The flavors for this dessert are inspired by two things: my current boss, as it was her birthday when I made this, and the British royal wedding cake for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. My boss, who I shall leave anonymous, just out of respect for her privacy, is a very kind, loving person, who has a bright, go-getter attitude. The royal wedding cake actually featured elderflower and lemon in it, and I felt like those bright, elegant flavors are reminiscent of my boss’s personality as well! The usage of bee pollen is because she is hard worker, and because bee pollen just compliments those flavors. For the shape of the cake, I went with the Italian mimosa cake as my visual inspiration, but I decided to just call the cake a “blossom cake”, since it is also flower inspired, but with these flavors, it is not quite reminiscent of a mimosa flower.

For the different layers of the cake, we have elderflower-lemon-bee pollen chiffon cake, bee pollen-lemon curd mousse, and lemon-elderflower gelee cubes, garnished with some edible flowers. I am keeping the components rather simple, because I wanted the flavors of the cake to shine on their simplicity, letting the Meyer lemons take center stage with the bee pollen and elderflower playing supporting roles. What I love about making this kind of cake is that there really isn’t a whole lot of waste to it. Once you cut out the two circles of cake, you just take the leftovers and cut them into tiny cubes to garnish the cake with. I also went with slices of the gelee as well, since geometrically, those will fit onto the cake cubes really easily. And to finish, little pipets of the lemon curd mousse, as a way to add some visual contrast, similar to my ambrosia cake. What I love about this recipe is that it is super easy and fun to present!

For the cake:
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest
2 egg yolks
4 egg whites
2 tablespoons bee pollen
2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons elderflower liquor

In a bowl, whip the egg whites with elderflower, baking powder, salt, and half the sugar. In another bowl, whip the egg yolks with lemon zest, bee pollen, the rest of the sugar, and slowly stream in your oil. Sift the flour. Fold everything together. Pour onto a lined sheet tray and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool completely before unmolding. Cut out a 6-inch ring and a 5-inch ring, and cube up the rest of the cake.

For the mousse:
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons bee pollen
2 tablespoons honey
juice from 4 Meyer lemons
zest from 3 Meyer lemons
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup heavy cream, whipped stiff

Whip together egg yolks, honey, zest, and cornstarch. In a pot, reduce the lemon juice with salt and bee pollen. Temper together and continue whisking on medium low heat until the mixture thickens. Pass through a strainer and allow to cool at room temperature to room temperature. Fold in the whipped cream.

For the gelee:
2 tablespoons elderflower liquor
juice and zest from 1 Meyer lemon
2 tablespoons agar agar powder
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons honey

Melt ingredients together. Pass through a sieve and refrigerate. Once set, cut up into cubes or pieces.

To garnish:
Edible flower petals

To assemble, start by taking 1/3 of your mousse and layering it on top of the 6-inch round. Place the 5-inch round on top of that, and spread another 1/2 of the mousse around the entire cake. Garnish first with the cake cubes, then top with the gelee. Transfer your remaining mousse to a piping bag.