The smallest tier of the wedding cake is a fluffy, lemon sponge, filled with lemon, American-style buttercream and homemade lemon curd, then iced with more buttercream and decorated, just like the other two tiers, with some pressed edible violas.

As delicious as this cake is, I do feel like I could make an even more wedding-friendly lemon cake recipe, just because this was the tier that gave me the most stress! It is the fluffiest of the cakes, so it does dry out more quickly than the other two tiers, and it wasn’t quite as stable as I would have liked (a result of poor assembly technique + the addition of lemon curd, I believe), so, for a wedding cake (not necessarily for a regular ol’ lemon cake, for which this is excellent!), I do think there’s definite room for improvement!

Table of Contents

• A Bit of Recipe Backstory
• Making the Lemon Curd
• Making the Cake Layers
  • Photo Tutorial: Lemon Cake Layers
• Making the Lemon Buttercream
  • Tutorial: Lemon Buttercream
• Assembling the Lemon Cake
• Decorating the Lemon Cake
• Recipe

A Bit of Recipe Backstory

As you’ll have seen in the intro post to this series, I will be doing a whole post on how I went about developing these recipes, but, just like I did with the other two tiers, I wanted to share a little bit of lemon-specific backstory here too!

Last year, I embarked on a Fondant Fancy-making journey (which, unfortunately, is yet to come to fruition: my struggles with pouring fondant persist). During that process, I accidentally made the most delicious, fluffy and light lemon cake (an adaptation of this recipe from My Baking Madness), so I figured that recipe would be a good place to start!

Naturally, I had documented the wrong recipe in my research, so the first few trials of this cake were completely different to what I remembered (and also vaguely unpleasant— it was not a good time). Luckily, in a frustrated haze, I suddenly realised that the recipe I was using was not, in fact, the recipe that I thought I was using, so I was able to switch back and save countless lemons from being juiced in vain.

With the right recipe, things started going much more smoothly! I was happy with this cake, but, as I mentioned in the intro, while it’s a delicious lemon cake, I do think I could make a moister lemon cake with a tighter crumb that would be more fit for a wedding/event cake. However, time was ticking (and I was already getting a little sick of lemons by this point), so I decided to go with it.

Luckily, I have my lemon curd recipe pretty much down, so that didn’t need too much fiddling with. The only thing I did do was make it a little thicker and less runny by using 1 egg + 1 egg yolk (as opposed to using all whole eggs, which is my usual method), just for structural purposes.

Making the Lemon Curd

I’ve shared a recipe for lemon curd here on the blog before, as part of my Lemon and Elderflower Butterfly Cakes recipe. The process for this curd is exactly the same, but I omitted the elderflower, doubled the recipe quantities and replaced one of the whole eggs with an egg yolk, to make the curd a little thicker, in an attempt to help make the cake more stable.

You don’t actually need a doubled recipe quantity for this cake: a single batch would’ve been plenty, but I think curds made with just yolks can taste quite eggy, so I wanted to use 1 whole egg + 1 yolk (thus, needed to make a double batch). Luckily, lemon curd will keep in the fridge for a little while and is very delicious on toast, so it didn’t need to go to waste!

The lemon curd was the first thing I made for this cake, because it does keep well in the fridge, I was able to make it in advance and save myself a job closer to the date.

Making the Cake Layers

Next, it was time to make the cake layers! For this sponge, I used the reverse creaming method, which is great for lemon cakes because it can take a greater volume of liquid, so you can get a good amount of lemon juice into the batter, as well as the zest, for extra flavour. This method does also give a slightly denser crumb than your typical sponge, which was just what I wanted (even if I now feel that I could have taken this further!).

The only thing I did find with this cake recipe is that it does have a tendency to stick to the sides of the tin. To combat this, I used my DIY Cake Release, brushing it all over the base and sides of the tin before lining the bottom with a circle of greaseproof paper. While this definitely helped, it still wasn’t perfect, so you do need to be very careful when taking these cakes out of the tin.

