Start Your Royal Wedding Viewing Party the Right Way With Lemon-Elderflower Waffles

For your royal wedding view party, serve sweet cupcakes with buttercream that are flavored exactly like the wedding cake commissioned by Violet Cakes or go the brunch route and make lemon-elderflower waffles instead. (If you decide to do both, hey, no judgment.) We took the liberty of decorating these waffles in the exact style of Violet Cakes' pastry chef Claire Ptak. She's famous for dusting her Victoria sponge cakes with plenty of powdered sugar and abundantly garnishing the top with stemmed strawberries split in half and edible flowers. The results will dazzle even though the technique is so simple.

Lemon-Elderflower Waffles

(Makes 6 waffles; serves 3)

Note: If your milk isn’t at room temperature, the butter may solidify when it’s mixed in. If this occurs, don’t fret! Just microwave it (in a microwave-safe bowl) in 15-second intervals, stirring each time, until it melts and reincorporates.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• zest of 2 lemons
• 3 eggs, yolks and whites separated in 2 mixing bowls
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons elderflower liqueur or elderflower syrup, plus more for glaze (optional)
• nonstick cooking spray
• lemon juice from 2 lemons
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• pats of butter, sifted powdered sugar, split strawberries (with stems attached), and edible flowers, to garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the waffle iron.
2. Sift flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder twice over a sheet of wax paper. Zest lemon on top. Set aside.
3. Using a hand or stand mixer, whip egg white until stiff. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, whip egg yolk until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Carefully mix in milk, butter, lemon extract, and elderflower liqueur (or syrup) until combined. Mix in flour until just combined. It’s OK if there are a few lumps. Turn off mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in egg whites until they are just blended.
5. Spritz nonstick cooking spray in waffle iron. Fill and cook according to the tool’s instruction manual.
6. While waffles cook, whisk lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time into powdered sugar until a drizzling glaze consistency forms. If you have elderflower syrup, add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 1/2 tablespoons elderflower syrup, or more if needed, until you achieve the right texture.
7. Remove waffles from iron using a fork. Plate and garnish with pats of butter, sifted powdered sugar, split strawberries (with stems attached), and edible flowers. Serve with glaze.