Donal Skehan's Strawberry and Elderflower Cake

November 13, 2018

Delicious Elderflower Cake recipe

Although elderflower has a short season, elderflower cordial (aka in Australia -  Ashbolt Elderflower Concentrate, made an grown on their farm in southern Tasmania) is a perfect pantry ingredient that "bottles summer" and allows you to savour the flavour long after the last flower has fallen. Strawberries are a quintessential summer ingredient and this strawberry and elderflower cake is a wonderful dessert to savour anytime of year

Ingredients

225g butter
225g caster sugar
4 large free range eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
225g self raising flour
About 3 tbsp of milk to loosen batter
6 tbsp Ashbolt elderflower concentrate (cordial)
1 jar of good quality strawberry jam
250ml double cream
To Finish:
Dusting of icing sugar
A good handful of fresh strawberries or other edible flowers if not available

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 the grease and line two 21cm springform tins.
2. In a standalone mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs one by one before adding the vanilla extract.
3. Using a spatula, fold in the flour until you have a smooth mixture. Use a little bit of the milk if you need to loosen the mixture. You want the mixture to be a bit loose.
4. Divide the mixture into the two springform tins, flatten the top with a spatula if needed. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until it's nice and golden.
5. When the bases are cooked, take them out and let cool for a few minutes before you take it out of the tin to cool completely. Pierce the top of each sponge with a stick and pour over 2 tbsp of the elderflower cordial on each sponge and let it sit and soak.
6. While the bases are cooling prepare the filling by whipping the double cream together with the last 2 tbsp (or to taste) of elderflower cordial.
7. To assemble the cake, spread some strawberry jam on one of the bases before topping with cream, then add the second base and sprinkle with icing sugar and top with some strawberries.

Original source http://www.donalskehan.com/recipes/strawberry-and-elderflower-cake/

 

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