Also, very joyously (particularly after the last 2 tiers), as long as you have 3, separate, 6-inch round tins, you can bake all 3 layers at the same time in a regular oven (which is actually extra helpful, because this recipe does not scale down very easily!).

Photo Tutorial: Lemon Cake Layers

To make the lemon cake layers, start by preparing 3 x 6-inch tins, brushing them all over with DIY cake release and adding circles of greaseproof paper to the bottoms. Preheat the oven to 160°C (conventional setting, not fan-assisted).

I also recommend weighing your empty mixer bowl at this stage: that way, you can weigh the batter super easily later on, so that you can divide it evenly between the three tins.

Place the flour, cornflour, caster sugar, baking powder, baking soda and lemon zest into the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix the dry ingredients on low speed until combined (check that the lemon zest is pretty evenly distributed, then you’re good to go).

Add the softened butter to the bowl and continue to mix on low speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (there should be no large lumps of butter remaining).

This coats the flour in the butter, protecting it so that, when you need to beat the mixture later, the gluten in the flour won’t develop as much, so you can get a super fluffy cake without that tough, over-mixed texture.

While the butter is incorporating into the dry ingredients, whisk together the milk, sunflower oil, eggs and lemon juice in a large jug until evenly combined.

Pour the milk mixture into the bowl of the mixer, still running on low, in a slow, steady stream until it has all been added.

Turn the mixer speed up to medium and beat the batter until it is light, fluffy and smooth: about 30-60 seconds.

Divide the batter between the prepared tins. To do this evenly, weigh the batter as a whole (making sure to subtract the weight of the mixing bowl that you measured earlier!), divide that value by 3, then fill each tin with that amount of batter (it should be roughly 375g per tin, but it’s best to weigh the batter yourself to ensure perfectly even layers!).

Smooth the tops of the cakes, then bake them, all on the middle shelf, in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool completely in their tins before (carefully) running a palette knife around the edge of the tin, levelling the cakes (using a large, serrated palette knife) and turning out onto wire racks.

I like to level the cakes in the tins, using the top edge of the tin as a guide, to ensure that all of the cakes are the same height. To do this, hold the palette knife horizontally, flush against the top of the tins. Use a gentle sawing motion to score right around the circumference of the cake, then gently saw back and forth across the whole surface of the cake. This ensures that you get an even, precise cut.

Making the Lemon Buttercream

The final component to make is the lemon buttercream. This is a super basic American-style buttercream, flavoured with lemon juice for a sharp, lemon-y flavour. I wanted this icing to be really smooth and even in appearance, so I opted not to include lemon zest in the buttercream, but, don’t worry, it’s still super lemon-y!

Unlike the previous two cakes, this amount of buttercream is small and manageable enough that you can make it in a single batch (thank goodness!).

Tutorial: Lemon Buttercream

Again, just like with the coffee buttercream, I completely forgot to photograph this stage— I’m so sorry! It is exactly the same process as the chocolate buttercream from the largest tier of the cake though, just minus the cocoa powder and with lemon juice as the primary liquid ingredient, so you can follow along with that tutorial if you would like!

To make the lemon buttercream, place the softened, unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment.

Beat the butter on medium-high speed, pausing every now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until it is smooth, fluffy and significantly paler in colour: this will take about 3-5 minutes.

While the butter is being whipped, you can sift the icing sugar into a large bowl (you might need to do this part in two batches, if you don’t have a bowl big enough, because icing sugar fluffs up a lot when it is sifted).

When the butter is ready, turn the mixer speed down to low, then add half of the icing sugar, a spoonful at a time. This may sound tedious, but it prevents icing sugar from getting all over you/your kitchen and ensures that the icing mixes evenly, so it is important!

Once you’ve added half of the icing sugar, you can add the lemon juice. With the mixer still running on low, pour in the juice in slow, steady stream, until it has all been added.

Now, you can add the remaining half of the icing sugar, still working a spoonful at a time, until it is all incorporated.

If the icing is looking very stiff at this point, don’t worry. It will be important later that the buttercream has a good amount of structure and hold to it!

Turn the speed up to high and beat the icing until it is light and fluffy.

