Name: Vegan Elderflower Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 cups plain flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 cup sugar; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 3/4 cup soy milk; 1 tbsp lemon juice ((half a lemon)); 1 tbsp elderflower cordial; 3 tbsp elderflower cordial; 1 fresh elderflower head (optional)

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An easy vegan loaf cake drizzled in sweet, flowery elderflower cordial. Celebrate the arrival of summer with this beautiful elderflower cake.

A vegan loaf cake on a wooden board surrounded by fresh elderflowers

I always remember my Nan’s famous lemon drizzle cake that she would serve at tea time. And I was always especially excited by the prospect of getting the end slice, which was the sweetest, stickiest piece!

As the youngest in the family I was almost always the lucky one that got to enjoy the end piece! Sometimes I even had both ends, before the cake was finished, hehe!

Paul’s Austrian Oma makes Hollersaft, Elderflower Cordial, every year. Made with fresh elderflowers, sugar, lemon and citric acid, it’s full of blossomy flavour, just the right amount of sweetness and a citrusy tang.

So this cake is a tribute to both our grandmothers, combining our favourite childhood recipes into one – a delicious elderflower cake!

A slice of the cake has been cut, revealing the drizzle soaked inside of the loaf

Making the cake

Our vegan elderflower loaf cake is easy to make. All you need is:

Plain flour
Baking powder
Sugar
Vegetable oil
Soy milk or other plant milk
Lemon juice (if you fancy you can also add some zest as well)
Elderflower cordial

The process is simple. Mix together the dry ingredients. Then, mix the wet ingredients. Next, combine the wet and dry mix together into a smooth batter. It’s that easy!

For best results, line your loaf tin. Pour the batter into the tin, and then bake at 180C (350F) for 40 minutes until golden brown on the top.

To test that the cake is fully cooked, insert a skewer into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready to take out. If the skewer has still got uncooked batter on it, then put the cake back in the oven for 5 minutes and test again, and repeating until done.

When you take the cake out of the oven, use the skewer or a toothpick to make small holes all over. Then pour over the elderflower cordial. The holes help the drizzle soak into the cake to make it deliciously moist.

We like to use our own homemade elderflower cordial (it’s sooo tasty, and really fun to make!) but you can also use store bought.

If elderflowers are currently in season you can also add fresh flowers to the top just before serving.

Elderflower foraging

Elderflowers are the edible flowers of the Elder tree, and are typically found in May and June in the UK. For our tips on how to identify and forage your own elderflowers, and what else you can make with these beautifully fragrant blossoms, check out our other vegan elderflower recipes.

Serving

After the drizzle has soaked in, you can enjoy our elderflower cake still slightly warm with a scoop of ice cream (Our Vegan Elderflower and Coconut Ice Cream goes very well!) or serve it when it has cooled.

The cake keeps well in an airtight container for a couple of days.

A slice of elderflower cake on a plate, with the loaf in the background

We hope you enjoy our elderflower cake. You might like to try these other tasty vegan cakes too!

Our Vegan Apricot Cake that’s topped with juicy fruits

This easy Vegan Chocolate Pear Cake with whole pears inside

Or how about the classic Austrian Sachertorte!