A celebration cake made in honour of Henry and Meghan’s Royal Wedding. A swiss roll sponge is filled with sharp lemon curd and decorated with an elderflower scented whipped cream frosting and crumbled meringue pieces.
I confess, I really wasn’t that fussed about the Royal Wedding up until this week. Celebrity and Royal goings-ons are really none of my business (unless one of them visits Shetland and I’ll definitely show up hoping for a glimpse! I have seen HRH the Prince of Wales in real life once when he visited Shetland; my only real-life sighting of a Royal.) but this week I’ve been resting and recovering after surgery, watching a ridiculous amount of trashy daytime tv and I sort of got swept up in the excitement. Loose Women, I’m blaming you.
Surgery, you ask? Yes, last Tuesday I had a two-hour surgery under a general anaesthetic to remove a fairly large tumour that had grown rapidly over the last six months. I’m currently waiting for the final pathology report (fingers crossed I won’t need further treatment), but it was a suspected pleomorphic adenoma in a minor salivary gland in my cheek that had grown into the accessory parotid space. A very rare presentation of a rather rare neoplasm.
The surgery itself went well, and I’m currently laying on the couch on the mend with a mouthful of stitches (they operated from the inside of my mouth) – 15 stitches, truth be told, which feel like little spider legs, plus two internal stitches holding my relocated Stenson’s duct in place. Modern medicine, eh? I’m very grateful to be alive in this century – if this was 200 years ago I’d not be here now.
I ended up spending last weekend in hospital on iv antibiotics as I developed a post-surgical infection and my face swelled up beyond recognition. It was quite frightening, to be honest. There was even talk of air-evacuating me to Aberdeen, but thankfully the drugs worked quickly and the swelling subsided. I was unable to eat for a week, subsisting off liquid food consumed through a straw, but thankfully I’m beginning to be able to chew soft foods again as I heal. Onwards and upwards!
There’s very little to do while in hospital, so I spent a lot of time scrolling through Twitter and Facebook admiring the many beautiful recipes I saw (that I frustratingly couldn’t eat!). I was inspired to create a lemon meringue swiss roll when I felt better and my energy returned, and thus this Royal Wedding Lemon & Elderflower Meringue Swiss Roll Recipe was born. A British classic, reinvented.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS SWISS ROLL RECIPE
- caster sugar
- eggs – I used one hen’s egg and one duck egg because that’s all I had in the fridge
- self-raising flour
- good quality lemon curd – either shop bought (I used MacKay’s) or homemade
- double cream
- icing sugar
- elderflower cordial
- meringue nest – crumbled into small pieces to decorate
- gold confetti sprinkles or other gold sprinkles
- British flag decorations, optional
- swiss roll tin – I use the OXO Non-Stick Pro Swiss Roll Tray
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HOW TO MAKE A SWISS ROLL – STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Beat sugar and eggs together for several minutes until thick, pale and foamy.
Step 2: Sift over the self-raising flour and gently fold into the batter.
Step 3: Carefully spoon into a prepared greased and lined swiss roll tin and bake.
Step 4: Turn the cake out onto a piece of baking paper on a damp tea towel that has been sprinkled with extra caster sugar and trim all four edges. Cover with another damp tea towel for a few minutes to cool.
Step 5: Spread with lemon curd and cut an incision 2.5 cm from the edge of the cake to help with rolling.
Step 6: Use the baking paper to help roll the cake into the classic swiss roll shape. Leave to cool completely and then decorate.
Truth be told, this is the very first ever swiss roll I’ve ever made.
I had the idea while in the hospital to make a lemon meringue themed swiss roll recipe, and with all the hype leading up to the Royal Wedding, I thought I’d add a hint of elderflower to the whipped cream topping to match the official wedding cake flavours.
It was very much a ‘make do and mend’ cake, as I used my last remaining hen’s egg and a small duck egg given to my husband by one of his customers (thank you!) to make the sponge. To decorate, I crumbled a meringue nest and finished it off with some gold confetti sprinkles I’d found in the back of the cupboard.
The final cheesy British touch was the Union Flag cupcake toppers I’d picked up in our village shop about four years ago – I’ve been saving them for a special occasion!
