a recipe inspired by 'the marrying type' and royalty

Blogger's Note: This originally appeared in the August 2019 issue of my newsletter, The Latest. Click here to sign-up for a free subscription and to score a free ebook of my novel First & Goal.

Like so many others, I was a little obsessed with the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle a year ago. I hosted a watch party for my friends complete with a make-your-own fascinator station, English breakfast bakes, and my take on their rumored (and later confirmed) lemon elderflower cake. While my first attempt turned out okay, as wedding season kicked up this year, I wanted to give it another try. I've become much better at buttercream frosting in the past year, and I really felt like *this* time I could make it perfect.

And, dear Readers, I did. Oh my goodness this cake turned out perfectly.

As an added bonus, I even found some silk flowers that matched the cover of The Marrying Type to really sweeten the whole deal. I bet Elliot Lynch of would get a lot of requests for this cake if the story took place this year.

Lemon Elderflower Cake

Ingredients

Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
juice from two lemons
lemon curd

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
4 tbs heavy whipping cream
4 tbs elderflower cordial

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 6-inch cake rounds with parchment paper.

2. Sift and mix together flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, cream butter, lemon zest, sugar, eggs (one at a time), vanilla, milk, and lemon juice. Once well mixed, add in dry mixture, one cup at a time.

3. Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through.

4. Place layers in freezer for at least one hour before assembling.

5. To make frosting: Using an electric mixer, combine room-temperature butter, powdered sugar, whipping cream, and elderflower cordial in a bowl. Mix for at least 10 minutes. (Yes, 10 minutes!)

6. To assemble: Slice cakes in half to make four layers. Cover the bottom three layers with frosting, creating a small well. Scoop lemon curd into the center of each well (the frosting around the edges will keep it in place). Stack layers and cover all sides with the remaining frosting. Don't make it too smooth to capture the rustic style that is a signature of the royal wedding cake's baker, Claire Ptak of Violet Cakes in London. Top with silk or edible flowers.


***Let's take this relationship to the next level. Join my Facebook Reader Group for in-depth discussion on everything from books to our favorite binge-watches. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for day-to-day shenanigans. Subscribe to my monthly newsletter AND score a free copy of one of my books as my thanks to you. You can also find me on Amazon and BookBub.***