Two tier vegan lemon and elderflower cake with semi naked lemon frosting, topped with adorable chai spiced animal biscuits. The perfect cake for a special occasion to impress your friends and family.
This is a sponsored post and I have partnered with Pyrex to bring you this recipe, all views are my own. Chances are you’re probably well aware who Pyrex are.
If not, they are most known for their recognisable super strong, heat resistant glassware. That glass measuring jug you have in your cupboard? It’s most likely Pyrex!
The best bit? They have two fantastic bakeware ranges. The Pyrex Magic metal bakeware range is non-stick, made from carbon steel and dishwasher safe. Hello cakes, pies, cheesecakes, cupcakes, pizzas, you name it.
The second is the Pyrex Bake & Enjoy glass range which is oven, microwave, freezer, fridge and dishwasher safe. Hello biscuits, cookies, meringues and quiches.
What better way to test out both these ranges by making a vegan showstopper cake with biscuits! The whole range is beautiful and as with all Pyrex products everything is extremely high quality, they won't let you down.
They make baking and cooking so seamless and I'm going to show you how you can make a showstopper vegan cake with chai spiced biscuits at home using their Magic metal bakeware and Bake & Enjoy glass bakeware ranges.
I’ve also used lots of Pyrex glass prepware, including the Expert bowl (so handy for mixing on an angle!)
The recipe for the sponge is really quite simple, I've used plant milk and rapeseed oil to substitute any dairy/eggs and it gives for the fluffiest, moist sponges.
Honestly, you don't need dairy or eggs to make a delicious cake and my non-vegan family and friends couldn't tell the difference.
Lemon and elderflower are two of my favourite flavours so combining them for this cake was super fun. You get the subtle flavours of floral elderflower mixed with the citrus lemon tones from the zest and juice.
When I baked my first test run for the sponge I ate all but one slice of one sponge, no joke.
Do you think making a two tier 6-layer cake is too difficult? You don't have much experience?
I am going to make this as easy as I can for you because this is not too difficult, you just need a little patience and you can create this at home! I'm sure of it!
You’ll find it easier if you make some of the sponges in advance and freeze them. I made all 6 sponges few days before I needed them and froze them.
Freezing cakes is really easy and they will be just as moist when they defrost. If you want to do this, wait till the sponges have cooled completely, leave the baking parchment underneath and wrap well in cling film.
Place on a flat surface (a baking sheet, such as the Pyrex Bake & Enjoy glass one works) in the freezer and take them out the night before you want to use them.
For the biscuits, you can use which ever cutters you like. I got some deer shaped cutters in three different sizes and they looked super cute.
As you can see from this picture, I iced them quite simply and I think they look really effective. Some other ideas are bears, squirrels, owls or foxes.
I displayed my cake on a wood slice which fitted really nicely with the rustic woodland theme. I purchased mine from eBay but I know there are some shops that have them too.
Just make sure it is wide enough for the cake, mine is 32cm in diameter.
There are a few items you will need to make decorating this cake a little simpler if you don't have them already:
- A palette knife for the icing so you can smooth it out and then scrape to get the naked frosting effect.
- Plastic/wooden rods to keep your cake stable, you cut them to the length you need.
- Cake leveller, unless you have a steady hand and can use a knife. This will cut the rounded tops off your sponges and make sure they are even and all the same height.
- A cake lifter, especially for the larger sponges. You won't run the risk of dropping or breaking the sponge when you pick it up. You can also use this for pizzas to get more use out of it!
Want to get your hands on these Pyrex products? You can find the Magic range in Ocado, Asda, Dunelm and The Range. The Bake & Enjoy range can also be found online at Ocado.
You may also be interested in some of these fruity cakes:
Lemon and poppy sead loaf cake
Choc chip banana bread with peanut butter frosting
As always if you make this lemon and elderflower cake be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram – I’d love to see you all there!
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Vegan Lemon and Elderflower Cake with Chai Spice Biscuits
Fluffy and moist lemon and elderflower cake with chai spice biscuits. This vegan showstopper is sure to impress your friends and family.
