This Lemon Elderflower Cake is my copycat version of the royal wedding cake! Elderflower infused lemon cake layers with lemon curd and elderflower buttercream.
I am so excited to share this cake with you today, as it’s my version of Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake. This Lemon Elderflower Cake was heavily inspired by Claire Ptak at Violet Cakes in London, who made the actual royal wedding cake for the couple.
I found out about the flavors shortly before the wedding, and was inspired to create my own version of it. Any excuse to make a cake and try something different, right??
The cake consists of lemon infused cake layers, an elderflower syrup, lemon curd, and an elderflower Swiss meringue buttercream.
Maybe I’m living under a rock (likely) but I actually hadn’t heard of elderflower until recently. I was actually shocked to find elderflower cordial in the first grocery store I checked. Usually I’m traipsing all over the city and back to find certain ingredients, only to give up and order them online, so to see it right there on the grocery store shelf was nothing short of a miracle.
Elderflower cordial is very floral, with an almost citrusy aftertaste. It goes really well with lemon, and is just perfect for the spring/summer season.
For the lemon cake, I used the same recipe I used for my Lemon Blueberry Cake, but scaled it up for slightly thicker layers. For the lemon curd, I modified a recipe we used in pastry school (it’s SO good omg). Be sure to check out my tutorial for How to Make Lemon Curd. Those went off without a hitch, but I made a couple of mistakes working with the elderflower cordial.
Initially, I made an elderflower syrup by bringing 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar to a boil before stirring 2 Tbsp of elderflower cordial into it. This tasted delicious, but once used on the cake, the elderflower was overpowered by the lemon flavors. The cordial itself is actually already a syrup (since you’d need to dilute it to use in drinks, etc.) so I should have just used it straight up. You can choose to do it either way though.
Speaking of drinks.. as I was working on this Lemon Elderflower Cake, I found out there’s actually an elderflower liqueur too! What to do?! You know I love to booze up my cakes here and there, so I was so tempted to try this instead. A quick Google search led me to a $50 price tag though… yikes.
Nevertheless, I set out to find it. I didn’t really try that hard though: I checked one liquor store and they didn’t have it, so I decided to move on. I already had the cordial, and I didn’t need to spend money on liqueur that will literally just sit in the cabinet after (I pretty much only use it for baking).
The second issue I had with the elderflower is that, in typical Olivia fashion, I forgot to put it in the buttercream!! Thankfully, I realized this after the crumb coat, so I added it in then. There’s lemon curd between the layers instead of buttercream, so it wasn’t too bad, but STILL. I need to be more organized. I always write down the recipe, but never actually refer to it while making the frosting!
How much elderflower you add to the buttercream is really to your taste. I found it to be quite subtle, but some can find it overpowering. However much you add, be sure to do it slowly (1 Tbsp at a time) and stop if it feels like you’re affecting the texture of the buttercream. I’ve been able to add up to 1/4 cup of liquid to buttercream without affecting it, but just something to be aware of.
I waited until after the wedding to make the cake, as I wanted to see how it was decorated so I could emulate that as much as possible.
There’s a lot of mixed feelings out there about the cake, but I think it looks beautiful. I love the rustic elegance to it — the juxtaposition of the ornate gold stands with the rustic flowers and frosting.
Decorating this cake was fairly simple. It was SUCH a relief to not have to worry about perfectly smooth frosting and sharp edges. It really was one of the easier cake frosting techniques I’ve tried. To be fair though, it’s possible I totally lucked out and it just worked on the first go around. I am super pleased with the results.
I was also lucky enough to find peonies in the exact color I was looking for. In the first flower shop I went into!! High fives all around. I ended up spending $60 on peonies though, which is sort of ridiculous. Good thing I passed on the liqueur!
Overall, this Lemon Elderflower Cake turned out better than I expected, both in flavor and aesthetic. It was easy to decorate, and I think it looks stunning. I can see why Harry and Meghan chose this style and flavor combo for their special day.
Looking for more Lemon Desserts?
