Rich and creamy
Butter chicken made easy
Didn’t get an invite to the royal wedding on May 19?
Neither did I.
However, earlier this month Kensington Palace released details regarding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding cake. The couple has chosen baker Claire Ptak, of London-based Violet Cakes, who’s known for her simple buttercream cakes topped with fresh edible flowers. According to the palace’s announcement, the royal cake will be a “lemon elderflower cake that will incorporate the bright flavours of spring” and will have buttercream and fresh flowers for decoration.
Using those scant details, I took it upon myself to make an unofficial royal wedding cake worthy of a royal wedding viewing party, since my invitation clearly got lost in the mail.
While the official announcement didn’t specify that the cake itself would be lemon-flavoured, I figured it would be the most logical option as putting both lemon and elderflower in a cake would muddle the flavours, leading them to cancel each other out. Also, elderflower has a very mild and sweet floral note that can get lost when baked into a cake.
So I started with a basic vanilla layer cake recipe from Toronto patisserie (and wedding-cake experts) Bobbette & Belle’s cookbook ($35, Viking), adding lemon zest and just enough lemon juice to flavour the batter without disrupting its consistency. The result was a fluffy, moist cake with strong lemon notes.
Two of the most popular buttercream choices are American and Swiss. American buttercream is the easiest to make (it’s basically softened butter and powdered sugar mixed together) but it doesn’t hold up well in a warm room and I find it too sweet. So I opted for Swiss meringue buttercream,
which uses less sugar and doesn’t melt as fast, thanks to the meringue. I used a Swiss meringue buttercream recipe from pastry expert Stella Parks of the Serious Eats cooking website, one of my go-to trusted sources for cooking how-tos. The recipe is a basic buttercream recipe that allows you to add any flavourings you want.
In this case, I wanted elderflower. As a regular Ikea customer, I knew the furniture store sells an elderflower drink concentrate in its food hall, so I ran out and got a bottle. A syrup can also be found at bar supply stores. The Ikea version required about ¼ cup, but if using elderflower syrup I’d suggest starting with half that and adding more to taste. The buttercream should taste sweet with a slight floral, syrupy flavour to balance the tart lemon cake.
Once I had the buttercream recipe down, I made one batch to cover a 9-inch cake in a crumb coat, and then another batch to add a second decorative layer (and keep any peckish kitchen visitors satisfied while I was decorating the cake).
Lastly, I had to source fresh edible flowers. Edible is key. You need flowers grown specifically for eating or access to a pesticide-free garden with edible varieties, such as pansies or marigolds. Since locally picked flowers weren’t an option this time of year, I went to the grocer. Edible flowers can be found next to the fresh herbs at upscale grocers such as Whole Foods (though they were out when I checked), Summerhill’s Harvest Wagon (it’s where I got mine) and some Loblaw stores (call ahead to check).
Fresh flowers are an expensive garnish (and most people push them aside anyway because they aren’t used to eating flowers), so use them sparingly. You can substitute sugar flowers from baking supply stores or fresh berries — Meghan and Harry will never know.
The result: a three-layer lemon cake with elderflower Swiss meringue buttercream and gorgeous flowers on top. This cake will impress your royal viewing-party guests and make Kensington rue the day they didn’t hire you as the caterer.
Royal-Inspired Wedding Cake
The Lemon Cake
I prefer using deep, aluminum cake pans that have straight, non-sloped edges (as opposed to the stackable cake pans found at supermarkets) because the straight edges make them easy to stack. I got mine at Canadian Tire. If you do not have three cake pans, bake one or two cakes at a time.
Makes 3 cake layers, 9 inches each (12 servings)
Cooking spray or butter, for greasing pans 4 cups all-purpose flour
4 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1 3⁄4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature 2 2⁄3 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 3 lemons
3 tablespoons plus 1 tsp lemon juice
2 1⁄4 cups whole milk, room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease three 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pans with cooking spray and line bottoms with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together eggs and egg whites.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about three to five minutes. Add beaten eggs a third at a time, mixing well after each addition and stopping to scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Add vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Continue to mix until combined.
Turn mixer to low speed. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk a third at a time. Mix until batter becomes thick and smooth, careful not to overmix.
Divide batter among cake pans, about 2-1/3 cups in each pan. Use an offset spatula to smooth batter to edges of pan. Gently tap pans on table to get rid of any excess air in batter.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes on middle rack or until cake tops begin to develop a golden colour and a toothpick inserted in cake centres comes out clean. For even baking, rotate pans at the 15-minute mark.
Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Use an offset spatula to gently loosen edge of cake from pan. Carefully turn cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Remove parchment paper. Refrigerate cakes for at least an hour to firm up before assembling layer cake, or wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Elderflower Swiss Meringue Buttercream
This recipe gave me enough to make the crumb coat, a thin layer of buttercream to seal in the crumbs before adding a second decorative layer, though your mileage may vary depending on how thick you apply the buttercream.
Serving the cake with just the crumb coat was actually a wedding cake trend a few years ago (remember “naked cakes”?). If you like that look — or don’t want to eat that much buttercream — leave the cake as is and finish it with the flowers. If you’re like me and found yourself short on buttercream after the crumb coat, make a second batch while the cake is chilling after applying the crumb coat. 2⁄3 cup egg whites, about 5 or 6 large eggs
1 2⁄3 cup granulated sugar 3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄4 tsp cream of tartar 2 1⁄2 cups unsalted butter, softened and cut into small cubes (5 sticks)
1⁄4 cup elderflower drink concentrate, plus more as necessary
Fill a medium-sized pot with at least 2 inches of water. On high heat, bring to a boil. Turn down heat to medium and reduce to a simmer. In a large heatproof bowl, add egg whites, sugar, salt and cream of tartar. Place bowl over pot of simmering water making sure bowl does not touch bottom of pot. Stir constantly with a flexible spatula until sugar has completely dissolved and mixture reaches about 185 F, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Pour mixture into bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk at high speed for about 10 minutes, or until meringue doubles in volume and develops stiff peaks and a glossy appearance. With mixer still running, add butter a few cubes at a time to achieve a thick and creamy texture.
Add elderflower concentrate and continue to mix until well-incorporated. Taste. Add more elderflower if necessary.
Assemble crumb coat. While cake is chilling, repeat above instructions for decorative layer.
Assembling and decorating cake
To assemble the cake, first level each chilled cake layer with a serrated knife to create a flat surface for stacking.
Place the first cake layer on a plate (I recommend using a cardboard cake plate if you’re travelling with it). Place plate on a turntable or large serving platter. Using a long offset spatula, place a heaping dollop (about 1 cup) of buttercream in centre of cake and spread it into an even layer where the buttercream reaches beyond the cake’s edges. Place the second layer of cake on top and spread the same amount of buttercream. Repeat with the third layer. Smooth out any buttercream that has spilled out the sides to create a thin layer of buttercream around the cake (add more buttercream if there isn’t enough). This creates the crumb coat. Chill the cake for 30 minutes.
If you want the “naked cake” look, decorate the cake now with flowers. If you want a second layer of buttercream, make a second batch of elderflower buttercream while the cake is in the fridge.
When the cake is chilled and firm, add a second layer of buttercream. First add a heaping dollop of buttercream on the top of the cake. Using an offset spatula, smooth out the top and let excess buttercream go beyond the cake’s edge.
Generously add buttercream along the side of the cake. Smooth out with offset spatula. Remove excess buttercream accumulating at the top edge of the cake by making a sweeping motion up toward the centre of cake with the edge of the spatula.
Decorate the cake with flowers and serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to four days — though the cake is at its best when served fresh — and bring back to room temperature before serving.