meghan had chosen a LEMON ELDERFLOWER CAKE for their reception, bucking the tradition of heavy celebration fruitcakes and one made by a native Californian, no less (I’m originally from California), I knew immediately that I had to recreate this! I mean, if we’re eating the same cake, it’s practically like we’re at their wedding, right?!
I had a pretty good idea of how I’d go about this. I’ve made Smitten Kitchen’s lemon layer cake before, and it was absolutely delicious and the epitome of spring. And while I love the seven-minute frosting that I made it with that time, Harry and Meghan are having buttercream and by jove, buttercream I will have too! I turned to Style Sweet CA’s Tessa Huff for her reliable and easy Swiss Meringue Buttercream, spiking it with some St. Germain elderflower liquor. I’m also not embarrassed to admit that I took the Friday before the wedding off work to make this cake – these layer cakes take me for-EVER! But after a few fresh flowers plunked on the cake for decoration, I must say that this is one of my best cakes yet. Prince Harry and Meghan are truly inspiring me to live my best life.
Lemon Elderflower Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Sources:
Cake and lemon curd: Smitten Kitchen
Elderflower buttercream: Style Sweet CA
Note: Feel free to omit the elderflower liqueur if you don't like it, and add 1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract instead for vanilla buttercream. Or, feel free to try out some other flavoring!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, minus 2 tablespoons
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lemon curd:
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- Zest of 3 lemons
Elderflower buttercream:
- 1/2 cup egg whites (from about 4 large eggs)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup elderflower liqueur (such as St. Germain) (optional)
To assemble:
- 3 tablespoons elderflower liqueur (such as St. Germain) (optional)
Instructions
Make the cake:
-
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour the sides of 3 8-inch cake pans, or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place a circle of parchment in the bottom of the cake pans.
-
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
-
Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. If your butter is too cold, beat it a bit more here to warm it up. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes, until the mixture is pale yellow, light, and fluffy. Do not rush this step! This is what incorporates air into the mixture and what will cause the resulting cake to be light and airy.
-
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk into the batter, adding the flour in three additions and the milk in two, starting and ending with the flour. Mix after each addition, but don't overdo it - it's okay to stop and go on to the next addition even if you can still see some streaks of flour or milk. Add vanilla and mix until just combined.
-
Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level the batter by holding pan 3 or 4-inches above the counter, and dropping flat onto counter. I do this about 5-7 times per pan. This releases air bubbles in the batter and leads to a more level cake. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
-
Let cakes cool for about two minutes in the pan, then turn out onto cooling racks and let cool completely - this will take at least an hour.
Make the lemon curd:
-
Create a double-boiler: Fill a saucepan with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer. Place all the lemon curd ingredients in a metal bowl, and place the bowl on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler. Make sure that the bottom of the metal bowl doesn't touch the water. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it begins to thicken (sort of like the consistency of loose salad dressing) and turns color from a bright yellow to a pale, frothier pastel yellow. You can also check the temperature - it will be done when it reaches 165-170°F. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate until completely cool - it will thicken even more.
Make the elderflower buttercream:
-
In a large bowl, or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer if you're using one, add the egg whites and granulated sugar. Whisk them together briefly by hand until combined.
-
Create a double-boiler again with a saucepan and simmering water. Place the bowl with the egg whites and sugar on top of the saucepan (again, don't let the bowl touch the water). Heat the egg white mixture, stirring, until it reaches 155-160°F. The mixture should be very hot to the touch and the sugar should be completely dissolved.
-
Once the egg white mixture has reached the designated temperature, take it off the heat and beat the mixture with the whisk attachment on high speed for about 8 minutes. You can return the bowl to the stand mixer to do this, or do it with a handheld electric mixer with the whisk attachment. When done, the meringue should hold shiny, medium-stiff peaks and be cooled to room temperature. The outside of the bowl should feel at room temperature. Stop the mixer and swap out the whisk for the paddle attachment.
-
With the mixer on low, begin adding in the butter a couple tablespoons at a time. Use the paddle attachment to mix each addition in. The butter must be room temperature in order to incorporate properly with the meringue.
-
After the butter has been mixed in, add the elderflower liqueur and mix to combine. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix the buttercream until silky smooth, light, and creamy. This may take a few minutes.
To assemble:
-
Cut off any domed tops of cakes so that each cake layer is even and flat. Run hands along all sides of the cake to remove excess crumbs. Place one cake layer on your cake stand or pedestal, and brush about 1/3 of the elderflower liqueur onto the top of the cake with a pastry brush. With a pastry bag with a plain round tip, or a plastic bag with a corner cut off, pipe a circle of buttercream around the outer edge of the cake layer. This will add structural integrity, and help to hold the lemon curd in place. Because the lemon curd isn't very substantial, though, the buttercream circle doesn't have to be super thick - maybe about 1/4 inch in height. Spread about 1/3 of the lemon curd on top of the cake inside the buttercream circle.
-
Repeat with the remaining cake layers, finishing with elderflower liqueur and lemon curd on the very top of the cake. Brush any remaining lemon curd on the sides of the cake with a pastry brush. Frost the top and sides of cake with remaining buttercream. To frost the top of the cake, it's easiest to pipe the frosting on with a pastry bag or plastic bag first. I use a round tip to pipe a spiral covering the top of the cake, then use an offset spatula to gently smooth out the frosting and fill in any cracks. This will help you frost the top of the cake without pushing off all of the lemon curd underneath.