LEMON AND ELDERFLOWER SPONGE

Hi gang! It's been a such long time since I fell off the blogging wagon and I've been preparing to throw myself back into all things blogging and Instagram recently so I thought the best way to get back into the blogosphere would be to share a new recipe with you guys! Because who doesn't love cake?!

I made this gorgeously light lemon and elderflower sponge this week and not being big headed but it was bloody UHMAZING. I adapted a Nigella Lawson recipe to create this babein' cake and just added a few extras to give it a fresh Jeranfj twist. Classic sponge cakes with a twist are always some of my favourite recipes to make whether its chucking in some chocolate powder or fruit and they're so quick and easy anyone can make them! 

Ingredients 

250g unsalted butter 

350g caster sugar

4 large eggs

zest of 2 lemons 

350g self-raising flour

8 tablespoons of milk

Lemon curd (for filling) 

2 round cake tins buttered and lines 

For the syrup

juice of 1 lemon 

2 tablespoons elderflower cordial 

For the buttercream 

500g icing sugar 

250g unsalted butter 

4 tablespoons elderflower cordial

Method

preheat the oven at 180C and butter and line your cake tins and leave to one side 

 cream together the butter and sugar and add in the lemon zest and eggs one at a time beating them in thoroughly. Gently fold in the flour, I always find it best to add a couple of tablespoons at a time to get the mixture really smooth, then add the milk and mix until smooth. Careful of any hidden flour lurking at the bottom of the bowl! 

spoon the mixture evenly between your two cake tins and pop in the oven, preferably on the same shelf for even baking, and bake for 45 minutes. Try not to curiously open the oven door while your cakes are baking or they'll sink, you can do the anxious GGBO style sit in front of the oven and stare nervously at the baking cakes if you like. 

while your cakes are baking beautifully in the oven move onto the syrup and butter cream. Mix together the juice of one lemon and 2 tablespoons of elderflower cordial in a bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl soften the butter and sieve in the icing sugar a couple of tablespoons at a time, this step is a tad messy so prepare for little puffs of icing sugar wafting into the air and covering every surface of the kitchen in a layer of powdered sugar. When you have mixed in the icing sugar add in the elderflower cordial a tablespoon at a time, you might not need all the elderflower cordial so be careful not to add too much and make the mixture too runny, it should be quite a stiff consistency and kinda stick to the spoon when you lift it from the bowl not just drip off. Once the mixture is smooth and ready pop it into the fridge till you're ready to add it to the cake. 

once the cakes are baked use a skewer to poke holes into the surface of the cake then pour the syrup over the two cakes and leave to cool completely in the tins. I left mine for about half an hour to make sure they were totally cool. 

when the cakes are completely cool add your lemon curd (as much as you fancy!) and buttercream and sandwich the two sponges together, finish with a sprinkling of icing sugar and lemon zest and Voila! One light zesyt lemon and elderflower cake to make even Mary Berry the queen of sponge cakes proud. Now grab a cuppa, a good book and a big chunk of cake and have a nice relaxing afternoon! 

Will you be giving this recipe a try? If so let me know how you get on!