Ingredients
20cm/8" - makes 3 sponges
- • 960g self-raising flour
- • 3 teaspoon baking powder
- • 540g caster sugar
- • 790ml unsweetened almond milk
- • Juice of 3 lemons
- • Zest of 2 lemons
- • 7 tablespoon elderflower cordial
- • 340 ml rapeseed oil
26cm/10" sponge - makes 3 sponges
- • 1.25 kg self-raising flour
- • 5 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- • 700g caster sugar
- • 1030 ml almond milk
- • 440 ml rapeseed oil
- • Juice of 4 lemons
- • Zest of 3 lemons
- • 9 tablespoon elderflower cordial
Buttercream
- • 1kg vegan butter
- • 1.6 kg icing sugar
- • Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Chai Spiced Biscuits
- • 130g vegan butter
- • 100g light brown sugar
- • 100g golden syrup
- • 100g black treacle
- • 425g plain flour
- • 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- • 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- • ½ teaspoon ground all spice
- • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- • 4 tablespoon icing sugar
- • Splash of water
Instructions
- Start with the 20cm/8-inch sponges. Preheat the oven to 160Cfan/180C/300F.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the sugar and gently mix together with a wooden spoon.
- In a separate bowl, pour in the milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, oil and elderflower cordial.
- Pour this slowly into the bowl with the flour and sugar and mix until combined, but do not over mix.
- Grease and line three 20cm/8-inch tins, such as the Pyrex Magic spring form options. To make sure the mixture is evenly distributed you can weigh each tin. Tap the pans gently on the work surface to release air bubbles.
- Place in the oven for 40 minutes. To check the cakes are done, place a skewer in the middle and if it comes out clean, it’s done. The sponges will be lightly browned and beginning to pull away from the sides.
- Leave to cool on the cooling rack for 10 minutes before taking out the tins.
- Repeat for the 26cm/10inch sponges and bake for 50 minutes.
- If you want to do this in advance you can freeze the sponges. Once they are completely cool, leave the baking parchment on the bottom and wrap tightly in cling film. Place in the freezer on a flat surface and take them out to defrost the night before you need them.
- Make the buttercream frosting by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl, if it is quite soft leave it in the fridge for an hour before using.
- Make the biscuits. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/180C/300F. Place the vegan butter at room temperature into a bowl with the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the golden syrup and treacle and mix. Then add the spices, flour and baking powder and mix until it forms a ball, you may need to use your hands.
- Roll into a ball then place in some cling film and place in the fridge to firm up. When its firmer, cover a chopping board with cling film, place the dough on top and then place the cling film it was wrapped in on top. This will make it easier to roll out the dough.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼ inch thick. Cut out animal shapes and place on a lined or greased baking sheet – I used the Pyrex Bake & Enjoy glass baking sheet.
- Place in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. They are cooked when they are beginning to brown on the edges. Leave to cool and then transfer to a cooling rack. To ice, mix 4 tablespoon icing with a splash of water. Use a spoon or small piping bag to ice the biscuits.
- Once all your sponges are ready, you will need to cut the tops off. They should have cooked with a fairly flat top but they will need levelling. It's best to do this with a cake leveller to make sure it is even, but you can use a serrated knife. Make sure you have the cakes on a flat surface and then cut the sponges to the same height.
- Place one of the larger sponges on a cake board with a little buttercream underneath to help it stick. Generously spoon some buttercream on top and smooth out right to the edges using a palette knife. Repeat with next two sponges, making sure they are stacked on top carefully (use the cake lifter you if have one).
- Once all three sponges are iced and stacked, spoon some extra buttercream onto the sides until it is fully covered. Then using the palette knife vertically scrape the buttercream so you are getting rid of excess buttercream. You will start to get the naked icing effect like the pictures. Continue all the way round, scraping excess buttercream into a separate bowl.
- Place 4-5 rods in the cake, cutting them to the size required.
- Repeat with the smaller sponges and then carefully place on top of the larger tier.
- Decorate with the biscuits and rosemary. For the trees, place the rosemary upside down.
Notes
I used Belvoir Elderflower Cordial which I got in Sainsbury's, there are a few different brands and own supermarket ones available.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 80 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 459Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gUnsaturated Fat: 12gSodium: 486mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 1gSugar: 39gProtein: 4g
hello! i am going to try and make this for my brothers wedding! however, i am from the US and am having trouble converting to the right measurements. any chance you can help me out?!
Hi Sophie, thanks for your comment and sorry for my late reply. With baking, I always use scales as it most accurate. I would really recommend using some but you might be able to google for a conversion calculator. Good luck, I would love to know how it goes! Tamsin x
Hi! I can't wait to try making your cake, but have never used cake rods. are they necessary? And this might be a silly question, but how do you cut a cake that has rods in it? Just remove before serving?
Hi Lisa, thanks for your message! If you are making the full 6 layers I would definitely recommend using rods as it is quite heavy and you don't want it collapsing! They are fairly cheap and can be reused 🙂 Not silly at all! I usually just take them out as I cut it as I don't always remember where they are after I've iced it! xo
Hi there, your cake looks amazing!! I would like to give it a try, but am having a hard time finding elderflower cordial... Is it the same as elderflower syrup, or is it a more diluted version of the syrup? Could you share the type you use? Thank you!
