Classic Elderflower Cordial & Elderflower berry birthday cake

Any search for the culinary uses of elderflower will pull up elderflower cordial. By cooking the flower head in what is essentially a diluted simple syrup, you can pretty easily preserve its fragrance for future use. Which is great, because elderflower is an amazing, special plant that deserves to be savored. The most common way to enjoy elderflower cordial is by using it in cocktails (gin, elderflower, and lemon, is a tasty simple classic) or adding a bit to sparkling wine or even sparkling water for a nice kid-friendly afternoon refreshment. I also love drizzling elderflower cordial over any dessert for a quick and easy way to make that dessert oh-so-special (such as for my huckleberry-elderflower birthday cake below).

Elderflower cordial: Makes about 1 liter.

• 20 medium elderflower heads (about 2-3'' across)

• Grated zest of 2 lemons

• Juice of 2 lemons

• 4 cups water

• 3.5 cups sugar

• Note: Some recipes call for citric acid (about 1 teaspoon for this batch), which helps the cordial keep for longer.

Infusing water with elderflower essence.

Inspect the elderflower heads carefully and remove any insects. Remove flowers from most of stems (especially the large ones), wash by quickly submerging in cold water, and drain. Place the flower heads in a large bowl together with the lemon zest.

Bring water to the boil and pour over the elderflowers and citrus zest. Cover and leave overnight to infuse.

Strain the liquid through cheesecloth and pour into a saucepan. Add the sugar and the lemon juice. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Use a funnel to pour the hot syrup into sterilized bottles and seal with a sterilized cap or cork. Bottles can be sterilized by washing with soapy water then plunging into boiling water for 5 minutes and allowing to air dry.

Allow to cool then store in the refrigerator or freezer. Cordial will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks and in the freezer for 1 year. I like to freeze the cordial in smaller batches so I can use it as needed.

Elderflower-Mulberry Birthday Cake: Serves 12.

Bottom half of the cake has been drizzled with cordial and is about to be spread with tart whipped cream.

For my birthday last weekend, I had an inkling to make a cake infused with elderflower cordial, but had a hard time deciding exactly what else to include - apricots and almonds? loquats and honey? lemon and poppyseed? Spring is a fun time to daydream about desserts! While walking through my surprisingly abundant neighborhood however, I was lucky enough to stumble upon some mulberries, which helped to complete my vision. My birthday party was a campout and the cake held up nicely for several hours, even though I was impatient and made the tart whipped cream earlier than necessary:) My photos do not show the final spread of whipped cream on the top, as it was too dark for photos when I added this piece.

• 1/2 cup plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 4 eggs

• 2 tablespoons yogurt

• 3 tablespoons plus up to 3/4 cup elderflower cordial

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup almond meal

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoons salt

• 2 cups fresh mulberries, washed and dried

• 3/4 cup whipping cream

• 1/2 cup crème fraîche

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease a 9-inch springform pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the butter and 3/4 cup sugar in a mixer until they’re light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time then incorporate the yogurt and 3 tablespoons of the elderflower cordial.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt and slowly whisk this into the wet mixture in 3 batches. Once its fully incorporated, pour half of the batter into the greased springform pan, then spread mulberries evenly over the top, followed by remaining batter and bake for 1 hour. Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

While cake is baking, beat whipping cream until almost stiff, continue beating as you add in 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla and then lightly whisk in crème fraîche.

The gorgeous mulberry layer is revealed!

Once cake has cooled, cut in half to make two layers using a large serrated knife. You should be cutting right through the berry layer and at this point, you will be able to see all of the beautiful mulberries hiding inside. 

Drizzle up to 1/4 cup of elderflower over the bottom layer and top with half of the tart whipped cream, followed by the other half of the cake. Drizzle up to another 1/4 cup of elderflower (for both of these, it depends on how sweet/moist/elderflowery you want the cake) and spread the other half of the whipped cream over the top. Top with a sprinkling of fresh elderflowers if you have them and drizzle each piece of cake with a little more elderflower cordial before eating.  

This version is before the addition of the final tart whipped cream layer.

German Apple "Cake"

This is really more of a pie with a larger, fluffier crust than a cake (hence the quotation marks). I first encountered a version of this recipe on Culinate where I was immediately smitten by the idea of a pie-ish cake, typically preferring the former to the latter myself. I made a few additions and baked it in a cast iron pan to bring it to what it is today. Its refined rustic-ness makes it comforting as a dessert and delightful as an afternoon snack with cheese and tea or coffee. Or a beer, really - try it! Serves 6 and can easily be doubled to serve 12.

• 1 cup flour - I like to use a blend of something like half rye or other whole grain and half all purpose

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon plus one pinch salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup crème fraîche or yogurt, divided (optional)

• 3-4 medium apples

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• Up to 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon allspice (or other warm spices such as cardamom, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon

• Dash of apple brandy (optional)

• Ice cream (optional)

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, baking powder, and butter. Work this mixture with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse cornmeal.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg and vanilla. Mix the eggs and vanilla slightly with a fork, then gradually whisk in the flour mixture. Work and knead until the mixture forms a coherent mass and is moist but not sticky. If sticky, add a little more flour and knead it in. If too dry, incorporate crème fraîche, yogurt (milk or water also works) one tablespoon at a time (up to 2 tablespoons) until dough is moist.

Cut the dough in half and roll each half into a ball. Flatten the halves a bit, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to chill for 30-45 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch cast iron pan. Core and slice the apples (they can be peeled, I like to keep the peels on), then toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice, brown sugar (more or less, depending on apples and preference), allspice, pinch of salt, and optional dash of apple brandy.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator about 5 minutes prior to rolling. Sprinkle one dough ball with flour, flip, sprinkle with more flour, and roll out on plastic wrap until is will fit snugly into the bottom of the cast iron pan. The dough can be a bit sticky, so add a little extra flour as needed. Lifting the plastic wrap, invert it into the cast iron pan. 

Pile the apple mixture on the dough and rearrange apples to minimize large pockets of air. Roll out the remaining dough as you did before, but a little larger than first (so it can fit over top of apples) and place it over the apples by inverting the plastic wrap as you did the previous time. If the dough breaks, don't worry - just press it back together.

Bake the cake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and your house smells marvelous. 

Serve warm, with crème fraîche or ice cream and mint garnish if desired. Also great in the afternoon with cheese.

This German apple cake pairs wonderfully with cold apple brandy/calvados.