Transfer a spoonful of the icing to a microwave-safe bowl and heat on the high setting for about 10-15 seconds, until melted. Give this a quick mix, then stir it back into the rest of the icing by hand. This will smooth out the icing and, if the icing has split slightly after the addition of the lemon juice, will bring it back to an even consistency.

Assembling the Lemon Cake

With the lemon curd filling, cake layers and buttercream made and ready, it’s time to assemble! I’ll be sharing a detailed tutorial for how I assembled these layer cakes tomorrow, so be sure to check that out.

To assemble this, particular cake, I used the following equipment:

• 6-inch, circular cake drum.
• 8-inch, square cake board.
• Adhesive paper stickers (I used these, folded in half to make them ‘double-sided’ and easy to cut through with a cake lifter, but any thin, temporary adhesives will work).
• Cake lifter.
• Cake turntable.
• Piping bag and large round piping tip (I used a #1A tip).
• Offset palette knives (I used a 4-inch one for this tier).
• Cake dowels (I used these ones).
• Icing smoother (I used this one by Wilton).
• 8-inch, heavy duty cake box.

Just like the other two tiers, I assembled the lemon cake directly onto a cake drum that was the exact same diameter/shape as the cake itself (and which I had temporarily adhered to a thinner, square cake board, the same size as the cake box I would be transporting the cakes in, to prevent it slipping in transit). I layered up the cakes with buttercream and lemon curd filling, added 4 cake dowels, applied a crumb coat then added a thick, smooth layer of icing all over the cake.

The lemon curd filling does make this cake much less stable than the other two tiers, so do be particularly careful when assembling it, making sure to give it plenty of time to chill in between stages. There’ll be more detailed instructions for this in tomorrow’s post!

Then, the cake was done! I set the cake aside at a cool room temperature until it was time to transport it.

Decorating the Lemon Cake

Just like with the other two cakes, the lemon tier was decorated with a simple arc of pressed, edible violas. On all of the tiers, I used a combination of the ‘Cream‘ and ‘Midnight Blue and Cream‘ colourways from Nurtured in Norfolk.

I added the flowers at the venue, on the morning of the wedding, to ensure they didn’t rehydrate too much and go limp (and so that there was one less thing that could get damaged on the way there!). I just laid the flowers out on top of the cake, in a nice arrangement. Because the buttercream was set and had formed a crust, it was easier to rearrange the flowers until I was completely happy with the layout, before I used a small amount of leftover lemon icing on the blunt end of a skewer to stick each flower down individually.

Recipe

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The Lemon Tier (Wedding Cake Week #3)

The full recipe for the 6-inch, 3-layer lemon cake tier of my brother's wedding cake!

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Keyword American buttercream, Cake, Cake release, Lemon, Lemon curd

Prep Time 4 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 15 Wedding servings

Equipment

• 3 6-inch, circular cake tins (see Note 1).
• 6-inch, circular cake drum
• 8-inch, square cake board (See Note 2).
• Temporary adhesives (I used paper adhesive stickers)(see Note 2).
• Cake lifter
• 1 piping bag
• #1A piping tip (or similar, large, round nozzle)
• Offset palette knife
• 4 cake dowels
• Icing smoother (see Note 3).

Ingredients

For the lemon curd:

• 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
• 150 g white caster sugar (see Note 4).
• 2 lemons, zest and juice.
• 110 g unsalted butter, diced.

For the lemon cake layers:

• 2 batches DIY Cake Release (see Note 5).
• 260 g plain flour
• 20 g cornflour (see Note 6).
• 280 g caster sugar (see Note 7).
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 170 g unsalted butter, diced and softened.
• 180 ml whole milk
• 70 g sunflower oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 lemons (zest of both, juice of 1).

Lemon buttercream:

• 300 g unsalted butter, softened.
• 600 g icing sugar, sifted.
• 2 lemons, juice only.
• Splash of milk, if necessary.

To decorate

• Edible, pressed violas (see Note 8).

