Prince Harry and Meghan Marckle plan to serve an organic lemon and elderflower wedding cake with buttercream frosting and seasonal flowers at their upcoming nuptials on May 19. Though we may not have an invitation to the highly anticipated event (bummer of the century), we can bake up these cupcakes, inspired by the flavor of the actual cake created by Violet Cakes, the lucky London-based bakery assigned to the important task.
You will find that this cupcake is not a sugar shock to your system but rather tastes delicate and almost muffin-like, which you're going to want, considering the US will be watching the wedding in the a.m. The salty buttercream frosting sways toward whipped cream territory and also helps balance the flavor. Though you may be tempted to add a dash of vanilla extract to the frosting, don't! Allow the buttery flavor to shine through and complement the floral, lemon cake.
Lemon and Elderflower Wedding Cupcakes With Salted Buttercream
(Makes 12 cupcakes)
Notes: We used Trader Joe's Cultured Salted Butter, but Kerrygold's is also an affordable yet flavorful choice. We also opted for Simply Organic Lemon Flavor, because it contains no alcohol or artificial flavors. The lemon oil will boost the citrus notes of the cupcakes, so don't miss out on adding in that spoonful. If you want to truly recreate the organic cake experience, we recommend purchasing all organic ingredients, though we do not include that in the recipe ingredients.
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 1 tablespoon butter, for greasing pan
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- zest from 2 lemons, preferably Meyer
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 4 ounces salted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
Buttercream:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Garnishes:
- Ingenious Edibles Safety Seal, for dipping flowers
- organic edible flowers like ranunculus, to garnish
Instructions:
1. To make cupcakes: Preheat an oven to 325°F. Prepare a cupcake pan by greasing the insides of each well with butter. Sprinkle flour inside each well and tap in all directions until each well is completely coated. Dump any excess flour.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, including zest.
3. In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine milk and lemon juice. Set until it curdles into buttermilk, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in eggs, melted butter, St-Germain, and lemon extract.
4. Stir wet ingredients into dry until just barely combined.
5. Fill muffin cups with batter until about 2/3 full. Optionally, use a spring ice cream scooper for cleanliness and precision.
6. Bake for 24 minutes, or until toothpick test comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and let cool slightly (3-5 minutes) before carefully running a butter knife or a long toothpick around the edges of each cupcake to loosen from the metal wells. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack with the help of the butter knife (or toothpick). Allow cupcakes to cool completely (about 45 minutes) before icing.
8. To make buttercream: Meanwhile, use an electric mixer to beat butter for 1-2 minutes. Slowly beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add cream, increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
9. To prepare garnishes: Line a metal cooling rack with wax paper. Melt Ingenious Edibles Safety Seal according to package instructions. Cut flowers so stems are approximately 1-1 1/2 inches long. Dip stems into safety seal and lay out on wax paper. Allow to set for 10-15 minutes. If you do not have access to this wax seal, you can wrap flowers in plastic wrap and secure each end with a rubber band. Or, you can simply use the organic edible flowers available in the herb section of most supermarkets. Those are safe for consumption and therefore can be applied directly to each cupcake.
10. To assemble: Use an offset spatula or a rubber spatula to apply about 1/4-1/3 cup of frosting to the center of the cupcake. Round out the frosting to create a dome shape. Move spatula to about 1/2-inch from the edge. Apply slight pressure with the spatula while twisting the cupcake to create a swirl in the cupcake. It's okay if it's not perfect! Any “imperfections" just add to the rustic vibe. Repeat process with remaining cupcakes. Carefully press a flower off-center in the tops of each cupcake. Serve immediately (remind guests to kindly remove the flower before eating) or store in an air-sealed container for up to 2 days.
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(Recipe via Anna Monette Roberts; Photos via Brittany Griffin / Brit + Co)
