Whimsical Raspberry Elderflower Cake
the best birthday cake for the best birthday girl.
When one of my best friends loosely mentioned in the back of an Uber that her dream was a recreation of Tess Madalyn's whimsical raspberry and camomile cake, I immediately knew what she was getting for her birthday. And I have to say, it was one of the most fun cakes I’ve made in a while.
This recipe is made with vanilla sponge cake, St. Germain elderflower liqueur as the cake soak, elderflower-flavored Swiss meringue buttercream, and raspberry jam. The outside is, of course, decorated with lots of fresh raspberries and camomile flowers. While I love the flavor of the St. Germain, you can always omit it and use a vanilla simple syrup cake soak and vanilla extract in the frosting instead.
Notes
To wash and dry the raspberries without them getting mushy, rinse and place them in a single layer, open-side down, on paper towels.
If your frosting splits or curdles, this means the butter was warmer than the whipped egg whites and sugar, and siezed when added. To reverse this, return the bowl to the water bath and allow the mixture around the sides of the bowl to melt (don’t melt all of it!!!). Remove from the water bath, then combine the melted with the curdled. The residual heat should soften the rest of the butter. Continue doing this until the mixture is silky and smooth, then transfer to the fridge to harden slightly. Return to the mixer.
If the frosting hardens (but stays together) after adding the butter, it means the butter was colder. Simply let the frosting come back to room temperature then continue mixing.
If you choose not to cover the entire cake in raspberries, make sure to use more frosting on the sides than on the top. There won’t be enough to cover the entire cake in an evenly thick layer of buttercream.
Ingredients
Sponge cake (makes 2)
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (100 grams) neutral oil
1 1/2 cup (300 grams) granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (vanilla bean paste would also be nice here)
2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
⅔ cup (151 grams) whole milk, at room temperature
Elderflower Swiss meringue buttercream
3 egg whites
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup (272 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4 tablespoons St. Germain Elderflower Liquer, plus more to brush on cakes (option to sub with 1 teaspoon vanilla)
1 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
To assemble
1/2 cup raspberry jam
7 (half-pint) pkgs raspberries, washed and dried (see note)
1 bunch camomille flowers
Directions
Heat the oven to 350ºF with a rack in the lower third position. Grease two (8-inch) cake rounds and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
With an electrical mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Stir in the vanilla.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Heat the milk until hot but not boiling.
Starting with the dry ingredients, alternate folding in the dry and the hot milk until the batter is smooth and no flour clumps remain. Divide between the prepared cake pans. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool fully before removing.
Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the egg whites and sugar. Place the bowl over a water bath and heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160ºF and the sugar granules have dissolved. Test this by rubbing the mixture between your fingers. Whip on high until stiff peaks form and the sides of the bowl are completely cooled.
Once cooled, add the softened butter, one tablespoon at a time, and whip until there are no visible butter pieces and the frosting is smooth. (If it splits or siezes, see note.) Add the St. Germain (or vanilla, if using) and salt; whip until fully combined.
When ready to assemble, brush the first layer of sponge cake with more elderflower liquor (can be watered down, if desired). Add a generous layer of buttercream, then pipe or build a wall around the edges for the jam. Spread the raspberry jam in an even layer. Add the second sponge cake and brush with elderflower liquor.
Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream. No need for it to look perfect, as the cake will get covered in raspberries. (See note.) Starting at the foot of the cake, gently press raspberries into the buttercream. This gives the following raspberries a bit of support (think of it as building a wall).
Decorate with camomile flowers and serve.
If you have any questions or want to share a photo, I’d love to hear from you in the chat below!
