Gluten-free Lemon-Elderflower Cake

My current obsession is elderflower syrup. Because of the quarantine, I decided to buy a bottle and indulge. I just love the flowery scent and its distinct flavor. It’s one of my favorite add-ins to mocktails and yes, some boozy libations. 

I intended to only buy a small bottle, say 16 ounces, but I could not find one. My only choice was a one liter bottle via Amazon – so it will be elderflower for weeks!

As a result, I’ve been researching on what other ways I can use elderflower syrup. In my readings, I was rather surprised that I can make a cake with it. The cake recipe that inspired me was for 16 servings. While this was a good baking project, I decided that something smaller, and maybe healthier, would be more appropriate.


I searched a bit more. With some tweaks, here's what I have. Let me know what you think.

Lemon-Elderflower Cake
Inspired by Lemon ElderFlower Cake from Liv For Cake
Based on Elderflower Lemon Cake from The Kitchn

Ingredients

For the cake

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup oats flour
• 2/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup low-fat Greek yogurt (I use 2%, will use 1 cup next time)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the syrup

• 1/4 cup of elderflower syrup
• 1 TBSP of lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

For the yogurt topping

• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1 TBSP elderflower cordial or liqueur
• 1 TBSP granulated sugar (if using liqueur)

Directions

For the Lemon Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 9" x 9" baking pan and line with parchment.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and lemon zest until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3 mins).
4. Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
5. Alternate adding flour mixture with milk & lemon juice, beginning and ending with flour. Fully incorporating after each addition.
6. Spread batter evenly in the pan and smooth the tops.
7. Bake for approx. 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely

For the syrup

1. While the cake cools slightly, combine elderflower cordial or liqueur and lemon juice.
2. After 10 minutes of cooling, prick the still-warm cake all over with a skewer. Drizzle the elderflower and lemon syrup over the cake so that it seeps into the holes.

For the yogurt topping

1. Combine Greek yogurt and elderflower syrup. Beat until incorporated.
2. When cake is cool and lemon-elderflower mixture is all soaked in, slice the cake and top with a dollop of the elderflower yogurt.

Verdict

This is a very delightful light dessert. I think it needs a bit more moisture so I may increase the yogurt next time. I also modified the recipe to make it gluten-free using rice flour and oat flour. I generally do not use the gluten-free flour blends because I don't like the resulting texture. I figured the eggs can provide sufficient binding.

With the Greek yogurt topping and paired with a light tea, this is a perfect breakfast or an afternoon snack. It brings a much needed taste of summer.