Strawberry Elderflower Scone Cake

This strawberry elderflower vegan scone cake is the perfect way to use the elderflower blossoms that are everywhere at this time of year. Beautiful elderflower and seasonal strawberries taste perfect together and it’s a stunning cake that’s surprisingly easy to make.

In this case, some elderflower is used in the scone that makes up the cake, and a little more is sprinkled on each layer for a subtle floral taste. It’s not absolutely necessary if you can’t find it, and the cake will be delicious without it, but perhaps not quite as pretty.

White lilac blossoms, or any lilacs, would be beautiful, and just as tasty if you don’t have elderflower. You could also brush the interior of the scone with lilac syrup or elderflower cordial before adding the coconut whipped cream.

I imagined serving it at a baby shower or spring dinner party, but it’s also so simple that you can make it any time. The dough is made mostly in a food processor, the ingredient list is short and sweet, and since you don’t have to cut individual scones, it comes together quickly.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Coconut milk: make sure to use a type of coconut milk that doesn’t have added thickeners for the best results (in both the scone and the whipped cream). I generally find that less expensive varieties work better.
• Spelt flour: use white or light spelt for the best results, and substitute plain white flour or whole wheat pastry flour for the spelt if preferred. I haven’t tried making this gluten-free.
• Strawberries: always look for small, deep red strawberries. Smaller ones are sweeter than their large counterparts.

Recipe Notes

In terms of preparation time, remember that a can of coconut milk needs to go in the fridge the day before making the coconut whipped cream.

If you’d like, you can make the different elements of the cake a day in advance, and then assemble it right before serving. If you assemble it too early it won’t be as good – the cream may soak into the scone and make it too soft, and it’s not as nice after it’s been sitting, even for a few hours.

Since this is a dessert, I wouldn’t use more than half whole grain spelt flour. I use a similar base recipe for coconut oil biscuits with whole spelt, but it will be a little tougher than if you just use light or white spelt.

How to Store

Storage: everything here tastes best the day it is made (and picked) so I don’t really recommend storage. In case of leftovers, refrigerate for a couple days in a sealed container, but note that the scone will both soften from the cream and become stale.

Freezing: the scone can be frozen without the filling, wrapped well (I use beeswax wrap) and placed in an airtight container, for up to a month.

Expert Tips

• Freeze your oil: if your kitchen is very warm and your coconut oil has melted, measure it out and spread it out onto parchment, then freeze for about ten minutes.
• Make it without a food processor: if you don’t have a food processor, you can cut the coconut oil in with a pastry cutter or two knives, but using knives is deeply frustrating. In a pinch use light hands and work quickly.
• Don’t over work it: the scone is fairly wet and can’t be folded – it’s almost a drop scone consistency. Don’t be tempted to add flour and shape it like a typical scone dough.

More Springtime Desserts

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
Lemon Rhubarb Cake
Strawberry Brownies
Lemon Elderflower Cake

If you make this Scone Cake or any other refined sugar-free desserts 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.