Guys, this may be the most delicious thing I’ve ever made. I’m not even kidding. Poppy Eyebright’s wedding cake was my biggest motivation for making a Brambly Hedge menu to begin with, seeing as it’s the most iconic food in all the Bramby books. I’m SO glad I made it. It turned out amazing!

I feel like whenever anyone talks about Brambly Hedge food, we can’t help but gush about Poppy’s cake: three tiers of sponge cake interspersed with layers of cream and strawberries. I think we all imprinted on this cake because it’s simple yet decadent and highlights fresh, comforting flavors. It’s the physical embodiment of all things Brambly!

Interestingly, the description of Poppy’s wedding in the Brambly Hedge book SUMMER STORY doesn’t contain a description of her cake. Instead, we see several illustrations that include a cake fitting the description above. There is a larger, fancier cake in the illustrations as well. However, it hasn’t achieved the first cake’s level of fan recognition. This might be because it’s more formal, making it less emblematic of Brambly Hedge’s cozy cottage aesthetic. I like to imagine the larger cake was for the guests, while the smaller one was a bride and groom cake for Poppy and Dusty.

With that in mind, I decided to make mine a 6-inch cake. Since the book gives no description of the flavor, I decided to take my inspiration from another Brambly Hedge book. SPRING STORY describes Wilfred Toadflax’s birthday cake as “hazelnut cake with layers of thick cream,” which fits well with the illustrations of Poppy Eyebright’s wedding cake.

To start, I took the sponge recipe from the Honey Clementine Cupcakes in my new cookbook, A LITERARY PICNIC, and subbed in ground hazelnut for some of the flour. I was afraid it wouldn’t rise properly, but it turned out incredible. It’s quite possibly my best sponge recipe ever. It’s a lovely golden brown on the outside, and inside it has a texture that is somehow delicate and substantial—like if cake and banana bread had a baby.

For the cream layers, I whisked some elderflower liqueur into whipped cream, which added a lovely floral sweetness. To balance the richness of both the cake and the cream, I dotted fresh strawberries between the layers and added whole strawberries on top for decoration.

Could this be my magnum opus? It’s definitely one of my proudest culinary moments, and the pictures turned out amazing too (I had some perfect weather for outdoor photos!). So grab a plate and take a slice of this masterpiece out for a relaxing snack in the sunshine. It begs to be enjoyed with fresh air and greenery!

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Poppy Eyebright’s Wedding Cake: Hazelnut Honey Cake, Elderflower Whipped Cream, and Fresh Strawberries

“All the mice cheered as Dusty kissed his bride, and the bridesmaids threw baskets of petals over the happy couple. Mrs. Apple wiped a tear from her eye and the  dancing and feasting began.”

— Summer Story

 

INGREDIENTS:

• For the Cake
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ cup finely ground toasted hazelnuts
    • To toast, spread on a baking sheet and place in a 325°F oven for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Run through a food processor for 1-2 minutes until finely ground.
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • ½ cup honey
  • 4 eggs, room temp
  • 5 Tbsp sour cream
  • 1 ½ tsp distilled white vinegar
  • 1 cup buttermilk
• For the Filling
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
  • 3-4 Tbsp elderflower liqueur
  • 14-16 strawberries, depending on size

 

Makes 1 3-tier, 6-inch cake

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. FOR THE CAKE. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 3 6-inch cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper circles and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground hazelnuts, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter with a hand mixer on medium-low speed for 30 seconds. Beat in the sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Beat in the honey. Beat in the eggs one at a time until just combined. Stop to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl if needed. Beat in sour cream, then the white vinegar. Beat in half the flour mix, then half the buttermilk. Repeat with remaining flour mix and buttermilk.
3. Evenly divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until they are golden on top and spring back when lightly tapped with a finger. Lightly cover the pans with tin foil after 25 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Allow to rest in the pan for 2 minutes. Loosen from the pan with a butter knife. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. FOR THE Filling. Combine all ingredients except the strawberries in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Set 6 strawberries aside and slice the rest into quarters.
5. TO ASSEMBLE. Level off the cake layers. Place the first layer on a cake stand, then spread or pipe 1/2 cup of whipped cream on top, leaving 1 inch around the edge exposed. Evenly space 5 strawberry quarters on the exposed edge (this will ensure some are visible once the cake is stacked). Dot 3-5 more strawberry quarters throughout the cream.
6. Repeat with the next layer of cake, whipped cream, and strawberries. Place the final tier on top.
7. Spread a ½-inch layer of cream on top. Using a piping bag fitted with a star tip, pipe loops of cream around the edge. Pipe a mound of cream in the middle. Cut the bottom off one strawberry and gently insert it point-side down into the mound of cream (you want to preserve the details of the mound while creating a platform). Place 4 strawberries evenly apart on top of the swirled cream and place one large strawberry on top of the mound (it should rest on top of the strawberry you inserted there earlier).
8. NOTE: Larger 3-tier cakes often need dowel rods inserted through the layers for support. Since this cake is only 6 inches and has strawberries between the layers for extra support, you should be ok without rods. The whipped cream should also remain quite stable for several days, if kept cold. After assembly, I recommend refrigerating until 30 minutes before serving.
9. Serve to the woodland guests at Poppy Eyebright’s wedding!
   

   

   

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Love this hazelnut honey cake? Check out the
honey clementine cupcakes in my new e-cookbook,
A LITERARY PICNIC!