Rachel Allen adds elderflowers to her drizzle cake, cordial, poached apricots and panna cotta recipes to create a summer sensation

The cake below is a summery take on a classic. It stays wonderfully fresh from the generous drizzle of elderflower cordial while it’s still warm in the tin.

Lemon and elderflower drizzle cake

Serves 8

For the cake, you will need:

• 175g butter
• 175g caster sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 3 eggs
• 225g self-raising flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons elderflower cordial
• 1 tablespoon milk

For the drizzle, you will need:

• 75ml elderflower cordial

For the elderflower icing, you will need:

• 150g icing sugar
• 1-3 tablespoons elderflower cordial

1 Preheat the oven to 170C (150 fan), 325F, Gas 3. Line a regular 900g/2lb loaf tin with parchment paper, see Tip, below.

​2 Cut the butter into pieces and place in a bowl. Cream the butter well, I normally use an electric hand-beater. Add in the caster sugar and the finely grated lemon zest, and cream again until really soft and light.

​3 Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk together, then pour slowly into the butter and sugar mixture while beating all the time.

​4 Sift in the self-raising flour with the baking powder and mix into the cake batter, along with the 2 tablespoons of elderflower cordial and the milk.

5 Tip the mixture into the lined loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, until golden. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean when the cake is baked.

​6 Once the cake is baked, take it out of the oven and drizzle over the 75ml of elderflower cordial while the cake is still sitting in the lined tin. Set the cake aside to sit for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and turn the cake upside down on a serving plate or board, discarding the parchment paper. Allow to cool.

​7 When the cake has cooled, make the elderflower icing. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add in, firstly, just 1 tablespoon of the elderflower cordial. Stir to mix, then add in another half tablespoon and mix again. Keep mixing the cordial in in very small increments until you have an icing of thick drizzling consistency. The amount that you need will depend on the elderflower cordial that you are using, some are thicker than others. If the icing suddenly gets too thin from too much cordial, then all you need is some more icing sugar.

​8 When the icing is ready, pour it over the top of the upturned cake so that it drizzles down the sides.

​9 Decorate, if you wish, with some edible flowers. Cut into slices to serve.

TOP TIP The ready-made parchment paper loaf tin liners are so handy for baking. Available online and in many kitchen shops.

Elderflower cordial

With their fresh verdant and almost pear-like flavour, elderflowers make a delicious cordial when added into everything from sparkling water to a gin and tonic. Here’s a recipe for the cordial, below, which doesn’t have any of the preservative citric acid in it, and so will only last in the fridge for about six weeks. Pop it in the freezer if you want to keep it for longer. Elderflower cordial, whether you make it yourself or buy it as an ingredient, is really worth having for summertime baking.

Makes 1 litre

You will need:

• 15 large elderflower heads
• 450g caster or granulated sugar
• 900ml water
• 2 lemons
• 1 orange

​1 Check the elderflower heads to make sure they are free of bugs, wash briefly in cold water and set aside.

​2 Place the caster or granulated sugar, whichever you’re using, in a saucepan and add in the water. Put on a medium heat and as the mixture heats up, stir it to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, boil it for one minute, then take off the heat and set it aside. Allow to cool until just tepid.

​3 Use a peeler to remove the zest from the lemons and the orange in strips and add into the warm syrup. Cut the lemons and the orange into slices and add into the syrup, along with the elderflower heads.

​4 Stir well, cover and set aside to sit for 24-48 hours to allow the flavour to infuse, then strain into bottles.

RACHEL RECOMMENDS Add a few elderflowers to a jug of cold water for a gorgeous refreshing thirst quencher. Place in the fridge for a few hours to infuse.

Poached apricots with elderflower

I love fruit poached with elderflower. This apricot compote is about as summery as it gets. Peaches, nectarines and gooseberries also love the addition of elderflower when poached in a sugar syrup, whether you’re using fresh flowers or the cordial. Serve with ice-cream or whipped cream, or even better, the yoghurt and elderflower creams below,

Serves 4-6

You will need:

• 225ml water
• 225g caster or granulated sugar
• 5 elderflower heads or 3 tablespoons elderflower cordial
• 500g apricots left whole or cut in half and stoned

1 Place the water and the caster or granulated sugar, whichever you’re using, in a saucepan. If you are using fresh elderflowers, then it’s best to tie them up in a small piece of muslin, but if you don’t have any muslin you’ll just need to pick out the flowers once the apricots are poached. Place the fresh elderflowers in the saucepan.

2 Place the saucepan on a medium heat and stir the sugar to dissolve it in the water. Once it’s dissolved, add the whole or halved and stoned apricots to the syrup and bring up to the boil in a high heat. Continue to boil for 8-10 minutes, until the apricots are completely tender but not falling apart.

​3 Take off the heat and allow to cool. If you’re using elderflower cordial rather than fresh elderflowers, add it in once the poached apricots are almost cool.

​4 Serve in a bowl with ice cream or whipped cream.

Yoghurt and elderflower cream

These delicious little yoghurt and elderflower creams are a lovely light take on a classic panna cotta. A perfect way to end a meal at this time of the year.

Serves 6

You will need:

• 160ml milk
• 130ml cream
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 gelatine leaves
• 250ml natural yoghurt
• 3 tablespoons elderflower cordial

​1 Place the milk, the cream and the caster sugar in a saucepan on a medium-low heat. Stir just until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm, then remove from the heat and cover with a lid.

​2 Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for 4 minutes, to soften, then add to the warm milk mixture, warming the milk mixture slightly if it has cooled.

​3 Combine the yoghurt and the elderflower cordial in a bowl, then whisk in the warm milk mixture until combined.

​4 Transfer to a bowl or individual glasses and place in the fridge to set. This should take about 3 hours.

​5 Serve with summer berries and a little softly whipped cream.