From Mara's kitchen in Italy. 
65 • Elderflower Bundt Cake 🌸 Fragrant and Super Soft 🌸
I invite you to head out to the countryside this weekend—weather permitting—to pick some elderflowers and try this cake. Take a nice walk; you'll easily find these small trees along streams, at the edges of abandoned fields, near railways, or in small towns. They're very common and easy to recognize, and you'll be struck by their light blossoms and wonderful fragrance.
❤️ Every spring, I look forward to the elderflowers blooming so I can make this incredibly fragrant cake. I feel like a kid again because it always excites me!
🌳 Elderflowers are also used in a traditional Lombard dessert called pan de mein/pan meino/pan de mej, typical of Milanese and Como cuisine. The name comes from millet, a humble grain widely used in the past, which was mixed with other flours to make bread. Over time, it became a sweet bread flavored with dried elderflowers and was made on April 23rd, St. George's Day, when, in the past, contracts between dairymen and herdsmen were signed. It was also the time when elderflowers bloomed: pan de mej was prepared and sprinkled with these flowers, and dairymen would give their customers fresh cream to enjoy with the cake ✳️.
👍 This is a fantastic base for cakes—give it a try!
Kisses!
65 • Elderflower Bundt Cake 🌸 Fragrant and Super Soft 🌸
I invite you to head out to the countryside this weekend—weather permitting—to pick some elderflowers and try this cake. Take a nice walk; you'll easily find these small trees along streams, at the edges of abandoned fields, near railways, or in small towns. They're very common and easy to recognize, and you'll be struck by their light blossoms and wonderful fragrance.
❤️ Every spring, I look forward to the elderflowers blooming so I can make this incredibly fragrant cake. I feel like a kid again because it always excites me!
🌳 Elderflowers are also used in a traditional Lombard dessert called pan de mein/pan meino/pan de mej, typical of Milanese and Como cuisine. The name comes from millet, a humble grain widely used in the past, which was mixed with other flours to make bread. Over time, it became a sweet bread flavored with dried elderflowers and was made on April 23rd, St. George's Day, when, in the past, contracts between dairymen and herdsmen were signed. It was also the time when elderflowers bloomed: pan de mej was prepared and sprinkled with these flowers, and dairymen would give their customers fresh cream to enjoy with the cake ✳️.
👍 This is a fantastic base for cakes—give it a try!
Kisses!
Open in Cookpad AppSteps
- 1
Prepare all the ingredients: If the eggs are cold, place them in a small bowl and microwave on low power for 10 seconds. Do the same with the butter: cut it into one piece so it doesn't melt, cover with a bowl, and microwave on low for 15–20 seconds.
Also prepare the pan by greasing and flouring it, or use a teaspoon of pan release spray (very handy!).
- 2
Now clean the elderflowers: shake them gently to remove any insects.
- 3
- 4
From the 10 flower heads, take 6 and remove the tiny flowers from the stems by rubbing them between your fingers. If the flowers have no buds, they'll come off more easily because they're mature. Collect the flowers on a plate—they should weigh about 15 g. The other 4 heads will be used to sprinkle on top of the cake before baking.
- 5
Now make the batter: Beat the butter with the sugar and honey until very light and fluffy.
- 6
Add one egg and beat until well incorporated, then add the second egg and beat again.
- 7
Alternate adding a bit of milk and a bit of flour, continuing to beat.
- 8
Gently fold in the 15 g of elderflowers using a spatula.
- 9
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- 10
Sprinkle the remaining elderflowers evenly over the surface, removing them from the stems with your fingers.
- 11
Bake in a preheated oven at 350–355°F (175–180°C) for 25 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick, as baking time may vary by oven.
- 12
- 13
✳️ Information about pan de mei from here: https://www.cookist.it/pan-meino/
✳️ If you want to learn more about the Sambucus nigra tree, read this great article: https://www.inherba.it/sambuco-pianta-della-tradizione/
- 14
Tree and leaves.
- 15
Flowers and fruit can be used to make jams and syrups: a humble but very generous tree! ➡️➡️➡️ The berries are only edible after cooking.
- 16
💕I dedicate this recipe to my friend Francesca from Gorgonzola, my study partner during our agricultural science years. Every year we made this cake, always happy to keep up the tradition.💕
- 17
The recipe we used came from Gardenia magazine, but this time I wanted to make an even better cake base: when it's just warm, it's absolutely irresistible! 😋😋😋😋
Gardenia taught me so much about botany; as a girl, I devoured and reread every issue dozens of times. My parents have a big collection that I still read every time I visit.
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