I don’t know where my original swiss roll sponge recipe came from as it’s been jotted down in my notebook for a good ten years. There are plenty of recipes out there, but all you really need is sugar, eggs and self-raising flour. Just three ingredients.
The trick is to beat the sugar and eggs together for a good five minutes or so with an electric mixer so that they are thick, pale and foamy. Sift in the flour carefully, taking care to keep the mixture aerated.
Technique-wise, I followed Delia Smith’s method – she recommends trimming a little bit off each side to make rolling easier and presentation nicer. She also uses a damp tea towel to keep everything supple as the cake cools, preventing cracking.
I’m really pleased how well my first ever swiss roll turned out. The cake didn’t last very long, (there’s no cake for today, the Royal Wedding day itself!) as my family devoured the entire thing yesterday when I made it.
At this moment, I’m lying on the couch happily blogging this recipe with BBC One Scotland airing a special Breakfast program about the wedding. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s titles have just been confirmed as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. ((My maternal grandmother was from Sussex (Worthing), random fact.)) I’ve put up some bunting on the mantlepiece, the sun’s shining through the window and I’m toying with the idea of crafting some garish wedding hats for my daughter and me to wear as we watch the wedding itself later on this morning.
All in all, I could think of worse ways to be lying resting and recuperating from surgery.
I’m not the only UK food blogger who has been rustling up Royal Wedding celebration bakes lately – Helen at Casa Costello has made some Red, White and Blue Mini Strawberry Shortcakes, Claire from Foodie Quine has made some Lemon & Elderflower Drizzle Muffins and Sisley from Sew White has whipped up a batch of Royal Wedding Lemon & Ginger Flapjacks. If you’re looking for something a bit grander, Lucy from Supergolden Bakes has shared her recipe for a Lemon & Elderflower Wedding Cake.
Did you tune in to the wedding? Better yet, were you in Windsor hoping for a glimpse? Let me know in the comments!
Royal Wedding Lemon & Elderflower Meringue Swiss Roll
Ingredients
for the swiss roll cake
- 80 grams caster sugar plus 2 tbsp to dust paper with
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 80 grams self-raising flour
to fill & decorate
- 340 grams lemon curd shop bought or homemade
- 150 ml double cream
- 50 grams icing sugar
- 0.5 tsp elderflower cordial
- 1 meringue nest crumbled
- 1 tbsp gold confetti sprinkles to decorate
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Instructions
for the swill roll cake
- Preheat oven to 190C/ 170C. Grease and line a swiss roll tin with non-stick baking paper.
- Beat together the caster sugar and eggs with an electric mixer for a good five minutes until the mixture is thick, pale and foamy.
- Sift over the self-raising flour and carefully fold it into the batter.
- Spoon into the prepared swiss roll tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden and springy. Take care not to overbake.
- While the cake is baking, lay out a damp teatowel on your work surface and cover with a piece of non-stick baking paper. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp of caster sugar over the baking paper and dampen a second tea towel.
- When the cake has baked, carefully turn it out onto the caster sugar sprinkled baking paper. Carefully remove the baking paper from the cake and trim a few millimetres off each side of the cake with a bread knife.
- Cover the cake with the second dampened tea towel for a few minutes to cool down slightly.
- Spread the lemon curd all over the bottom of the cake and, with a bread knife, cut a 5mm deep incision about 2.5 cm from the bottom of one of the short sides.
- Using the sugar sprinkled piece of baking paper to help you, carefully fold over the 2.5 piece of cake and roll the swiss roll up. Leave the baking paper on the cake for a few minutes so that it sets, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
to decorate
- Beat the chilled double cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters. When foamy, add the sifted icing sugar and the elderflower cordial and continue to beat until thick like frosting.
- Decorate as desired and sprinkle with crumbled meringue pieces and gold confetti sprinkles.
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Thanks for sharing this yummy content with us and the layer of the cake come out beautifully.
Omg so timely. I’ll bake this for my daughter’s 3rd birthday. Thanks for sharing!
This looks absolutely delicious. Perfect for any special occasion. Well done
This looks absolutely incredible! Perfect roll and just so appetising. I would love a slice in the sunshine.