Instructions

Make the lemon curd:

• In a small saucepan, whisk together the whole egg, egg yolk, sugar, lemon zest and juice until thoroughly combined.
• Add the butter and place over a medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a heatproof spatula while the butter melts.
• Once the butter has melted, keep the pan over the heat and continue stirring until the curd becomes thick and smooth.
• Remove the curd from the heat, pass through a heatproof, fine mesh sieve then cover the surface of the curd directly with cling film and allow to cool to room temperature before placing into the fridge to chill and thicken up even more (at least 1-2 hours, but can be made a few days in advance).
• This recipe makes more lemon curd than you will need. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Make the lemon cake layers:

• Preheat the oven to 160°C (conventional oven, not fan-assisted). Brush each cake tin with a layer of DIY Cake Release and line the base of each with a circle of greaseproof paper. Set aside.
• Place flour, cornflour, caster sugar, baking powder, baking soda and lemon zest into bowl of electric mixer, fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to combine.
• Add butter and continue to mix on low speed until mixture resembles breadcrumbs and no large pieces of butter remain.
• In the meantime, whisk together the milk, sunflower oil, eggs and lemon juice in a jug.
• With the mixer on low, pour the milk mixture into the batter in a slow, steady stream until it has all been added.
• Turn the mixer speed up to medium and beat the batter until it is light, fluffy and smooth: this will take about 30-60 seconds.
• Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared tins and smooth out the tops, then bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean.
• Allow the cakes to cool in the tins completely, then carefully run a palette knife around the edges to loosen them. Level the cakes, then turn them out onto wire racks.

Make the lemon buttercream:

• Fit mixer with paddle attachment. Beat butter until smooth, pale and creamy (about 3-5 mins), scraping down the sides when necessary.
• With mixer on low, add half of the icing sugar to the butter, a spoonful at a time, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go.
• With mixer still on low, pour lemon juice into buttercream in a slow, steady stream.
• Add the rest of the icing sugar with the mixer still running, a spoonful at a time. 
• Once everything has been added, turn the mixer up to high and beat until fluffy and fully mixed (about 1 minute). Don't worry if the icing is quite stiff at this stage— it needs to be.
• Remove a spoonful of icing and microwave on high for 10-15 seconds to melt. Stir to ensure evenly melted, then mix into the rest of the icing by hand to smooth it out and return the icing to an even consistency if it has split a little from the lemon juice.

Assemble the cake:

• Secure the 6-inch cake drum to the 8-inch cake board (if using), using paper adhesive stickers (or other similar, temporary adhesive). Set on a turntable, with a layer of non-slip fabric in-between the turntable and the boards.
• Spread a dollop of icing onto the cake drum, then set the first, cooled cake layer on top, making sure it is level and centred on the drum. It should line up with the sides of the drum.
• Pipe an even layer of lemon buttercream all over the surface of the cake layer, making sure to go right to the edges. Use an offset palette knife to spread the icing out evenly, ensuring there is some overhanging icing at the edges.
• Pipe another circle of buttercream on top of that layer, just around the circumference of the circle. This will act as a buttercream 'dam' to keep the lemon curd filling contained.
• Spread a thin layer of lemon curd on top of the buttercream, making sure not to go over the edges of the buttercream 'dam'.
• Place the next layer of cake on top, making sure it is centred and level, then smooth off the excess icing around the sides and place the cake into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes before repeating the process all over again with the buttercream, curd and final cake layer. Place the whole cake back into the fridge for a further 15 minutes.
• Add 4 cake dowels, if using. Add a splash of milk to the buttercream to thin it out slightly, then use to apply a thin crumb coat all over the top and sides of the cake. Place back into the fridge to chill for a final 15 minutes.
• Apply a generous layer of icing all over the top and sides of the cake. At this stage, cover the sides of the cake drum with icing too. Smooth out the top, making sure to leave some overhanging icing all around the top edge, then use the icing smoother to smooth out the sides, moving the turntable, rather than the smoother for best results. The overhanging icing should be pushed upwards and inwards during this process, forming a nice 'lip' around the top of the cake.
• If needed, apply more icing to any uneven sections and smooth again.
• Once happy with the finished cake, set aside at cool room temperature to firm up, until ready to eat/transport.

