Cakes & biscuits
Lemon and elderflower loaf cake
Lemon zest flavours this loaf while elderflower cordial supplies a floral note.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Servings / pieces
- 10
- Topic
- Cakes & biscuits
Lemon zest flavours this loaf while elderflower cordial supplies a floral note. Mix the cordial with lemon juice and spoon it over the warm cake after baking. This keeps the crumb fine without adding a large amount of liquid to the raw batter. Grate only the thin coloured layer of an unwaxed lemon; the white pith tastes bitter. Add whipped cream only when serving, once the cake is completely cold, so the decoration does not melt into its surface. Store any remaining loaf without cream.
Method
Step by step
- 01
Prepare the tin
Heat the oven to 175 °C conventional heat. Line the loaf tin. Finely grate lemon zest and squeeze the juice, keeping them separate. Bring the batter ingredients to similar temperatures where practical.
- 02
Cream butter and sugar
Beat butter and sugar for three minutes until creamy. Add eggs individually, beating for 30 seconds each. Add zest and salt. If slightly grainy, mix a tablespoon of the measured flour in with the next egg.
- 03
Complete the batter
Combine flour and baking powder. Briefly mix into the butter mixture, alternating with milk. Transfer to the tin and smooth the surface. Stop mixing once the flour is evenly incorporated.
- 04
Bake and soak
Bake for 45–55 minutes, until a skewer emerges without liquid batter. Rest ten minutes. Mix cordial with three tablespoons lemon juice. Prick the cake repeatedly and slowly apply the mixture in two stages.
- 05
Cool and serve
Lift from the tin and cool completely on a rack. If desired, whip cream with icing sugar and pipe onto individual slices just before serving. Store the remaining plain loaf covered.
Times are a guide. Your hob, oven and ingredients affect the result; use the cooking cues as well as the clock.
Accounting for sweetness
Elderflower cordials vary in concentration. Do not add extra sugar to a very sweet cordial. If the lemon juice tastes mild, another teaspoon may help the soaking mixture; taste first rather than adding automatically.
Applying the soak
Avoid pouring everything onto one spot. Small holes and two slow applications give the crumb time to absorb liquid. If some remains on the surface, wait briefly before adding the rest.
Kitchen questions
One more question?
Can I omit elderflower?
Replace the cordial with 40 ml water containing 30 g dissolved sugar.
Why did the loaf sink?
Opening the oven early or an uncooked centre can cause collapse. Check carefully with a skewer before removing.
.jpg){kind=link}