Am I the only one that love the art of food photography! These pics look so professional of the dessert! Yesss
that looks really delicious! my husband just peeked over as i was reading this and said it looks good as well lol. ive always wanted to make a swiss roll they look so yummy.
I can’t believe this is your first evet swiss roll! It looks so good!! I bet if I tried to bake my own swiss roll, it would be a swish roll— all deformed and probably not even a roll. But thank you for the recipe, I’ll ask my mom for help instead
I could just dive into that and I’m not even joking. This looks so light and delicious, and would sure help my sweet tooth today.
Discovered this recipe a tad bit too late, but it looks so good. I’ll be sure to try to make it, you’ve provided a recipe that’s very easy to follow.
Hmmmm yummyy… I love roll cakes, and this one with lemon flavor and cream is so perfect. I’ll write down this recipe and get it made up… by my wife…
I definitely see the inspiration. Thanks for sharing
This elderflower and lemon curd swiss roll sounds and looks absolutely amazing. I don’t think that I’ve ever tried baking my own swiss roll, but you made it look so easy. Pinning to try later!
The first swiss roll you have ever made?? You are amazing! This looks so light and delicious – I can almost feel the tang from here. Hoping you are healing well – sending you all the love for your recuperation. Thanks so much for joining in with #BakeoftheWeek, especially when you have so much going on x
I love how light that looks – would be perfect for a summer lunch dessert.
I’ve seen many Royal Wedding-themed recipes over the weekend but this looks like my fave! Love a good Swiss Roll!
Oliver x
I am a food blogger myself and since it’s elderflower season I was looking for ways to use my homemade elderflower cordial. This looks so awesome.
Wow..Looks delicious and so fluffy.Thanks for sharing
Oh my this looks delicious! Perfect for the royal wedding. Nice touch with the elderflower frosting. Hope you are feeling better and doing well.
This was great. I love a story with a recipe.
I actually just heard of elderberry syrup! Wow cool they made this into a dessert!
This recipe sounds delicious and seems it went quite well with the Royal Wedding theme! I actually was able to tune in and I thought it was stunning. Glad your surgery went well and hoping for the best!
Omg this looks so good! Perfect for the Royal Wedding as well for the upcoming summer! I’m definitely going to try to make this!
Yum! This looks delicious! Perfect way to celebrate a royal wedding, or any wedding.
Oh my! This looks absolutely exquisite. I don’t think I’d want to cut it lol
Louise x
That looks completely amazing and delicious. My mother in law used to make swiss rolls all the time but she hasn’t made them in years – and I sure do miss them.
This looks really delicious. Wish I had the chance to prepare this recipe during the royal wedding day. lol
I hope you are recovering from you surgery well. For the Royal wedding, I just wanted to see the dress because I love wedding dresses. This cake looks and sounds so delish! I can’t wait to try it soon.
This looks delicious and so in line with the Royal Wedding. A classic, simple but exquisite affair just like the cake! Great job.
I am not a royal or celebrity watcher either. I’m also not a baker, but I do like to look at and sometimes try some great cakes that other people have made. This looks great. I wonder if I can find someone to make it for me (lol)?
This is almost too pretty to eat! But looks too delicious not to! Definitely have to try this recipe!
What a delicious way to celebrate the royal wedding. lemon cake is my favourite at the moment, it’s jusy so summery.
Oh my goodness that look soooo delicious. I will save the recipe and try it this weekend. Thanks!
this looks so good! that fluffy sponge looks so light ad the flavours are so perfect for right now. I also love the decorations – I would love to try a slice! thank you for sharing with #Bakeoftheweek x
That looks delicious! I would have loved to have watched the wedding, but it was on at 4am locally so I had to settle for watching clips online later in the day.
Delicious and worked really well.
darn, i should have made this yesterday during the royal wedding! i was a day late. too bad. ill save this maybe on the next royal wedding? or maybe this weekend with my friends.
You have put your hospital time to great use. Hope you are feeling well now. The cake looks soooo delicious. A perfect one for royal wedding.
This looks so yummy! Reading through your post really make me want to have a bite. Definitely trying this out!
xo, Sondra
cuisineandtravel.com
This dessert looks too good! I honestly didn’t care too much about the Royal wedding either to be honest.