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Lemon Cake
- Mini Meyer Lemon Loaves
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
- Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
Tips for making this Lemon Cake with Elderflower:
- I recommend not diluting the elderflower cordial for the cake layers too much (or at all), or you’ll lose the flavor.
- The amount of cordial you use in the buttercream is up to you. Only add it 1 Tbsp at a time though, and add to taste.
- If you’d like to use St. Germain instead of the elderflower cordial, I recommend making a simple syrup and adding the liqueur to that:
- Bring 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar to a boil, simmer 1 min. Remove from heat and add in 2Tbsp of St. Germain. Cool completely.
- Be sure to check out my tutorial for How to Make Lemon Curd
- Be careful about putting too much lemon curd in between the layers. This can make the cake more unstable.
- Regardless of the amount of lemon curd, you must do a dam of frosting around the perimeter of each layer to hold in the curd. This is not optional!
- You will have some curd left over which you can freeze if you like or use in another dessert.
- The buttercream recipe makes enough to fully frost the cake (if you weren’t using curd). You can freeze this as well if you have extra or just reduce the recipe slightly.
- If you use fresh (non-edible) flowers like I did, be sure to protect them from the cake (I used floral tape around the stems).
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my Flat Top Cakes post!
Lemon Elderflower Cake (Copycat Royal Wedding Cake)
Ingredients
Lemon Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest from one large lemon
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup milk room temperature
- 1/3 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed, from one medium lemon
Lemon Curd:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed, from one large lemon
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest from one large lemon
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter cubed
Elderflower Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 2-4 Tbsp elderflower cordial to taste
Assembly:
- elderflower cordial/syrup
Instructions
Lemon Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 8″ cake rounds and line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and lemon zest until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins).
- Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture with milk & lemon juice, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk & lemon juice). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Spread batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
- Bake for approx. 35mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely
Lemon Curd:
- Place eggs and sugar into a small pot, whisk to combine. Add lemon juice, zest, and butter. Cook over medium-low heat whisking constantly until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- Transfer to a glass bowl and lay plastic wrap directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for 3 hours to set. Makes 2 cups.
Elderflower Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a pot with 1-2″ of simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or reads 160F on a candy thermometer (approx. 3mins)
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.**
- Add 2-4 Tbsp elderflower cordial (to taste) one Tbsp at a time whip until smooth.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Poke holes into the cake using a bamboo skewer. Brush with elderflower cordial.***
- Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top of the layer and pipe a border around the outside to hold the lemon curd in. Fill with approx 3/4 cup of lemon curd. Repeat with next layer.
- Place final layer on top and do a thin crumb coat on the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting in a rustic manner. I started by spreading a generous amount of buttercream on the top and letting it overhang on the sides. Then I used a flat spatula to add buttercream to the sides of the cake and to smooth the which created a top lip with the overlapping buttercream.
- Top with fresh peonies if desired, but be sure to wrap the stems in floral tape.
Notes
** The buttercream may look like it’s curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
*** You can dilute the cordial if you like, by adding it to some simple syrup.
Rakira says
Hey!!! I’m making the custard right now and it’s my first time making a cake and I can’t seem to make it thicken. What should I do?
Olivia says
Hi Rakira! Maybe turn up the heat a little bit? It should thicken as it heats up.
Saachi says
Hi Liz,
I want to make a Gluten-Free version of this cake. Do you recommend I substitute the same amount of regular flour with Gluten-Free Flour? Or will the proportions change?
Saachi
Olivia says
Hi Saachi! I haven’t made a GF version myself so I’m not sure how it would affect the texture, but yes, you would use the same amount of a proper all-purpose GF flour blend.
Sharon Oliver says
Try substituting a couple of ounces of G. F. flour with ground almonds. They will absorb the liquid from the drizzle and ensure the cake stays moist.
Brigitte says
Hi
No, your Saint Germain edelflower liqueur won’t sit on the shelf!
You replace the aperol in the spritz drink by it -same quantities same recipe- and make a ‘Hugo’
Enjoy!
