We’ve had one sunny day all week, so we decided to take full advantage of the good weather on Monday. As well as getting some washing done and hung out on the line, we went for a longish walk. It was one of our usual routes that takes us past some huge elder shrubs – and they’re currently in bloom!

The flowers are usually prolific and big as saucers, but this year they were small and scant. I thought someone had beaten me to it but it seems that they’ve just not had a very good year. I’ve picked and used them in the past to make elderflower crunch cake. This week, I’ve teamed them with a citrus fruit (that I actually like) and made an elderflower and pink grapefruit cake. Infusing sugar with the elderflowers was a great way to impart the delicate flavour into the cooked sponge.

I remember, as a child, having breakfast of half a grapefruit sprinkled with Demerara sugar and a few dashes of Angostura bitters. Produced in Trinidad and more usually associated with making cocktails, bitters and grapefruit juice make a delicious combination.

I added half a teaspoon of bitters to the batter and also a scant dash to the icing. It’s very potent stuff, you don’t want it to overpower the delicate flavour and fragrance of the elderflowers.

An afternoon tea loaf cake that I made using flavours that I like – and it didn’t disappoint. Making the icing with a little of the pink grapefruit juice instead of water proved a master stroke – it was very morish!

Elderflower and pink grapefruit cake

2019-06-05 14:48:10

Serves 8

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 15 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 15 min

Ingredients

1. 1 large or 3 smaller elderflower heads
2. 200g/7oz caster sugar
3. 240g/8½oz unsalted butter, softened
4. 3 large eggs
5. 1 un-waxed pink grapefruit, zest and juice
6. ½tsp Angostura bitters
7. 210g/7½oz self-raising flour
8. 90g/3oz plain flour

For the icing

1. 250g/9oz icing (powdered) sugar
2. 15ml/1tbsp pink grapefruit juice
3. scant dash of Angostura bitters

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For the cake

1. In a bowl with a lid, toss together the caster sugar and elderflowers. Cover, set aside and allow the flavour and fragrance of the flowers to infuse into the sugar for a few hours
2. Line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with parchment paper or pre-made loaf tin liner
3. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/150ºC fan/325ºF/Gas mark 3
4. Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar (elderflowers removed) until light and fluffy
5. In a small measuring jug, lightly beat the eggs
6. In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the plain and self-raising flour
7. With the mixer on a low speed, slowly pour in the beaten eggs in three stages alternating with the addition of a tablespoon of the flour (to prevent the mixture from curdling)
8. Add the remaining flour, grapefruit zest and all but 2 tablespoons of the grapefruit juice
9. Pour the batter into the lined loaf tin and level using a spatula or back of a spoon
10. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes away clean
11. Allow to cool in its tin for ½ hour before turning out on to a wire rack

For the icing

1. Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl
2. Stir in the reserved 1tbsp grapefruit juice and dash of bitters. If the consistency feels too wet or dry, add an extra teaspoonful of icing sugar or juice as required
3. Remove the parchment from the cooled cake and spoon the icing evenly over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides

Notes

1. If you can't get your hands on a pink grapefruit, a white or red one will be fine

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