Here’s an adaptation of the wonderful Sicilian clementine cake recipe I posted  back in February; this time it’s made with lemons and has a delightful tang. I used the same amount of sugar because the drizzle of elderflower syrup onto the hot cake adds the right amount of floral sweetness.

For lemon-lovers, this cake is a classic.  It contains a lot of ground almonds and I like to use all organic ingredients so it’s not inexpensive to make – but for special occasions it’s an absolute treat.

Moist to the point of squelchiness, I recommend serving it with crème fraîche and perhaps some berries on the side.

Lemon, Almond & Elderflower Cake

LEMON, ALMOND & ELDERFLOWER CAKE

(Serves 10)

Ingredients:

13 oz (375g) of thin-skinned lemons, preferably organic

6 large eggs

1 and a 1/4 cups (9 oz / 255g) of white cane sugar

2 and a 1/4 cups (8 oz / 227g) of ground almonds

1 level teaspoon of baking powder

6-7 tablespoons of elderflower syrup

Action:

Put the lemons in a large pan and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hrs. Remove them from the water and allow to cool. Once they’re cool enough to handle, break them open and discard the seeds, being careful not to lose any of the cooked flesh.

Grease and line an 8-10 inch (20-25cm) spring-form cake pan and preheat the oven to 375F (190C).

Put the cooled fruit into a food processor and pulse until you have a lovely lemony slurry. Beat the eggs with the sugar until they’re pale and foamy then using a large metal spoon, fold in the ground almonds, baking powder, followed the pureed fruit. Stir well (don’t beat) to combine, then pour the batter into the cake pan.

Bake for 35 minutes then check to see if the top is browning. If it is, cover it with a piece of foil then continue to bake for another 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and while hot, pierce it all over with a toothpick then carefully drizzle the elderflower syrup over the hot cake.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a rack. Once cooled it can be removed from the pan and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.

There’s nothing wrong with eating it right away but it will taste even better if you can wait 24-48 hrs.