Juliet Sear recreates Harry and Meghan's lemon elderflower wedding cake

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose a lemon elderflower cake instead of a traditional wedding cake, which is now setting wedding trends around the globe. Baker Juliet Sear has been busy baking one at home, we’ll be trying it out and showing you how to ice the cake!

Ingredients

For the cake:

200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
200g softened unsalted butter
200g golden unrefined caster sugar
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
Zest of 2 medium lemons
4 medium free-range eggs

For the drizzle:

Juice of 1 lemon, strained
30ml water
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
70g golden unrefined caster sugar

For the Buttercream and filling:

200g unrefined icing sugar
80g soft unsalted butter
3 tbsp elderflower cordial
2-3 tbsp good quality lemon curd
Edible flowers to decorate if desired

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, 160°C fan

2. Mix the flour and baking powder into a large bowl

3. Cream together the butter, sugar, cordial and lemon zest until light and fluffy, then gradually add in the eggs until incorporated

4. Gently mix in the flour and baking powder until just lightly mixed.

5. Spoon the mixture into 2 greased, side and base lined 20cm cake tins

6. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until cooked and then turn out onto a wire rack

7. While the cakes are baking, make the drizzle by placing the lemon juice, water, elderflower cordial and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved completel

8. Whilst the cakes are warm, spear the cake sponges with a skewer to make lots of holes and drizzle the elderflower syrup (with a pastry brush to ensure it’s all even) over both cakes so that it soaks in

9. Make the buttercream by beating the icing sugar, butter, and cordial together until very pale, fluffy and creamy

10. Layer the sponge by spreading over some buttercream and then adding some lashings of lemon curd. Sandwich together and chill for 20-30 minutes.

11. To decorate this, in a pretty rough iced way, it is simple, no need to crumb coat the outside. Just generously palette all over with a palette knife, then top with edible flowers if you wish or simply with additional lemon zest.

Ingredients

350g icing sugar
300g unsalted butter at room temp cut into cubes
170g egg white
3 tsp elderflower cordial

Method

1. Heat up the sugar and egg white gently on hob, whisk until sugar is dissolved. Consistency should be silky smooth.

2. Whisk with whisk attachment in large mixer on HIGH SPEED or with an electric hand whisk or by hand until it reaches a stiff meringue consistency.

3. Then slowly beat in room temperature butter until all combined

4. Add the cordial and mix on slow

5. Finally TURN UP SPEED and whisk until light and fluffy