June 13, 2026

3-Ingredient Lemon Posset

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3-Ingredient Lemon Posset

June: National Lemon Month
June 13, 2026: Trooping the Colours

Sometimes the simplest recipe is fit enough for a king. Lemon posset, a type of creamy citrusy pudding, is one of King Charles III’s favorite desserts—so much so that he requests it often to be served even at fancy gatherings.

Italian Chef Enrico Derflingher, the youngest chef at age 26 to have served the British Royal Family (1987-1990), tried to make the best of a situation when a trip to the Shetland Islands was extended due to weather. Kitchen staff were low on supplies and ingredients, and he decided to use the lemons at his disposal and make a traditional English dessert. When life handed him lemons, he made lemonade lemon posset. 

We were inspired to make this dessert in honor/honour of KC3’s birthday celebration; although he was born on November 14, 1948, the reigning British monarch’s birthday is observed in June during the Trooping the Colours event. 

There are only three ingredients in this recipe featuring this month’s fruit: lemons. The acidity of the fruit juice helps to curdle and thicken the cream sweetened with sugar. We topped the posset with reddish raspberries and blueberries to match the colors of the Union Jack. The posset could be served inside emptied lemon halves for a cute presentation or in finest dessert dishes (we used our everyday ramekins). Make lemon posset and dine like royalty during National Lemon Month or while watching the Trooping the Colours on TV.  Cheers and God save the King!

Recipe

(Adapted from Tallahassee Democrat)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar, granulated white
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (optional, see Notes)
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice, fresh from 2-3 lemons

Directions

If planning to serve the pudding in lemons, wash and dry the fruit, slice them in half, then hollow them out by scraping the insides out with a spoon. Set aside (we used muffin tins/cupcake pans to hold our lemon halves in place). Squeeze the juice from the innards to equal 1/3 cup. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream with sugar. 

Boil over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar, making sure the cream does not burn in the bottom of the pan. Cook around 5-7 minutes until the cream is somewhat reduced. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let it sit untouched for 15-20 minutes until slightly cooled. Stir to remove the top skin layer. Spoon into the lemon halves or dessert dishes. Refrigerate to set, around 3-4 hours. Garnish with berries and mint (optional) before serving cold. 

Notes

  • Use an extra lemon to add zest to the cream close to the end of boiling. Or use the zest as a garnish. We forgot to add the zest but that is okay since recipe reviews state that it can make the pudding sourer if it sits for more than a day.
  • If using lemon halves, serve the pudding on the same day to avoid making the pudding go sour. This recipe can fill anywhere from 8-10 lemon halves, depending on the size of the fruit. We used both lemon halves and ramekins to serve our lemon posset.
  • Chef Darren McGrady, another royal chef, used to make lemon posset for the British Royal Family, too. Read about his experiences and a little history about this classic English dessert on Hello! magazine.  
  • Search for other lemon and royally-inspired recipes on our blog.

 

May 30, 2021

Lavender-Lemon Scones

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Lavender-Lemon Scones

May 30: National Scone Day

This post is dedicated to Nan N., Islander’s BFF and bridesmaid from a quarter century ago, whose favorite color and scent is lavender. The hue is a delicate shade of purple and the smell is beautifully relaxing—all kind of mellow, just like Nan. So it is sweet reunion whenever we go home to Hawaii knowing she will be there for us no matter what. There is no drama, just a secure and stable feeling to have in a friend when there is so much change, quick paces and extremes in life. Everyone needs an even-keeled friend like her and we are blessed with the simplicity yet deep bonds of a relationship we share.

This lavender-lemon scone is also well-balanced. Sometimes the floral notes of the lavender might overpower another strong flavor like lemon/citrus. But not in this scone. The lavender and lemon complement each other well. It makes our kitchen smell so delightful while it is baking, too! The glazed topping sweetens the scone like a crowning glory (an ode to Nan’s fascination with royalty). These scones are an elegant addition to a teatime table.

Cheers to true and long-lasting friendships! Cheers to lavender-lemon scones on National Scone Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from Tea Time Magazine)

For the lavender-lemon scones

  • 2 cups self-rising flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender
  • Zest of one small lemon (or 1 teaspoon)
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup cold heaving whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces. Use a pastry cutter to mix the butter into the dough until it resembles peas.

