Strawberry Elderflower Cake with Mascarpone Chantilly
We’re used to finding every fruit in the shops all year round, so we often forget when each one is in season. But nobody forgets strawberry season. From early May, the first local strawberries appear at the markets – the ones with real aroma and flavour, whose freshness you can see at a glance.
Text and photos by Ana Maria Vlaicu.
Unlike some fruit, strawberries don’t keep ripening once picked, so choose fully ripe ones to enjoy all their flavour. To make them last longer, wash and hull them only just before using, so they don’t lose their juice or spoil.
The other star of the season is elderflower. Many of us grew up enjoying homemade elderflower drinks in May and June, and elderflower syrup is one of my favourites – I still remember cooling down in summer with elderflower syrup, soda water and lemon. Today I use it in cakes too, where it often makes all the difference.
So I combined two seasonal ingredients, strawberries and elderflower, in a cake with a fluffy sponge soaked in elderflower syrup, mascarpone chantilly and lots of strawberries. I love soaked sponges – usually with coffee, rum or lemon syrup – but with strawberries, elderflower is the winner. If you can’t find fresh elderflowers, use shop-bought cordial; the recommended ratio is 1:5 (1 tablespoon of syrup to 5 of water), adjusted to taste.
Strawberry Elderflower Cake with Mascarpone Chantilly
Ingredients
Elderflower syrup
- 30 fresh elderflower heads
- 450 g sugar
- 500 g water
- 1 organic lemon
Sponge
- 230 g butter (at room temperature)
- 250 g granulated white sugar
- 4 eggs (200g) (at room temperature)
- 5 g vanilla extract
- 240 g plain white flour
- 4 g baking powder
- 4 g salt
Mascarpone chantilly
- 450 g whipping cream (cold)
- 180 g mascarpone (cold)
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 3 g vanilla extract
To decorate
- 400 g strawberries
- elderflowers
Instructions
Elderflower syrup
- Gently clean the flowers of any debris, rinse them under running water and set aside.
- In a large pan, heat the water and sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Once it comes to the boil and the sugar has fully dissolved, remove from the heat and leave until warm to the touch.
- Add the lemon zest and juice and the elderflowers, pressing them into the liquid with a spatula.
- Cover and refrigerate for 3–4 days.
- Strain through muslin or a fine sieve. Store in sealed bottles until needed.
Sponge
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F) and line two 19cm tins with baking paper.
- Beat the butter with the sugar until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
- Add the vanilla and mix again.
- In a bowl, combine the sifted flour, baking powder and salt.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones with a spatula.
- Divide the batter evenly between the tins and level it.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the edges pull away from the tin and a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool completely before turning out and removing the paper.
Mascarpone chantilly
- Whip the cold cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until it starts to thicken.
- Add the mascarpone and keep whipping until firm. Don’t overwhip, or it may split.
Assembly
- Level the sponges if needed.
- Place the first sponge on a serving plate and soak it with elderflower syrup diluted 1:5 (1 tablespoon of syrup to 5 tablespoons of water) – use less water for a stronger flavour.
- Spread an even layer of chantilly, about 1.5cm thick, and scatter sliced strawberries on top.
- Add the second sponge and repeat.
- Decorate with strawberries and elderflowers, or as you like.
Notes
More strawberry desserts: strawberry mascarpone meringue cake and ruby chocolate strawberry entremet.
Want to bake like a pro? Learn professional layered cakes step by step with our online courses and ebooks – from Red Velvet to Caramel Carrot Cake. Browse the courses →
