A Marriage Story
Not a single wisp of cloud tainted the cerulean blue sky. Every shade of colour in the garden looked overly saturated. The roses were dipped in loud pink, the irises painted in neon yellow, and bellflowers washed in vibrant purple. Only the flowers of the elder tree were a creamy white, almost gleaming against the dark green leaves. Like stars in the night sky.
When I returned to Germany, the elderflowers were already turning into berries. Only a few umbels on the higher branches remained. There wasn’t a moment to lose. With the help of a ladder and long shears, J snipped the heads that were still fresh enough for the kitchen. And to preserve its heady, sweet scent, I made cordial. It’s the essence of summer in a bottle.
The elder trees are not the only ones heavy with fruit. Cherries, currants, berries, and plums were popping all over the garden. Tiny little baubles were deepening into hues of siren red, mellow burgundy, and dusky orange. It’s times like this when I itch to lock their flavours into jars of jam. But it’s a little too early to pluck them. However, there is one unripe fruit that begs for harvesting – the pale green gooseberries.
Just as the elderflowers come into full bloom for only a couple of weeks, the season of the pale green gooseberries is also short-lived. If left longer on their branches, these hairy berries can become sweet enough to eat on their own. But it’s the tartness of the early variety we are charmed by. Just coddle its acidity with some warmth and sugar, they do well blanketed under crumble, sponge, pastry, cream, and honey.
Unfortunately, the gooseberry bush did not survive the winter. We were lucky to find punnets of the furry green balls sitting amongst the more popular strawberries and raspberries at the farmer’s market. The farmer cautioned us about their sharpness as I popped one into my mouth. My lips puckered and my face squeezed into a wince, much to the farmer’s amusement. Well, he did warn me.
And of course, I made jam. After removing the stalks and dead flower heads, the fuzzy berries were topped with sugar and a splash of the cordial (or a few whole heads of blossom). Gooseberries and elderflower are meant for one another. It is only right that they taste so well together, as they both come to their peak at the same time. A true culinary marriage.
I decided to pair both flavours into a simple treat. The Victoria sponge cake may be unfussy but its simplicity doesn’t allow any flaws to hide. I never seem to get perfect cakes without any cracks. But there’s always icing sugar to save the day. Best of all, the sponges are the perfect carriage for zingy jam and floral whipped cream.
Summer is definitely here. B
Green Gooseberry, Elderflower and Champagne Victoria Sponge Cake
A sumptuous delight for a midsummer picnic in the garden. We don’t get a lot of sunshine in this part of Germany. To celebrate long bright days and soft winds, the best jam-forward dessert will have to be the Victoria Sponge Cake – spiked with some bubbly for extra indulgence.
Adapted from Lulu Grimes on BBC Goodfood
Makes a 15cm (6-inch) cake
Notes
On gooseberries: Coming into season in early summer, they aren’t readily available in most supermarkets. Lurk around your local farmer’s market or ask a neighbour if they have it in their garden. You can also substitute it with frozen gooseberries, store-bought jam or strawberries.
On elderflower: Unless you have an elder tree in the garden, you can get your hands on the frothy white blossoms in the wild. If foraging is new to you, it will be useful to have someone experienced to help identify the plant. Start in the wee hours of a dry morning, just before the bees start their work, so the blooms are at their freshest. Harvest those that have not started to turn into berries, and always leave more than enough for wildlife. If wild trees are not within your reach, there is always store-bought cordial.
On champagne: If this is too much of an indulgence, you can replace bubbly with whole milk.
On creaming: This is to introduce air into the batter, which creates a light, fluffy voluminous sponge. It is essential for the butter, sugar, and eggs to be at room temperature to properly cream. Do not melt the butter or you’ll get a greasy batter.
Ingredients
For the elderflower cordial
100g elderflower (about 15 umbels)
2 lemons
350g caster sugar
1L water
For the champagne cake
2 whole eggs (100g)
100g caster sugar (50g)
100g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
30ml champagne, prosecco or any sparkling wine
½ tsp kosher salt
For the gooseberry jam
1000g green gooseberries
350g caster sugar
150ml elderflower cordial
For the cream
200ml crème liquide (35% fat)
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
1 lemon, zest only
Equipment
15cm round cake mould
Cheese or muslin cloth
Microplane or zester
Directions
Make the elderflower cordial
Shake the flowers rigorously to remove any dirt or insects – they like hiding at the bottom of the petals or on the stalks. Do not wash the blossoms or it can ruin their flavour. The stems can be bitter, so remove as much as you can.
Zest the lemons with a Microplane and add to the flowers in a large glass bowl.
In a medium saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Once all the sugars have dissolved, pour the sugar syrup whilst boiling hot over the flowers and lemon zest.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow it to come to room temperature. Once cooled, refrigerate overnight.
The next day, strain the juice through a muslin cloth into a pot, squeezing every last drop.
Add lemon juice to the syrup and let it come to a gentle simmer for about 2 minutes, removing any foam with a slotted spoon.
Pour the syrup into sterilised bottles and close them right away. Store them in a fridge.
Make the Champagne Cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line two 15cm (6-inch) cake tins.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. It shouldn’t be gritty and chunky. Try not to over-mix as well – this will separate butter from the mixture.
Scrape the sides down and add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully cohesive before adding the next.
Fold in sifted flour, baking powder and salt quickly. Then, fold in the champagne and stop the moment it comes together.
Divide the batter equally between the two tins and smooth the top with an angled spatula. Bake both tins for 25 to 30 minutes on the middle rack, until golden and well risen. Or if a cake skewer comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes, and then unmould them flat-side down on wire racks to cool completely.
Make the Gooseberry Jam
This will make you more than enough jam for the cake. You’ll thank me for your wonderful breakfasts for the next few weeks.
Rinse the gooseberries in cold water. Top and tail them.
Let it macerate with sugar in a large mixing bowl for at least an hour.
Transfer to a jam pot, add the elderflower cordial and let it come to a boil over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes, or until it hits 105°C on a sugar thermometer. Skim out any foam that appears on the surface with a slotted spoon.
Set aside about 5 to 6 tablespoons of jam in a bowl to cool completely – this is for the cake.
Pour the remaining jam into sterilised jars. Secure the jar with its accompanying cover, and turn it upside down to cool until room temperature.
Assemble the Cake
Whip together the cream, elderflower cordial and lemon zest until you get soft peaks.
Spread the cream generously over one cake, add a layer of gooseberry jam and then top it off with the second cake, flat-side down.
Dust the top with icing sugar if desired. Serve with more glasses of champagne.