Add the lavender and lemon zest to the flour mixture. In a measuring cup, beat the egg into the cream.

Stir the vanilla into the cream-egg mixture. Pour into the flour mixture and lightly combine until a dough sticks together. Transfer onto a clean, floured surface. Pat together to form a ball, then flatten gently into a disc. Flour the rolling pin and roll the dough to ½ inch thickness.

Use a 2 ¼ inch round cutter to cut out the scones, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet about two inches apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes (the scones will have a pale brown top when done). Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

For the glaze topping

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 4-6 teaspoons milk

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with the milk and mix until smooth and creamy.

Spread the glaze over the top of each cooled scone. Optional: sprinkle 3 pieces of dried lavender on top before the glaze sets. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container (best eaten within a day or two).

Notes

  • For more scones recipes, click on our Themes Menu tab and scroll down to the scones section.

 

May 19, 2018

Lemon Elderflower Cake

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Lemon Elderflower Cake

May 19, 2018: The Royal Wedding Day of HRH Prince Harry of Wales and Meghan Markle

Congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their wedding day! Ever since Kensington Palace announced that Chef Claire Ptak would make their wedding cake, we have been curious about the recipe for lemon elderflower cake. According to the official announcement, the cake would “incorporate the bright flavors of spring…(and)…be covered with buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers.”

There are many recipe versions of lemon elderflower cake but we tried the one published in People magazine. Their version is heavy and dense, unlike the light and fluffy cakes that we are used to. It is both rich and refreshing, which is befitting for a royal dessert. We also thinned down the basic buttercream recipe with elderflower liqueur but the floral flavor is faint.  We could not find fresh elderflowers to decorate the cake, so we used silk spring flowers with yellow centers instead to indicate the lemon flavor with this color. Lastly we topped our simple, rustic-style cake with a tiara to add some “Markle sparkle”.

Make a mini lemon elderflower wedding cake to celebrate the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan. Best wishes to them and to all the other couples getting married today!

Recipe

(Adapted from People magazine)

For the lemon cake

  • 4 cups flour (all purpose)
  • 3 teapoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 cups sour cream, room temperature
  • ¼ cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed (about 3 lemons)

Directions

Line two 6- and 8-inch round cake pans with waxed paper. Mist the bottom and sides with cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a mixer, beat the butter until creamy.

Gradually add the sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time. Stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then add half of the sour cream. Continue to alternate the flour and sour cream mixture until well combined and the cake batter is smooth.

Mix in the lemon juice. Divide the batter into the prepared pans, filling them halfway. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, testing for doneness with a toothpick. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Brush away any crumbs.

For the elderflower buttercream frosting

  • 8 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 (1 pound) boxes powdered sugar
  • ½ cup (+/-) elderflower liqueur

Directions

In a mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar.  Thin to a spreadable consistency with elderflower liqueur. Spread a little frosting onto a cake board to act as a “glue” for the bottom layer of the cake.

 

 For the lemon elderflower liquid

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
  • ¼ cup elderflower liqueur

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolved the sugar in lemon juice and elderflower liqueur. Stir well. Brush this liquid onto the cut layers of the cooled cakes before icing them with elderflower buttercream frosting.

Continue with each cake layer, brushing with lemon elderflower liquid and then frosting it with the elderflower buttercream. Frost the top and sides of the cake.

Decorate as desired. Top with a tiara and add spring flowers. Place on a cake pedestal. Serve and celebrate!

Notes

  • We used two 10-inch round pans for this recipe and sliced the layers in half. The People magazine recipe uses 6- and 8-inch rounds. For our final food photo above, the latter are cake dummies with the bottom 10-inch cake being the real one. Many couples use cake dummies to add height to their wedding cake, cut a real one for photos and serve sheet cakes from the back kitchen to save money.
  • Fruitcake is traditionally served at British weddings. This lemon elderflower cake is a contemporary confection honoring American bride Meghan Markle.
  • Search our blog for more royal-inspired recipes.

 

 

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