Decorating the cake with pressed flowers:

• As close to serving as possible, lay the pressed flowers onto the surface of the cake (on which the buttercream is now hardened), making sure you are happy with the arrangement before sticking them down. Use a small amount of icing on the end of skewer to stick down each flower individually.

Notes

Notes:

1. I use the 6-inch sandwich tins from Silverwood.
2. You can skip the extra board/adhesive if you don’t need to transport the cake— these just make it easier to manoeuvre the cake without worrying about it slipping/sliding.
3. If you want smooth sides on a cake, you really do need to invest in an icing smoother. I use this one by Wilton.
4. I like to use white caster sugar (not golden caster sugar) for this lemon curd, to ensure that it has a really bright, yellow colour, but either will work.
5. This cake does tend to stick to the sides of the tin a little, so I recommend using my DIY Cake Release recipe to help it release cleanly. 
6. Cornflour gives this cake a slightly more tender, soft crumb. If you don’t have cornflour, feel free to use an additional 20g of flour instead.
7. For the cake, I do use golden caster sugar, but white caster sugar would work too.
8. I purchased the violas from Nurtured in Norfolk. On this cake, I used the colourways ‘Cream’ and ‘Midnight Blue & Cream‘.

 

Curd recipe developed from ‘Gran’s Kitchen‘ cookbook by Natalie Oldfield.

Cake recipe developed from ‘Homemade French Fancies‘ recipe from My Baking Madness.

Next up are these Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes. They’re fresh, zingy and my ode to Penelope Featherington, the female lead of Bridgerton Season 3!

Table of Contents

• Inspiration
• Ingredients
• Making the Lemon & Elderflower Curd
• Making the Lemon Fairy Cakes
• Making the Elderflower Ermine Buttercream
• Assembling the Butterfly Cakes
• Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes Recipe

Inspiration

As I mentioned, this cake is inspired by the female lead of Bridgerton Season 3: Penelope Featherington. In the first two seasons, it’s a running joke that Penelope’s outfits are all very… yellow… so I thought lemon would be a fitting flavour for her cake. I wanted to make these cakes extra fancy, so I added some elderflower flavour too (with the help of elderflower cordial). Lemon and elderflower is a flavour combination that has become super popular in recent years (particularly after the 2018 Royal Wedding!), and it just tastes so light and fresh and sweet- exactly the right vibe for my Bridgerton Watch Party!

There are numerous motifs that run throughout the Bridgerton series and make their way into the costumes, hairstyles and settings. Penelope Featherington (indeed, the whole Featherington family) is typically paired with the motif of a butterfly, so it couldn’t not turn these lemon and elderflower cakes into butterfly cakes. Butterfly cakes are such a nostalgic treat to me- I’m not sure if they’re particularly common outside of the UK, but I grew up baking them. Essentially, a butterfly cake is just a fairy cake (not a cupcake- fairy cakes are kind of… squatter versions of cupcakes?), with the top cut off in a shallow cone shape. The cut-off piece of cake is then cut in half, down the middle, to make two ‘wings’. The hollow left in the cake is filled- usually with jam and cream, but it can be with anything (in this case, with a lemon and elderflower curd, along with an elderflower buttercream)- and the cake ‘wings’ are placed back on top at an angle, to make the cakes look like a little butterflies. It’s such an effective way of making a simple cake look super pretty!

Ingredients

For these Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes, you will need:

• Eggs

You need eggs for both the lemon cake batter and the lemon & elderflower curd. As always, I use large eggs.

• Lemons

For a lemon cake, you need lemons! You’ll need the zest and juice for both the curd and the cake batter.

• Caster sugar

You’ll need caster sugar for all three elements of these cakes, so it’s pretty important!

• Unsalted butter

You will need unsalted butter for both the curd and the buttercream. While I use Stork for my cake batters, I don’t recommend using it for curd/buttercream- stick to regular butter for these elements.

