Elderflower sponge | Recipe of the week

Putting food on plates and filling glasses with wine somehow brings back a little normality to our lives.

After a busy couple of weeks it’s good to recharge the batteries with a stroll in the Downs where I have noticed elderflowers are in full swing.

I wrote the recipe for elderflower cordial some time ago but if you don’t have a copy then I’m sure you can find it online.

This sponge cake recipe uses the elderflower cordial to give a lovely summery feel and I serve it with lemon curd, cream and meringues.

Ingredients

225g butter softened

125g caster sugar

100g icing sugar

3 eggs

50ml elderflower cordial

225g self raising flour

Zest 1 lemon

Method

1. Beat the butter and sugars together until creamy.

2. Add 1 egg and 1/3 of the flour and beat in. Repeat this until you have used all the eggs and flour.

3. Mix in the lemon zest and elderflower cordial.

4. Put the mix into a lined cake or bread tin and bake in a preheated oven 160c gas 4 for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked.Put a skewer in the middle of the cake which will come out clean if its cooked – if it doesn’t carry on cooking for another 5 minutes.

5. Allow to cool on a rack.