Olivia says
Hi Brigitte! Ohh yum, I think I will have to try that now. Thanks for the tip!
Alina says
I made this cake this weekend for my 21st birthday, and it was great! It was my first time making a layer cake and decorating was definitely not easy, but all in all it went really well! Thanks for providing such a well written recipe to follow, and for creating such a delicious flavor combination!!! I highly recommend everyone bake this cake. And after making Swiss meringue buttercream, I doubt I’ll ever use American buttercream again!!
Olivia says
Hi Alina! Thanks for the amazing feedback. I’m so happy you loved it! Happy belated birthday 🙂
Stephanie says
Hi Liv, this cake is absolutely gorgeous!! I’ve been looking for a 3-layer lemon cake and lemon curd recipe to make for my moms birthday next month and I will definitely be using yours 🤩 I only have 3 9” cake pans. Do you think the cakes will be too thin, or will that work?
Olivia says
Hi Stephanie! I think it will be too thin, but I just posted a new Lemon Cake recipe here: https://livforcake.com/lemon-cake/ I would use that one and 2x the recipe for three 9″ pans. Just adjust the Servings to 24 and that will show you the correct amounts 🙂
Ann says
Hi, I’m making the SMBC for the first time. Can you tell me if you have to use an electric hand mixer when mixing it over the pan of simmering water,? X
Olivia says
Hi Ann! No, just use a hand whisk at that point. See this post for a detailed tutorial 🙂 https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Shayna says
How Long do the flowers last on the cake?
Olivia says
Hi Shayna! The flowers will wilt fairly quickly — within hours. Be sure to wrap any stems in floral tape.
Rach says
Hi, could you use caster sugar rather than granulated. In both sponge and cream?
Olivia says
Hi Rach! Yes, that will work fine.
Rachel says
I’m making this cake as a wedding cake and very excited! I baked it this morning and it feels a little heavy to me and seems to have fell a bit after coming out of the oven. I’m nervous that it will be undercooked but a toothpick came out dry on each cake, the cakes were brown on top and were pulling away at the sides of the pan! Thoughts?
Olivia says
Hi Rachel! Is it possible the batter was overmixed? Or that it was overbaked? That can cause cakes to shrink.
Mar says
Fantastic tasting cake but same happened for me: the cake pulled away from the side on top as well.
Nadine says
Beautiful cake! This recipie has been so easy to follow. I’ve only baked and stored the cakes so far (they look and smell heavenly!), but my wedding is in just 3 days.
I’ve had the opposite problem when it comes to the elderflower beverages, my local stores only had the liqueur (only $26 too!). Would you recommend mixing it with simple syrup? Or just adding it straight into the buttercream? Both? Any help would be lovely! Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Nadine! Both would work fine! I would add it in at the end to the simple syrup, but also add it straight to the buttercream, 1 tbsp at a time. Congratulations! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Katy B says
Hi there.
First off, this cake looks amazing! Definitely excited to give it a go.
I’m hoping to try it out this weekend, but was planning on making a few smaller cakes (3 cakes with 3 layers of 6 inches diameter). I was wondering if it would be possible to just double the recipe and let it sit while the various layers were baking? (I only have 3 6″ cake pans). General consensus on the internet is that provided I use a double action baking powder it should be fine, but I just wanted to know if you had any thoughts before I forged ahead.
Thanks.
Olivia says
Hi Katy! It’s best to bake the cake layers at the same time, but I know people have chilled the batter before and claim that it’s ok. I haven’t done so myself so I can’t guarantee the results, but I don’t think it would be a disaster at any rate. The texture of the cakes may be different though.
ALICIA says
Hello, if I wanted to make this cake as a 6″ 3 layer cake instead what would I change the serving size to? Can’t wait to make this cake!
Olivia says
Hi Alicia! I would change the servings to 12. Let me know how you like it! 🙂
Keishia says
Hi Liv
Decided to leave the cookies until Christmas. My bestie got engaged so I decided to make the royal wedding cake. I even got peonies. They’re so fragrant and beautiful but by god they do not last long at all. Anyway I have to figure out home to send a picture. Haven’t tasted because as you know, I really don’t like the sugar but I was pleased with the look.
