Lemon And Elderflower Pudding Cake

Our answer

Nigella's Lemon And Elderflower Pudding Cake (from COOK, EAT, REPEAT) is a sponge pudding that is flavoured with the floral notes of elderflower and the citrus zing of lemons. It is also gluten-free, though can be made with regular flour, if preferred. The elderflower flavour comes from elderflower cordial, which in the US is called elderflower syrup as it is non-alcoholic. Elderflower cordial/syrup is fairly easy to find in the UK and mainland Europe. In the US you may need to buy the syrup via mail order (look for the Monin, Tessiere or Bottle Green brands) or you can often find it in the food section of Ikea stores. We would not recommend using the sugar-free versions of elderflower cordial/syrup for the pudding.

St Germain is an elderflower-flavoured liqueur. We would prefer not to use it for the sponge cake as we feel that the flavour of elderflower is not as pronounced as the flavour of the cordial/syrup and will evaporate slightly more in the heat of the oven. For the drizzle you could replace a little of the cordial/syrup with liqueur but we would suggest using only 1-2 tablespoons of liqueur as otherwise the alcohol will start to take over from the flavour of the elderflower and lemon. Using this amount should mean that the drizzle is still sweet enough without extra sugar, but you can taste it and add a little icing (confectioners') sugar if you prefer the drizzle to be sweeter.