Simple, Seasonal Baking: Strawberry and Elderflower Victoria Sponge

To me, June and the period around Midsummer, Litha, is synonymous with the delicate blooms of elderflower. They are currently in full flush here in Scotland - a little later than the rest of the UK - and I’ve been topping up my cordial supplies this weekend, including experimenting with elderflower and rose cordial. Its floral notes make it a perfect partner with strawberry. A little elderflower cordial in both the sponge and jam in the following recipe make for a delightful twist on everyone’s favourite Summer baking classic.

I have lots of exciting plans for this community, so if you haven’t already I’d love it if you subscribed - there will be lots more seasonal, Midsummer content to come in the coming weeks. Watch this space!

And without further ado, here’s my recipe - a real Midsummer favourite in our house.

To make the cake, you will need:

175g self-raising flour
175g sugar
175g butter
3 large eggs
2 tbsp elderflower cordial

For the filling:
Strawberry and elderflower jam – approx 6 tbsp.
200ml double cream.
Alternatively, you could use standard strawberry jam and fold a tablespoon or two of cordial through the cream to get the flavour instead.

1. Preheat the oven to 160C Fan.

2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs one at a time along with the cordial and a little flour.

4. Fold in the rest of the flour until fully incorporated. 

5. Pour the mixture into two 20cm lined tins and bake for approximately 25 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

6. Once baked, allow to cool a little in the tins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Spread the jam on top of one of the sponges.

7. Whip the cream to stiff peaks (be careful not to overmix) then spread on top of the jam.

8. Place the other sponge carefully on top of the filling. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.

What are your go-to bakes and makes with elderflower? I’d love if you shared them in the comments below, or hit reply if you’d rather share privately!

Happy baking! See you next Saturday.

Rosie x