Clodagh's elderflower lemon drizzle cake
Elderflower is in season and Clodagh has got the most delicious recipe to inspire us, with her homemade elderflower cordial and an elderflower lemon drizzle cake, an easy spin on the nation's favourite classic cake. ]
Wild elderflower cordial
Makes 2 litres
Ingredients
30 heads of elderflower (about 300g)
3 lemons
1 kg sugar
2 litres water
2 tsp citric acid, (optional, it will keep the cordial preserved for up to a month)
Method
1. Gently rinse the elderflower heads and place them in a large bowl. Grate the lemon zest over the flowers then slice the lemons and add them to the bowl.
2. Put the caster sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to make sure the sugar dissolves. Once it has come to the boil take off the heat and allow to cool.
3. Once the syrup has cooled, pour it over the elderflowers and stir in the citric acid (if using). Cover with a cloth and leave to infuse in the fridge for 24 hours.
4. Strain the cordial through a muslin cloth and into sterilised glass bottles. Store in the fridge.
Elderflower and lemon drizzle cake
Serves 8
Ingredients
225g butter, softened
180g caster sugar
4 eggs
80ml elderflower cordial
275g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 lemons, zest and juice
Lemon drizzle
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
175g icing sugar
Garnish with the zest of one lemon and elderflower florets
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C / Gas mark 4. Grease a 2lb / 1kg loaf tin and line the base with parchment paper.
2. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl with the sugar and beat together with a whisk until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the elderflower cordial. Next fold in the flour, baking powder and lemon zest.
3. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin, scraping the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula to remove all of the mixture. Level the top gently with the back of the spatula.
4. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until the sponge is lightly golden brown. Check by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is cooked.
5. While the cake is still hot and in the tin, prick it with a skewer and pour over the juice of two lemons. Leave the cake in the tin to cool.
6. Make the drizzle - whisk the lemon juice, elderflower cordial and icing sugar in a bowl until it forms a smooth paste. Remove the cake from the tin and smooth the lemon drizzle over the cake. Garnish with lemon zest and elderflower florets.