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Desserts

Lemon Elderflower Cake

June 15, 2019 by Alexandra Daum
Lemon elderflower cake is a late spring standard in Europe, with a sweet floral flavour perfect for this time of year. This egg-free version is baked a loaf tin and has a simple coconut milk glaze.
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Top-front view of a loaf cake with two slices cut, topped with elderflowers and strawberries.

This lemon elderflower cake, baked in a loaf tin, with a glaze, was entirely inspired by Graham’s gran’s lemon loaf cake. She has since passed, but we still use her recipes as benchmarks and compare much of my baking to hers, especially with old-school recipes.

It’s not as yellow as her cake was, and uses olive oil, spelt flour, and honey, but the texture is similar and it has a fairly strong lemon taste. There’s also a handful of elderflower blossoms in the batter and the floral flavour really comes through. It’s one of my favourite springtime cakes and I make it every year when elderflower is in season.

This recipe is adapted from my lemon rhubarb cake. For some more springtime desserts, try a strawberry elderflower scone cake or German rhubarb cake.

Table of Contents hide
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Recipe Notes
How to Store
Expert Tips
More Edible Flower Recipes
Lemon Elderflower Cake

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Spelt flour: use light or white spelt flour for the best result. Substitute plain white flour if preferred.
  • Elderflower: use half the amount if you want to use dried elderflower blossoms rather than fresh.
  • Honey: if you eat honey, I think it’s preferable in this recipe over maple syrup, but both work. I haven’t tried making this recipe with sugar.
  • Olive oil: substitute another light-tasting oil for olive, but make sure it’s one that’s liquid at room temperature, or the cake will be too dense when cooled.

Recipe Notes

The loaf can have a bit of a wonky rise, not quite the perfect dome, and tends to crack a bit. The texture is spot on, though, so we won’t worry about a cracked top.

Note that I use a slightly longer and narrower loaf tin than a standard North American one. It won’t really make a difference, but if you’re using a slightly shorter tin you might get a higher cake.

Elderflowers are edible, but make sure that 1. you’re actually harvesting elderflowers, and 2. avoid using the stalks/green parts of the flower heads (see more about this in the post on elderflower lemonade). Lilac blossoms can be substituted (same rules apply) or even lavender, though you risk a soapy taste in that case. If you want to make the cake and skip the flowers, you can do that too – just make a lemon loaf cake instead.

How to Store

Storage: to store, don’t add the glaze to the cake. Place cooled cake in a sealed container and keep at room temperature for up to three days.

Freezing: place the cake (or slices) into an airtight container and freeze for up to three months.

Top-down view of cake slices from a loaf cake.

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Expert Tips

  • Don’t over mix: as with any spelt recipe (which is almost every baking recipe on OE!) it’s important to have a light hand. Spelt contains less gluten and will become tough if over mixed.
  • Choose unwaxed lemons: as you’re using the zest of the lemons, try to get organic, unwaxed ones if possible. Regardless, give them a good wash in warm water before zesting.
  • Smell the flowers: the key to picking nice elderflower blossoms is giving them a good sniff before harvesting. Not all elderflower is going to taste exactly the same, and you should choose heads that smell very nice to you.

More Edible Flower Recipes

Elderflower Lemonade
Lilac Lemonade
Elderflower Cordial
Lilac Syrup

If you make this Lemon Elderflower Cake or any other dairy-free dessert recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.

Yield: 12

Lemon Elderflower Cake

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

Metric – American
  • 400 grams light spelt flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3-4 heads elderflower blossoms only (~1/2 cup)
  • 300 ml non-dairy milk
  • 120 ml honey or maple syrup
  • 60 ml olive oil
  • Zest two lemons
  • Juice two lemons ~1/4 cup
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Coconut Milk Glaze

  • 120 ml full-fat canned coconut milk cream only
  • 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping

  • Fresh strawberries halved
  • Elderflower blossoms
  • Sliced lemons

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease or line a standard loaf tin. Set aside.
  • Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the elderflower blossoms.
    400 grams light spelt flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 3-4 heads elderflower
  • In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk, honey, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. Pour this mixture into the larger bowl and gently whisk until just combined. Don't over mix.
    300 ml non-dairy milk, 120 ml honey, 60 ml olive oil, Zest two lemons, Juice two lemons, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking tin, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a rack for ten minutes before tipping out of the tin and cooling fully. The cake can be served warm if not glazing. If you are using the glaze, pour it over the cooled cake directly before serving and top with the lemon slices, berries, and elderflower.
    Fresh strawberries, Elderflower blossoms, Sliced lemons

Coconut Milk Glaze

  • Whisk the coconut milk, honey, and lemon juice together in a small bowl until frothy. This can be made slightly ahead of time, but will harden if refrigerated.
    120 ml full-fat canned coconut milk, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Notes

• The glaze will soak into the cake if it's left on it. It doesn't taste bad, but it will soften slightly if stored with the glaze.
* As mentioned above, honey is best for this cake if you eat honey.

* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.


Nutrition

Serving: 1slice Calories: 267kcal Carbohydrates: 40g Protein: 5g Fat: 9g Saturated Fat: 4g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 4g Sodium: 236mg Potassium: 45mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 15g Vitamin A: 0.1IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 42mg Iron: 2mg

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.

© Alexandra Daum
Course: Cake, Desserts, Spring, Summer
Cuisine: European
Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
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More Desserts:

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Close up of pumpkin cinnamon rolls with frosting.Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Dramatically lit slice of carrot cake on a plate.Dairy-Free Carrot Cake
A stack of three oatmeal cookie chocolate ice cream sandwiches, decorated with raspberries and flowers.Three Ingredient Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

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Comments

  1. Ms. Bear says

    June 9, 2022 at 7:17 pm

    This looks delicious and beautiful. I so appreciate having recipes that aren’t made with lots of butter and white sugar. Thank you! I also enjoyed hearing about your husband’s grandmother, but I haven’t heard any of the jokes that start like that and I love family stories.

    Reply
    • Alexandra Daum says

      June 10, 2022 at 6:53 am

      That is very kind, thank you!

      Reply
  2. Karlie says

    June 17, 2019 at 4:41 pm

    I’d like to try this with dried elderflowers. Would you still recommend the 1/2 cup measurement?

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      June 17, 2019 at 8:09 pm

      I think 1/4 cup would be better if you’re using dried because the flavour is concentrated. I hope you love it!

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        July 4, 2019 at 10:44 pm

        I’ve been looking for a glaze made without powdered sugar (it’s just so processed I can’t deal with it), very excited to try this!

        Reply

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