Mini Lemon & Elderflower Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Bright, buttery mini cakes infused with lemon and elderflower, topped with a rich cream cheese frosting - a little bite of spring, any time of year.

There’s something special about lemon and elderflower together…fresh, floral, and a little nostalgic. These mini cakes are everything I want in an autumn bake: light and tender with a zing from lemon, a touch of elderflower syrup, and a rich, buttery cream cheese frosting to tie it all together.

Makes 10-12 mini cakes (depending on size)

Ingredients

Cake:

190g plain flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarb soda

Pinch of salt

115g unsalted butter, at room temperature

150g caster sugar

2 eggs

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp elderflower syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

140ml milk

Cream Cheese Frosting:

300g cream cheese, at room temperature

175g unsalted butter, at room temperature

150g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Fresh flowers, for decoration (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease the mini cake tray lightly.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt.

3. In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the lemon zest, elderflower syrup and vanilla extract.

4. Add the dry ingredients, milk and lemon juice to the butter mixture. Mix gently to combine, being careful not to overwork the batter.

5. Spoon the batter into the cavities of the cake tray, filling each about ¾ full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. For the cream cheese frosting, beat together the softened butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).

7. Gradually add the icing sugar, and continue to beat until the frosting is light and airy (about 2 minutes). Then stir in the elderflower syrup (if using) and vanilla extract. Taste and adjust the sweetness if needed. If the frosting is too stiff, add a little milk. If it’s too thin, add another 1-2 tablespoons of icing sugar.

8. Once the cakes are completely cool, pipe or spread a generous amount of cream cheese frosting onto each mini cake. Garnish with some edible flowers (optional) and serve.