But I’m sorry to hear that you needed surgery. Sending you nothing but positive vibes and well wishes.
I’m so sorry you had to have surgery. Hope you’re doing ok. This looks divine. I would love to make it.
Ohh this sounds delicious!! I love Swiss roll, and the elderflower is such a great addition! We watched the wedding, it was amazing!
Hope you are feeling better after your surgery. This looks absolutely stunning, the flavours sound delicious and it looks so pretty.
Sorry to hear you’ve needed surgery. Glad you put your time in hospital to good use, looking up different recipes! This Swiss roll sounds delicious
This looks delicious and perfect for the royal wedding!
I do hope you are much better by now!
I didn’t see the wedding but I saw snippets on the news last night. I’ve made swiss rolls before but nothing with Elderflower! Great looking and simple recipe and you pulled it off well.
Cheers!
I love swiss roll and lemon meringue pie so finding something that mixes the too gets a straight yes from me! it looks so delicious!
I liked the recipe. And they really look yummy.
This looks absolutely divine! I’ve never used elderflower in my baking. This is the perfect recipe for me to try, thank you!
Wow this looks delicious. I would have loved to watch the wedding while eating this treat.
Nailil
You have most exciting and creative approach on royal wedding! I would definitely use lemon roll for it. I was watching during the event and it was very funny people tried to follow up on two subjects all in one.
Isn’t lemon and elderflower just such a lovely combination? Kind of gives the impression its going to be calorie-free, whatever it is! I was so sorry to hear about your infection but glad to hear you’re on the mend and have been well looked after. I did see the queen once on a trip to Braemar, while I was visiting some friends there. The queen was leaving church as she attends the village church there during the summer months. There was remarkably little fanfare or security and she just waved to the small gathered crowd (no more than a dozen or so locals) as she left in her car, back to Balmoral.
Sorry to hear you had to have surgery – hope it works out well – your cake is beautiful – I am so impressed by your first time swiss roll and so pleased you have got an opportunity to use your flags. We watched the royal wedding and it was so beautiful! Just saw the cake and it is beautiful but also was jealous of their setting for the photos!
This cake seems really great and its dedicated to a very noble moment for england.
I have loved the top quality pictures you have used in this article.
keep up with the good work.
I love desserts with lemon in them, and this one looks absolutely fabulous!
The lemon curd oozing out of that cake – too much to resist! 🙂
This Swiss roll looks absolutely delicious, I love your step by step recipe, so easy to follow.
Ooooh looks so yummy !! I haven’t had a homage Swiss roll before !!
Firsr off, I hope you recover well from your surgery. I have to agree with you that it’s always frightening when it’s our health that is on the line. As for this cake, well, I don’t really bake so I am afraid I would not be able to replicate this beautiful recipe. But I’ll bet this is lovely with tea or coffee on a slow weekend.
Wow! Looks yummy!
It’s good to hear that you are feeling better. The cake looks amazing and it’s turned out super delicious.
The cake looks amazing even though you made it for the first time and what a way to celebrate the Royal Wedding! Hope your results come out ok as well.
Wow this recipe looks delicious and amazing! You are so talented, I don`t think I could ever make that but I will come back to your blog once Ive become more confident on the kitchen 🙂
mmm i like anything with lemon as i enjoy the citrus flavor. but i have not tried this one and it is looking so yummy!
That looks absolutely delicious – perfect for a wedding celebration! I am definitely going to give this recipe a go – I’m sure my family will love it!
This looks super yummy and the perfect treat for al fresco dining in the summer 🙂 Sim x
This cake looks amazing and certainly tastes great. I love such cakes.
I am definitely going to try this out. It looks really yummy. Thanks for the detailed instructions.
This is such a beautiful cake! I would love to try something like this.
Wow! This really looks like heaven and just the way to celebrate the royal wedding at home. I’d love to have a slice (or three)!
Lemon cake is one of the best! My friend made some lemon and elderflower cupcakes today and they were divine. This looks incredible too – yum!
Looks delicious! I love lemon.
Perfect for a wedding
excellent timing for the royal wedding! awesome cake for this auspicious day.