FIT FOR ROYALTY
Harry & Meghan’s cake so easy a commoner can do it
Birthday, wedding, baby shower, ordinary Tuesday night… . No matter what you’re celebrating, a layer cake is always a good idea.
No dessert has received more attention lately than the cake that will be on display at the May 19 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. All we know is American expat Claire Ptak, owner of Violet bakery in London, is making a lemon elderflower cake that will be decorated with buttercream and fresh flowers.
I smelled a challenge. Could I come up with my own version of the royal wedding cake for us commoners?
Using recipes that I adapted from Ptak’s 2015 cookbook, the answer was a resounding yes. Even better, I adjusted the elements to create a layer cake even less-experienced bakers could conquer. (Sometimes, a celebration calls for a little extra effort.)
One adjustment I made for my own sanity was baking three thin cake layers rather than the tall single cake Ptak says to make in a 3-inch-deep pan. First of all, I don’t own one of those, and second, I’ve never been good at slicing cakes evenly. Bonus: Thin cakes bake and cool faster.
You could certainly make the cake and the frosting - a simple confectioners’ sugar and butter combination - put them together and call it a day. (If you don’t own one, a small offset spatula will earn its very cheap price for frosting and filling this cake, not to mention many other kitchen tasks.)
For an amped-up filling, use lemon curd (homemade, if you’re up for it) instead of frosting. Or go up one more level by mixing it with whipped cream.
You can decorate this cake as much or as little as you want. A pristine white cake is timeless. No fancy cake tools? Grab a spoon and spin a swirl into the top, or cut the corner of a food-safe zip-top bag to pipe dollops around the edge. Use storebought candied lemon slices or peel for added pizazz.
In the spirit of the actual royal wedding cake, I decorated this version with edible flowers. Be sure you source flowers that have been specifically grown for culinary use. You can also sometimes find them in the produce CRYSTALLIZED FLOWERS Makes 30 flowers ( enough to decorate one layer cake)
Crystallized (sugared) flowers are an elegant garnish for just about any dessert. They’re also surprisingly easy to make.
A small, new paintbrush (such as the size you might find in a children’s watercolor kit) is perfect for coating the flowers with egg white. But you can also dip the flowers directly into the egg white, taking care to squeeze off the excess. If you are worried about a risk of salmonella, use pasteurized egg white.
A small offset spatula will come in handy here.
Be sure to buy or use flowers grown specifically for culinary use. Such flowers are also sometimes available in the fresh herbs section of grocery store produce departments.
MAKE AHEAD: The section of grocery stores. I crystallized some of the flowers and combined them with other fresh ones, gently pressing both types into the top and then in a cascade down the side of the cake. If you just want to use fresh flowers, that would be lovely, too.
A note on ingredients: I found Belvoir Fruit Farms elderflower cordial (nonalcoholic), used for brushing the cake layers, at World Market. coated flowers need to air-dry on the baking sheet at room temperature at least overnight, and up to 24 hours.
From writer Becky Krystal.
1 large egg white (see
headnote)
Water
25 to 30 small edible
flowers (see headnote) Superfine sugar (may substitute granulated sugar ground in a food processor)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together the egg white with a few drops of water in a small bowl.
Use a small brush to paint the surface of each flower with a light coating of the egg white mixture. If you are dipping the flower It can also be ordered from various sites online. (The brand’s products are carried at stores such as Whole Foods, Mom’s and Fresh Market.) Ikea sells an elderflower syrup as well. For additional elderflower flavor in the cake and frosting, I used St-Germain liqueur, but you can leave it out or use the cordial instead.
Make Ahead: The baked, cooled cake layers that have instead, gently squeeze off any excess.
Place each flower coated side up in a shallow dish, such as a glass pie plate, and sprinkle it with the sugar. Don’t overdo it - you still want to be able to see the flower through the layer of sugar. Use tweezers, the tips of your fingers or an offset spatula to transfer the flowers to the baking sheet as you work. Discard any excess sugar and egg white mixture.
Allow the flowers to dry at room temperature at least overnight, or up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to use them, gently remove them from the paper, because they will stick a little (an offset spatula is handy for dislodging them).
Ingredients are too variable for a meaningful analysis. been brushed with cordial can be refrigerated, wellwrapped, for several days or frozen for up to several weeks. You can refrigerate the buttercream several days in advance, too. Smooth out the chilled frosting with a stir by hand or mixer. The frosted and decorated cake can be refrigerated overnight in a cake caddy, under a cake dome or very loosely tented with plastic wrap.