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Wiltshire Whitsuntide cake

Whitsuntide cake on pewter plate. Piece of cake on white napkin. Elderflowers placed around the cake. All dusted with icing sugar. For Wiltshire Whitsuntide cake recipe.

In addition to the usual ale, custards, cheesecakes, and huge roasts eaten at Whitsuntide in Wiltshire, a cake made with gooseberries was popular.   Fresh gooseberries are hard to find at the end of May, but tinned or dried gooseberries do just as well if you want to make them specifically for Whitsuntide.

Equipment

  • 23cm spring form cake tin
  • Weighing scales
  • Baking paper
  • Medium bowl
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Electric hand whisk
  • Skewer

Preparation method

  • Preheat oven to 170C/325F/gas 3.
  • Grease and line the cake tin with baking paper.
  • Rinse the elderflower blossoms very gently under cold water and remove the stalks.
    Silver bowl of elderflower blossoms.
  • Chop the gooseberries into small pieces, place in the medium bowl, add the elderflower blossoms and stir to mix with the fruit. Set aside.
  • Place the butter and muscovado sugar in the large mixing bowl and beat with the electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in thoroughly after each addition.
  • Add the gooseberry and elderflower mixture and mix in thoroughly.
  • Add the wholemeal flour and baking powder and fold in.
  • Transfer the cake batter into the prepared cake tin, place in the oven and bake for 1 ½ hours.
  • Check after an hour that the top of the cake isn’t burning. If it is, place a piece of kitchen foil over the top.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and check that it’s cooked by inserting a skewer which should come out clean. If it doesn’t, return the cake to the oven for another 10 minutes or so.
  • Take out of the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the tin.
  • Place on a serving dish, sprinkle with the demerara sugar and decorate with fresh elder blossom.
  • Serve warm with cream.

Note: I tend to prefer to use a hand-held electric whisk so the recipes refer to this, but you may prefer to use a stand mixer.  Just use the beater for mixing cake batters and the whisk for egg whites and cream
For tips on and advice see my guide on making cakes.
More recipes for Whitsuntide
Daryols
Goosenargh cakes
Oldbury gooseberry pies
Ulverston Fair cakes
Yorkshire curd tart

Georgian

Serves:
8
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cooling time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 340 g gooseberries, washed and top and tailed or tinned or dried gooseberries
  • 5 elderflower blossoms, washed and stalks removed
  • 170 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 170 g light muscovado sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 225 g spelt wholemeal flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder

To decorate

  • Demerara sugar
  • Elderflower blossoms, washed
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Wiltshire Whitsuntide cake
Serving Size
 
127 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
373
Percent of Daily Value*
Fat
 
19
g
29
%
Saturated Fat
 
11
g
69
%
Cholesterol
 
92
mg
31
%
Sodium
 
342
mg
15
%
Potassium
 
165
mg
5
%
Carbohydrates
 
47
g
16
%
Fiber
 
2.6
g
11
%
Sugar
 
21
g
23
%
Protein
 
5.1
g
10
%
Calcium
 
45
mg
5
%
Iron
 
0.8
mg
4
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Keywords

Elderflower, Gooseberries

Whitsuntide

© Dr Caroline Gordon 
2026
Illustrations by Chichi Parish
Site by Anselm Eustace