• Stork

As always, I like to use Stork for my cake batters, because I think it gives a lighter, fluffier cake. If you can’t find Stork, or would prefer not to use it, you can substitute it for an equal amount of softened, unsalted butter.

• Elderflower cordial

Elderflower cordial is a super easy, year-round way of getting elderflower flavour into baked goods. You’ll be adding this to both the curd and the buttercream to impart a lovely, floral flavour.

• Plain flour

Plain flour is used in the cake batter, but it is also an important ingredient in the ermine buttercream (I know it sounds weird, but trust me! It’s delicious).

• Baking powder

This helps the fairy cakes to rise, making them light and fluffy.

• Salt

Just a little pinch- to bring out all of the other flavours.

• Milk

Milk is used in both the cake batter and the buttercream to help achieve the right consistency for each one. While you absolutely can use skimmed milk in both elements (and I usually do because that’s what we typically have in the house!), using whole milk, particularly for the buttercream, will make it extra creamy and luxurious, so use that if you have it.

• Icing sugar

Just a small amount, for dusting over the finished butterfly cakes.

Making the Lemon & Elderflower Curd

The lemon & elderflower curd needs time to chill in the fridge, so get that out of the way first, before you make the cupcakes. You can even make it a few days in advance, if you like, and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. This recipe makes significantly more lemon curd than you will need to fill the fairy cakes, but, unless you fancy attempting to split an egg (which, admittedly, I have done in the past- so it’s not impossible if you’re desperate!), it’s for the best. In fact, the curd is delicious on toast, pancakes (the list goes on), so it won’t be wasted!

A quick confession before we start: I make curd in a bit of a sacrilegious way- I make the whole thing in a saucepan, straight over direct heat. I know you’re supposed to make it over a bain marie, so that you don’t scramble the eggs, but… I’ve never successfully made curd like that… I’ve just never been very good with double boilers. Sigh. Anyway, the point: if you’re used to making curd over a bain marie- do that! The quantities and everything will be exactly the same. In this post, however, I’ll be explaining how I make it in a saucepan.

Start by whisking together the egg, caster sugar, lemon zest and juice in a small saucepan. By whisking these ingredients together really well at this stage, you reduce the possibility of there being any big pieces of egg that might scramble.

Then, add the diced butter. Dicing the butter helps it to melt more quickly and adding it to the pan afterwards just makes it easier to whisk the initial ingredients together.

Put the pan over a medium-low heat and stir constantly with a heatproof spatula as the butter melts. I prefer to use a spatula, because sometimes I get carried away with my stirring and make my curd frothy if I use a whisk, but you can use a whisk if you prefer.

When the butter has melted, keep the pan over the heat and keep stirring. After a few minutes, the curd will start to thicken. Keep stirring until it is nice and thick, then remove it from the heat.

At this point, you want to push the curd through a fine, heatproof sieve into a small bowl, just to remove any pieces of egg that you might have missed. Honestly, I always do this, even when I attempt to make curd over a bain marie, so I don’t feel like it’s an extra faff or anything. I usually get a couple of pieces of egg left in the sieve, along with the zest (but that’s okay, because, by this point, the zest has already imparted all of its zestiness) and am left with a super smooth, super luscious (and, most importantly, super speedy) lemon curd.

Once you have a silky-smooth curd, add the elderflower cordial and stir it through. By adding the cordial at this stage, after the cooking process, you preserve its fresh, zingy flavour.

Cover with cling film, making sure to press it directly onto the surface of the curd, to prevent a skin from forming, then place it into the fridge for at least an hour, to chill and thicken up even more, before using.

Making the Lemon Fairy Cakes

For these cakes, I’ve used the reverse-creaming method. The reason for this is two-fold: firstly, this method gives a slightly more close-textured cake, which makes it easier to cut out the ‘wings’ from the cakes later. Secondly, the reverse-creaming method requires a higher proportion of liquid ingredients, which means you can add extra lemon juice to the cake batter and get a more intense lemon flavour in your cupcakes. It’s a win-win, right?