Hi Stephanie, thanks for your message. That's a good question, I have had a look on google and it seems that they are the same, just called different things. Are you from the UK? I used the brand Belvoir. If the syrup you have found is one that you add water with to make a drink, that's what you want. I hope that is helpful! xo
Thanks Tamsin that's very helpful! No, I live in Canada, but will look for Belvoir or something similar. Thanks!
Hi!
This cake looks amazing and I would love to try and make this for my upcoming Christmas dinner. However, I was wondering if I could also make this cake with less layers? E.g. 1 of each size?
Thank you!!
Hi Femke, thank you for your comment. I would make the full amount for the 8" cakes and you should have enough for 1 8" and 1 10" sponge 🙂 I would also make 1/3 or maybe even 1/4 of the icing qty 🙂 xo
Hi Tamsin,
That sounds perfect! I wil try it out this week and let you know how it went 🙂 Thanks for the super quick reply! Crossing my fingers, mine will come out just as nice!
Thank you for the quick reply! I will try it out this week and let you know how it went!
Hello, This Cake looks amazing, I can't wait to make it. The only problem is I'm finding it hard to find rapeseed oil in South Africa, is there an alternative that you recommend?
Many Thanks x x
Hi Emma, thanks for your comment! You can use any neutral flavoured oil such as sunflower oil. Let me know how it goes! 🙂 xo
Hi Tamsin,
Thank you- I've just made the cake today, and used Canola oil. Wow is all I can see it is amazing!! Totally delicious, and amazing texture.
Thank you so much x
Hi Emma, ahh I am SOOO pleased you liked it!! If you took any pictures, send me them on Instagram 🙂 I would love to see! xo
What would one need if they didn't use self rising flour?
I'm baking tomorrow a d habe all other ingredients tx Amanda
Hi Amanda, thank you for your message. I would recommend using self raising flour as I haven't tried using different flour. However you can try using plain flour and adding 2 tsp baking powder for every 150g flour, just make sure it is well mixed. Let me know how it goes! xo
Beautiful recipe! how long do the chai spice biscuits last?
Thank you! They should last 3-5 days in an air tight container 🙂
Would this work if I used the regular alternatives to the vegan ingredients do you think? Looks yuuuuuuummy!
Hi, thanks for your comment. I am not sure how dairy milk would react as I only do vegan baking. You could try a different type of vegan milk though such as soya milk. For the biscuits, dairy butter should work fine.
Oh my god this is just gorgeous! I came across your cake while looking through the Pinterest awards and think this would be perfect for my friend's wedding cake table. And perhaps as a one tier cake for my vegan friend's birthday too!
http://victoriaspongepeasepudding.com/
Hi
I've been on the hunt for these Deer Cookie Cutters and cannot find them anywhere! They're so lovely... Can you let me know where you got them from please.
Hi Helen, thanks for your comment, I go them from ebay here is the link. These were the only deer cookie cutters I could find and one did actually break as they are made from plastic so you just need to be careful when you press the dough out of them 🙂 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/123257660319?ul_noapp=true xo
Hi, Where did you buy your cookie cutters from?
Hi Rian, I got them from ebay here is the link 🙂 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/123257660319?ul_noapp=true xo
So I'm completely obsessed with your cake!! Seriously it looks like it's out of a dreamland! I also love using pyrex products, they're amazing 🙂
Awww Jess thank you so much, I'm so glad you like it! I seriously ate so much cake for 2 weeks straight! xo
What a beautiful cake! It looks so delicious and fluffy! I can’t wait to give it a try!
I have always loved the Pyrex glass products. I didn’t know they had metal non-stick bakeware. Great news!
Lovely post Tamsin!
Thank you Christie!! Yes definitely check out their bakeware range, highl recommend!! xx
What a beautiful cake! It looks so delicious and fluffy! I can’t wait to give it a try!
I have always loved the Pyrex glassware. I didn’t know they had metal non-stick bakeware. Great news!
Lovely post Tamsin!
This is seriously one of the most gorgeous and adorable cakes I've ever seen! I can't get over it!
Aww Kasey thank you so much! The deer cookies are totally adorable!! xx
Wow, Tamsin! This cake is so beautiful, I'm blown away! I love the woodland theme and those deer cookies are almost too cute to eat. I'm definitely jealous of those springform pyrex pans! I had no idea they made a baking range, I will have to look into that. Also, that sponge looks so soft and moist and delicious, sooo yum!
Thank you so much Eva! We need a cake party with this and your vanilla one! xx