Olivia says
Hi Keishia! I love the smell of peonies so much, I wish they’d last longer! They definitely don’t stay perky on the cake for too long that’s for sure. I would love to see a picture! You can email it to me at livforcakeblog@gmail.com 🙂
Brandy Randolph says
Hi. I made this cake and it was really good . We did a taste testing in the bride picked this one. The cake was a little dry but I realized I did not poke the holes and put the Elderflower simple syrup in it. I’m making it for my nieces wedding next weekend. Is the elder flower simple syrup different from just the elderflower cordial? If so how do you make it? Also the venue will not have refrigerator space and I have to get there early to do the brides hair how long can this cake sit at room temperature and be OK. Should not be terribly hot that day may be mid 60s.. Will the frosting be stable very long at room temperature? I had only done American buttercream prior.
Olivia says
Hi Brandy! The cake should not be dry even without the syrup – I would bake it for a little less time. Make sure there are still a few crumbs on your toothpick when testing for doneness. The syrup and cordial are basically the same thing. If you can find the cordial then that’s easiest. To make the syrup you would follow this recipe and add either dried elderflower, elderflower heads (umbles), or elderflower liqueur to it.
The cake should be fine at room temperature for a few hours. I would make sure to chill it overnight so it’s cold and the frosting is firm when you get to the venue. It needs about 2-3 hours to come to room temp and will be fine for a few hours after that. The buttercream does get quite soft at room temperature (just like butter would) but if it’s not too warm it should be fine. Be sure to do a buttercream dam to hold in the lemon curd filling and cook the lemon curd long enough so that it’s thickened.
sem says
Hi LFC, please give your recipes by weight, you are a pro. what are you doing. 2 cups of flour can vary soo much from person to person. so for more success please, give weights.thank you
Olivia says
Hi Sem! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients.
Sarah says
Hi Olivia. Could I substitute the Elderflower cordial with the Roberts brand flavoured food colouring? If so what kind of conversion rate might it be?? Cheers
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! I haven’t used that before so I’m unsure how much of it to use. Are there instructions on the bottle by chance?
Amy says
Gluten-Free flours are denser and heavier than wheat-based flours. So having the cups is actually quite helpful for GF conversions!! Thanks for having both measuring options, LFC! 🙂
Olivia says
So glad you find them useful. Thank you Amy!
nowzeca says
this cake is just amazing. even more beautiful than the original one. thumbs up! 🙂 could you please tell me, what kinda flowers you used? thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Nowzeca! Thank you so much! They are peonies – my fave 🙂
Nick R says
Hi Liv,
Can I substitute regular flour for Gluten Free flour – cup for cup? 🙂
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Nick! You can for sure!
Claire Whitlock says
Hi Olivia,
This looks great, planning on making it for my girls birthday. Is there a reason you use granulated sugar? Most Uk recipes use caster sugar which is slightly finer, I wanted to check there wasn’t a reason not to use this before going ahead.
Claire
Olivia says
Hi Claire! Granulated is more readily available here than caster, but you can use caster if you like! If you sub 1 for 1 the cake may be a bit sweeter. Caster sugar would work great for the buttercream for sure though!
Rachel says
Hi,
I’m going to be crumb coating this cake, then covering with a fondant icing. Is there a way to incorporate the elderflower into the cake mixture itself, without impacting the finished sponge (other than flavour!)? I don’t think an Elderflower crumb coat will be enough…
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Rachel! Do you plan to use the elderflower cordial or syrup to brush onto the cake layers as per the recipe? You could also replace some of the milk or lemon juice in the recipe with elderflower if you want it to bake right into the layers.
Denise says
I made this recipe, except I used American buttercream as I prefer it. It was a great sucess. Everyone loved it. Will definitely use this recipe often
Olivia says
Hi Denise! So happy to hear that, thanks for the feedback 🙂