Start by preheating the oven to 180°C (conventional oven). Line a fairy cake tray with fairy cake cases and set aside. A quick note here: fairy cake cases are not the same as cupcake cases- in the photo above, the cupcake case is on the left, whereas the fairy cake case is on the right. As you can see, the cupcake case is significantly taller. You can find fairy cake cases in most supermarkets.

For the cake batter, place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest into the bowl of a freestanding mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed briefly, just to combine all of the ingredients, then add the Stork (or softened unsalted butter, if you’re using that instead).

Mix on low-medium speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, milk and lemon juice in a jug. When the flour mixture is ready, keep the mixer running while you gradually pour in the wet ingredients.

Once you have added all of the liquid, turn the mixer up to high speed and beat for 30-60 seconds, until the cake batter looks smooth and silky.

Divide the batter evenly between the 12 fairy cake cases (they should be about 3/4 full). The batter is quite liquid, so I find it easiest to transfer it to a jug first and then pour it into the cases. Once the cases are filled, bake the cakes in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown and spring back when pressed gently.

As always, I like to remove the cakes from the tin as soon as they come out of the oven, to prevent the bottoms from becoming greasy. Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before assembling the cakes.

Making the Elderflower Ermine Buttercream

Ermine buttercream, also known as ‘boiled milk’ or ‘flour’ buttercream, is a little kooky, but it’s silky-smooth and significantly less sweet than a typical American buttercream, so I’m a big fan of it. It works particularly well in this recipe, because it can take the extra sweetness of the elderflower cordial. To make ermine buttercream, you make a sweet, flour-based ‘pudding’, which you then whisk into softened butter to make the buttercream. I know it sounds weird, but it works!

You need to make the pudding element ahead of time, so that it has enough time to cool down to room temperature (though this doesn’t take very long- only about 30-40 minutes). I usually make it before I make the fairy cakes themselves, then finish the buttercream off once it’s time to assemble them. To make it, place the flour, caster sugar, salt and milk into a small saucepan over medium heat.

Whisk the ingredients together as they melt, then keep whisking until the mixture turns into a thick pudding. Please don’t be alarmed by the fact that it looks vaguely grey at this stage- I promise that the finished icing won’t be grey!

Transfer the pudding to a shallow dish and cover the surface directly with cling film, then leave it to cool down to room temperature before proceeding with the buttercream.

Once the pudding has cooled to room temperature and you’re ready to assemble the cupcakes, you can finish making the buttercream. Place the softened butter into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft, fluffy and significantly paler in colour.

Add a spoonful of the cooled pudding mixture and whisk until completely combined.

Keep going, adding a spoonful of pudding at a time and whisking between each addition, until all of the pudding has been incorporated.

At this point, you can add the elderflower cordial. Mix again to incorporate the cordial fully and then your elderflower ermine icing is ready to go!

Assembling the Butterfly Cakes

Once your cupcakes are cool, your buttercream is ready and your curd is nice and chilled, you can assemble your cupcakes!

The first thing you need to do is cut out the cake for the wings. Use a small, sharp knife, at an angle, like in the photo.

Carve a shallow cone shape from the centre of each cupcake, like this.

Cut each of the cone-shaped pieces of cake in half, leaving you with two little cake ‘wings’ per cake.

Next, add a generous amount of lemon & elderflower curd into the hollow of each of the cakes.

Add a big dollop of elderflower buttercream right on top of the curd and spread it out so that it completely conceals the hollow beneath, but doesn’t go right to the edges of the cake itself. You can absolutely pipe the buttercream, if you prefer (I would recommend using a large, round nozzle for this), but I kept things simple by just using a spoon.

Once all of the cakes are filled, you can add the ‘wings’ back on. Push them into the buttercream at a slight angle, so the straight edges are aligned in the centre, making your fairy cakes look like little butterflies.

