Mother’s Day is Sunday, and it’s looking a little different for many of us, I’m sure. Mom and I have always found a way to mark the day together, and while this weekend is TBD because it might snow (WTF), I took advantage of good porch weather last weekend and snuck over to hers to enjoy burgers and cake on the deck. The cake, this almond elderflower cake with whipped buttermilk frosting, is what I’m here to gush over today.
We love cake so much, and one of our favorite things to do together is go to afternoon tea. It’s such a tradition in our respective households, that we unconsciously judge every cake we eat by whether or not it would be good served at the three o’clock hour with a nice cuppa.
I’m not even kidding that no matter where we have cake, one of us will no doubt mutter, “I think this would go great with a cup of tea.” It’s like a reflex and I’ve somehow started to notice it more whenever I bake up something new, and it makes me chuckle every time.
This cake comes adapted from a recipe book that I come to every now and then, Around the World in 80 Dishes. The original recipe is served with gooseberries, but since we are in these quarantine times and I’m making one grocery store stop instead of three, I went with a black raspberry jam to sandwich between the heavy cake layers. The cake, made with a mixture of almond and purpose flour, is flavored with elderflower liquor both outside and within, giving us all just the right amount of floral without making us feel like we were eating soap.
As for the frosting, I saw a buttermilk whipped cream in a magazine a while ago and made a note to use it one day, and this was the occasion. The tang of the buttermilk (which I love) is just there and complements the sweetness from the cake and the jam to tie up this baked package just perfectly, IMO. Gelatin helps the whipped cream hold itself together into a just set enough topping.
I decorated it the naked way, which I think has lost a bit of its vogue-ness, but I just love it for this kind of cake during the spring and summer seasons. It lightens it up a bit in my mind (this cake is NOT light), and also makes it a bit less fussy in the months where days are longer, carefree and less fussy themselves.
**With these types of cakes (see here), I recommend weighing the ingredients rather than measuring. I’ve added the measurements here if you don’t have a scale. Also, the recipe as written is for a double layer, 2 8 or 9″ round cake. I halved the recipe, baked it in a 6″ x 4″ cake pan for one hour and sliced it into three layers.
Almond Elderflower Cake
This almond elderflower cake with whipped buttermilk frosting is a heavy but delicious cake, the perfect accompaniment for tea, or when you're just feeling fancy.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces unsalted butter
- 10 ounces granulated sugar (1 cup plus 8 tsp)
- 5 ounces almond flour (1 cup plus 6 tsp)
- 4 ounces elderflower liquor, divided in half
- 5 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 ounces self-rising flour (1 cup plus 2 tsp)
- 8 ounces black raspberry jam
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 packet gelatin
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
Directions
- Step 1 Make the frosting first: Place the whipping cream In a large, chilled bowl. Sprinkle with the gelatin and let sit 5 minutes. Using a whisk or electric mixer, beat the whipped cream to stiff peaks. Fold in the buttermilk and combine well. Cover and put in the fridge to allow the gelatin to set a bit.
- Step 2 Make the cake. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and sugar and line 2 8″ or 9″ cakes with parchment paper.
- Step 3 In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time and the vanilla and mix well. Add the almond flour and half of the liquor. Mix well. Gently fold in the self-rising flour until just combined.
- Step 4 Bake 35-40 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Pour the remaining liquor over the hot cakes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.
- Step 5 Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer on a plate, and add about 1/2 of the whipped cream and the jam. Top with the second layer of cake and frost with remaining whipped cream. You may have some extra. Serve with a nice cup of tea!
