Make a royal cake of your own.
By Donna Zitter Bordelon
It used to be every little girl’s dream to grow up and marry a prince, but times have changed and now women can do anything — not just dream. But for girls still cherishing that romantic image, Meghan Markle’s wedding to Prince Harry on Saturday is a dream come true.
The British monarchy is steeped in tradition. But out of keeping with tradition, Harry is marrying an American. Also breaking from tradition is the choice of a wedding cake. Fruitcake has been the royal British wedding cake tradition since 1840, when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
Everything from the guest list to Harry’s best man has been kept secret, but the choice for the wedding cake was recently leaked to the press. No fruitcake here. The official cake is a lemon and elderflower cake, using the bright flavors of spring, frosted with buttercream, and decorated with fresh flowers.
Create your own royal moment using the flavors of lemon and elderflower. Cherry blossoms, pansies, violets and red bud tree flowers are edible decorating flowers.
A SPECULATIVE ROYAL WEDDING CAKE
Cake:
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1¼ cups sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon,
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. salt
2¼ cups flour
2¼ tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup milk
2 Tbsp. St-Germain or other elderflower liqueur
2 Tbsp. juice from lemon
Decorative flowers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans.
In a large mixing bowl, put the sugar and lemon zest and beat to blend.
Add butter and beat 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then add the vanilla.
On a sheet of wax paper or in a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour to the bowl in thirds, alternating with the milk, elderflower liqueur and lemon juice.
Pour into prepared pans and bake about 20 minutes until cake begins to pull from sides and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.
Lemon Curd Filling:
¼ lb. butter
1½ cups sugar
Zest of 3 lemons and reserve juice
4 eggs
Pinch of salt
In a 2-quart saucepan, beat the butter until creamed.
Mix together the sugar and lemon zest and add to the pot.
Add the eggs separately, beating after each addition.
Add the lemon juice and salt and blend.
Over medium low heat, cook, stirring constantly just below a simmer, until mixture thickens. (About 10 minutes)
Cool then refrigerate.
Whipped Cream Filling:
1 cup whipping cream
¼ tsp. sugar
½ cup lemon curd
With chilled beaters in a medium bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks begin to form, adding the sugar gradually, beating on high until stiff peaks form.
Use a wire whisk to gently fold the lemon curd into whipped cream.
Refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.
Buttercream Frosting:
¾ cup butter, room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar
½ cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. St-Germain or other elderflower liqueur
Zest from 1 lemon and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
In a medium bowl, beat butter.
Add confectioners’ sugar gradually, beating on low, until sugar is incorporated
Add milk, vanilla, St-Germain, lemon zest and juice, and beat on high until frosting is fluffy.
Refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.
Assembly:
Place one cake layer on a plate. Place 1 cup of lemon curd in center, gently spreading across cake to within 1 inch of edge.
Top with 1/3 of whipped cream filling.
Add next cake layer and repeat filling.
Top with last layer, and refrigerate for ½ hour.
Use about 1/3 of buttercream frosting to lightly frost cake, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Frost cake with remaining frosting, and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, decorate with flowers of choice.
Eat well, live long, enjoy!
(Questions or tips can be sent to Donna Zitter Bordelon at WhatscookinNEPhilly@gmail.com or in care of the Times, 2 Executive Campus, Suite 400, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002)
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