To finish off the butterfly cakes, I like to dust them with a little bit of icing sugar. After that final flourish, they’re done! As with most cakes, they’re best served on the day they’re made, but they will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes Recipe

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Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes

Inspired by Penelope Featherington, these lemon fairy cakes are filled with a lemon & elderflower curd, topped with an elderflower ermine buttercream and made to look like little butterflies with a simple trick. They're perfect for afternoon tea, birthday parties and, of course, for snacking on while watching Bridgerton!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine British

Keyword Butterfly cake, Elderflower, Ermine buttercream, Fairy cake, Lemon, Lemon curd

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Chill Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12 fairy cakes

Ingredients

For the lemon & elderflower curd:

• 1 egg
• 75 g caster sugar
• 1 lemon, zest and juice.
• 55 g unsalted butter, diced.
• 1 tbsp elderflower cordial

For the lemon fairy cakes:

• 125 g plain flour
• 125 g caster sugar
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 lemon, zest and juice.
• 50 g Stork (see Note 1).
• 1 egg
• 90 ml milk

For the elderflower ermine buttercream:

• 10 g plain flour
• 30 g caster sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 90 ml milk
• 75 g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp elderflower cordial (or to taste).

To serve:

• Icing sugar, for dusting.

Instructions

Make the lemon & elderflower curd:

• Place the egg, sugar, lemon zest and juice into a small saucepan. Whisk together until fully combined, then add the butter.
• Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir constantly with a spatula as the butter melts. Once melted, keep stirring over the heat until the curd becomes thick and smooth.
• Pass the curd through a heatproof, fine mesh sieve into a small bowl, to remove any bits of egg. Add the elderflower cordial to the strained curd and stir through to incorporate.
• Cover the surface of the curd directly with clingfilm, then place into the fridge to chill and thicken up even more (about an hour, but, if you prefer, you can make the curd in advance and store it like this in the fridge for 4-5 days).

Make the pudding base for the elderflower ermine buttercream:

• Place the flour, caster sugar, salt and milk into a small saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until the sugar has melted and the mixture has thickened into a smooth pudding.
• Pour the pudding into a shallow dish and cover the surface directly with clingfilm. Set aside to cool to room temperature while you make the lemon cakes.

Make the lemon fairy cakes:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional oven). Line a 12-hole fairy cake tray with fairy cake cases and set aside (see Note 2).
• Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest into the bowl of a freestanding mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly on low speed to combine.
• Add the Stork and mix again, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• In a jug, whisk together the egg, milk and lemon juice. With the mixer running, add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture in a slow, steady stream.
• Once all of the milk mixture has been added, turn the speed up to high and beat for 30-60 seconds, until a smooth batter has formed.
• Divide the mixture between the prepared fairy cake cases, then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown and spring back when their surfaces are pressed gently.
• As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely (this will prevent the cases from becoming greasy) before assembling.

Finish preparing the elderflower ermine buttercream:

• Place the softened butter into a large bowl and beat, using a handheld electric mixer, until soft, smooth and significantly paler in colour.
• Add a spoonful of the cooled pudding base to the whipped butter and whisk well to incorporate.
• Continue adding the pudding to the butter, a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition, until all of the pudding has been added.
• Add the elderflower cordial and whisk again to finish off the buttercream.

Assemble the butterfly cakes:

• Use a small, sharp knife to carve out a shallow, cone shape from the top of each fairy cake. Cut each of these cone shapes in half to make two 'wings'.
• Place a generous amount of lemon & elderflower curd in the cut-out hollow of each cake, then top with a dollop of elderflower buttercream. Use the back of a spoon to spread the buttercream out, so that it completely conceals the hollow beneath.
• For each cake, press the two 'wings' into the buttercream at an angle, so that their straight sides line up in the centre, like a butterfly.
• Dust the cakes with a small amount of sifted icing sugar and serve. The cakes are best served the day they are made, but will keep in an airtight container in the fridge, for 2-3 days, if needed.

Notes

1. As always, I like to use Stork in my cakes because I think it makes for a lighter, fluffier cake. If you cannot find Stork, or would prefer not to use it, use an equal amount of softened unsalted butter.
2. Fairy cake trays/cases are not the same as cupcake trays/cases. They are much flatter, so take a lot less batter and bake more quickly. You can find fairy cake cases at most supermarkets.