This delectably moist lemon cake is the perfect combination of tangy and sweet!

Lemon elderberry drizzle cake is my absolute favorite springtime treat. I make it regularly and take it to almost every event I’m invited to. It’s a crowd favorite!

Everyone loves a classic lemon cake, but the elderberry drizzle takes it to the next level. Did you SEE those colors? So vibrant and bright. It cheers everyone up, even on a rainy day — I can attest to this.

The sun is finally out, and springtime is in full bloom. I am sooo excited! Winter just felt like it drug on and on. I was over it, fast. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love cooking all year round, but something about spring recipes gets me really pumped up.

It doesn’t help that I’m a lemon girl at heart, and my passion is elderberries. That’s how this recipe came to life. The best of both worlds!

World’s Best Lemon Cake

With a citrusy and tangy lemon flavor in each bite, this cake is seriously the best. It’s been tested and proven to tantalize those taste buds of yours!

It only takes 20 minutes to prep, and your oven will do the rest. See what I mean about a super easy recipe? You’ll only need two bowls, so cleanup is an absolute breeze. 

You end up with such a tender, soft, moist cake that it’s making me hungry just describing it. 

Why Elderberry Drizzle?

Well, why not? 

My elderberry syrup is made with seven simple ingredients: 

• Elderberries
• Aronia berries
• Honey
• Apple cider vinegar
• Cinnamon
• Ginger 
• Cloves

I’m in love with the sweet and spicy flavor of my elderberry syrup. That’s why I use it in so many recipes. The kids love it too! There are no complaints whatsoever.

Plus, have you heard about the health benefits? Elderberries deliver an incredible boost of antioxidants, flavonoids and vitamins to keep your immune system going strong.

Elderberry syrup has been used for thousands of years to treat infection, cough, cold, congestion, skin irritation and even gut health. The more I can get of this sweet elixir in our life, the better! 

You’re going to love the elderberry drizzle. Since you pour it over the cake when it’s still warm, it melts into the spongy texture of the cake, giving it even more of a sweet boost. Yum!

Ingredients You’ll Need

This recipe requires a few simple ingredients, and it’s a two-bowl kinda recipe. One for the cake and one for the drizzle. These are my favorite types of recipes because cleanup is a cinch! Fewer dishes make me so happy that I could dance in the kitchen!

So here’s what you’ll need.

FOR THE CAKE:

• Unsalted butter, softened
• Granulated sugar
• Large eggs
• Fresh lemon
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Salt

FOR THE DRIZZLE:

• Elderberry syrup
• Granulated sugar

If you’re looking for high-quality, organic elderberry syrup, be sure to order yours here.

How to Make Lemon Elderberry Drizzle Cake

Making this lemon elderberry drizzle cake is easy peasy! Follow the simple directions below.

MAKE THE CAKE:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and grease an 8x4 loaf pan with coconut oil.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until creamy and smooth. Then beat in the eggs one at a time until fully combined. 
3. Stir in the lemon zest gently with a spatula.
4. Add the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl with the butter/sugar mixture and fold together with a spatula. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan.
5. Bake the cake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
6. Let it cool slightly while you make the elderberry drizzle.

MAKE THE DRIZZLE: 

1. Whisk together the elderberry syrup and sugar until smooth and combined.
2. Prick the warm cake all over with a fork. Then, pour the drizzle over top of the cake.
3. Serve warm, and enjoy! 

The drizzle poured onto the warm cake will allow the flavors to seep into the cake, making it moist and delicious.

Pro Tips for Epic Drizzle Cake

This is a pretty easy recipe, but if you follow these simple tips, it’ll look like it came from a professional bakery. Trust me!

Here are a few easy tips to give your cake that extra pizazz. 

• Pour the drizzle while the cake is still warm. This ensures the cake soaks up all that elderberry deliciousness. If the cake is cold, it just creates a simple glaze. We want all that flavor both in AND on the cake!

• Grease your loaf pan well. Nothing makes you want to cry more than working your tail off making a cake like this, only to see it crumble as you try to get it out of the pan. Make sure your loaf pan is greased really well.

• Make sure you store leftovers the right way. Stale cake? No thanks. I love leftovers, and it’s a big bummer when you realize you forgot to store the cake before crashing for the night — and now it’s dry and crumbly. Yuck. Store your cake in an airtight container for up to 4 days. This assumes there are leftovers to begin with! 

• Use the right baking pan. You’re going to want to use a loaf pan. Baking pans don’t work as well and spread the batter out too thin. I love my cast iron loaf pan, but any type will do just fine!

• Don’t rush the batter. It’s super important to fully incorporate one egg at a time. If you rush the process, you might end up with some funky batter that doesn’t set right. Take your time — you won’t regret it! 

With these easy tips, you’ll look like a pro and deliver the most incredible cake anyone has ever tasted. Yup, it’s that good. You’ll see!

Can I Make This Gluten-Free?

You sure can! It’s as easy as swapping out the traditional flour for gluten-free 1:1 baking flour. There’s no other ingredients you’ll need to worry about. We have quite a few gluten-sensitive friends, so I make this recipe gluten-free a lot.

In fact, many of my recipes are naturally gluten-free. Like thumbprint cookies, sugar cookies and elderberry crumble. Check out more here. 

How to Store

If you have any leftovers of this gorgeous cake — which we rarely do — store it in an airtight container in your fridge. The cake will stay fresh for up to 5 days. After that, it gets a bit too dry.

You can freeze it too! I like to cut the cake into slices and individually wrap them if I’m going to freeze any. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. They’re great to pull out when you have a guest over for coffee and breakfast.

I mean, you can’t go wrong with cake for breakfast, right?

A Slice of Heaven

Indulging in a cake like this is a slice of heaven on earth. The combo of lemon and elderberry melts in your mouth every time you take a bite.

In fact, with each bite, it just gets better and better.

If you’re serving this up for a special occasion like Easter or a baby shower, consider embellishing the presentation by adding a few sprigs of lavender to your cake platter. This may seem simple, but it’s a beauty! 

👉 Looking for more vibrant spring recipes? You’ll love these:

• Thumbprint Cookies with Elderberry Jam
• Elderberry Shortbread Bars
• Old-Fashioned Cherry Pie
• Simple Lavender Scones