Lemon and Elderflower Drizzle Cake, a beautifully moist loaf cake that has a fluffy sponge, gorgeous lemon and elderflower drizzle, and an elderflower glaze, the best dessert for your garden party. It's a quick and easy recipe that will be enjoyed by the whole family.
Inspired by the ever popular Mary Berry's Moist Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe, this elderflower drizzle cake has a delicate sweet-tart touch that makes is a bit hit for your Afternoon Tea party.
And with the upcoming Queen's Platinum Jubilee, there was never a better time for a fabulous garden or street party celebration. And I can't think of a better dessert to go down so well with that English cuppa.
I absolutely love drizzle cakes, and my Winter version Orange Drizzle Cake is as delicious as the more summery lemon or/and elderflower cakes. If the sponge is amazing as soon as it comes out of the oven, the drizzle and glaze take it to the very next level.
Another great choice is the Coconut and Lime Drizzle Cake, which has a touch of coconut rum as well as using desiccated coconut. What a treat that is!
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Ingredients used
- butter - soften, but not melted
- sugar - I prefer granulated sugar, especially for the drizzle, but caster sugar can also be sued
- eggs - make sure they are at room temperature
- self-raising flour - it works better than regular flour
- baking powder - still use it even if you use self raising flour, as it helps with the fluffy texture
- lemon - we use the zest for the sponge and the juice for the drizzle
- milk - full fat is the best, the skimmed milk is not creamy enough, which might result in a wrong texture of the batter
- elderflower cordial
- icing sugar - for the glaze
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STEP-BY-STEP photos and instructions
It's a super simple sponge that uses a few ingredients that are widely available in any supermarket:
- using a hand mixer, beat the soft butter with the sugar until you get a creamy mixture
- add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition
- sift in the flour and baking powder, and pour over the milk
- add the lemon zest and it to get a thick batter
- flour and butter a loaf tin, and spread the batter
- bake at 170 degrees Celsius (340 Fahrenheit) for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean
How to make the lemon and elderflower drizzle
The drizzle is super simple: mix the elderflower cordial with the lemon juice of one lemon, add the sugar and mix well.
As soon as the cake is out of the oven, drizzle it over - the cake will soak the drizzle a lot better when it's hot, rather than after it cools down.
How to make the elderflower drizzle
After the cake is drizzled, leave it to cool completely before adding the glaze. This is super easy to make: sift the icing sugar, and add the elderflower cordial.
Mix it well into a smooth paste and it's runny enough to be drizzled over the cake, but not too runny.
Expert Tips
This recipe is pretty much failproof -there isn't much that could go wrong when baking it. However, here are a few tips to ensure a perfect bake:
- the butter must be soft, but not melted - a hard butter won't be creamed well, and the texture of the cake will not be right
- beat the butter and the sugar well, the creamier, the better, as this will give the cake a nice rise
- grease and flour the loaf tin well, otherwise the cake will be difficult to remove - to pop it out, run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake
- leave to bake undisturbed for at least 40 minutes - the cake might sink in the middle if it's removed too early
And that's it - a delicious cake that will no doubt disappear quickly. Do give it a go!
Recipe FAQs
There can be various reasons why the cake didn't rise enough: oven temperature is crucial, and make sure the oven is preheated before the batter goes in the oven. Overmixing the batter can result in a very dense cake. Also, make sure the ingredients are at room temperature before starting to make the cake.
There is no need for the cake to go in the fridge, as the sponge will harden. Keep it at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
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Lemon and Elderflower Drizzle Cake
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 175 g butter, soften
- 175 g granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- zest of one lemon
- 2 tablespoon milk
For the drizzle
- 100 ml elderflower cordial
- juice of one lemon
- 30 g granulated sugar
For the glaze
- 150 g icing sugar
- 2 tablespoon elderflower cordial
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Instructions
- To make the sponge, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar.
- Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder, add the milk and lemon zest, and mix to get a thick batter.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (340 Fahrenheit).
- Butter and flour a loaf tin, then spread the butter well.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- To make the drizzle, mix the lemon juice, elderflower cordial and sugar.
- As soon as the cake is out of the oven, drizzle it well, then leave it to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, mix the sifted icing sugar with cordial to get a smooth, just runny mixture that will be drizzled over the cake.
Video
Notes
- Click on the US Customary link to see the measurements displayed in cups and ounces
- The servings can be adjusted by clicking the number next to Servings.
- the butter must be soft, but not melted - a hard butter won't be creamed well, and the texture of the cake will not be right
- beat the butter and the sugar well, the creamier, the better, as this will give the cake a nice rise
- grease and flour the loaf tin well, otherwise the cake will be difficult to remove - to pop it out, run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake
- leave to bake undisturbed for at least 40 minutes - the cake might sink in the middle if it's removed too early
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Nancy says
I followed your instructions except I baked it in a glass loaf pan and mixed the lemon zest with the sugar before creaming the sugar mix with the butter. I cooked at 340F for 50 minutes. When I opened the oven the entire middle had sunk. I am a very experienced baker and I have never had this happen before. Can you suggest why this might have happened.
Daniela Apostol says
I have never used a glass loaf pan, and l suspect this is the culprit. Glass conducts heat differently from a standard metal loaf tin, l believe the heat was not distributed in a similar way and it simply did not have enough time to bake well in the middle, and needed a longer baking time.
Nancy T Handler says
Thanks so much for your answer. I bought a BIG bottle of St. Germaine so I need to try the recipe again with a metal loaf tin. We're going to eat the edges anyway to get a sense of what it tastes like.
Daniela Apostol says
I hope it helps and that you enjoy the cake, it really is delicious! If a cake needs to bake for longer than expected and the tops starts to brown too soon, you can always cover it with kitchen foil and keep baking it until it’s ready.