Hibiscus Lemon Cake Recipe

Name: Hibiscus Lemon Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 lemons zest; 250 gm castor sugar; 250 gm butter; 5 eggs; 1 tsp vanilla; 250 gm flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; Pinch of salt; 1/2 lemon juice; 30 gm dried hibiscus flowers; 500 ml water; 300 gm sugar; 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder; Pinch of salt; 1 tbsp corn flour; 115 gm Butter soft; 300 gm Icing sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 drop almond extract

Fluffy and tender lemon cake filled with a sweet and sour hibiscus jam and frosted with a creamy vanilla buttercream. A bright and beautiful recipe that is perfect for the season of summer.

Funny story about this cake recipe: I made it 2 years ago as I had a lot of hibiscus tea leaves in the house and wanted to use them up. I thoroughly enjoyed it and decided to make it again to shoot it for the blog. I made it again, shot it and my SD card got corrupted, lost all the footage and couldn’t post the recipe. By then I had finished the hibiscus leaves in my house and needed to buy more because I was adamant on making this cake. I purchased the leaves online and the package got lost. I decided it was a sign that I should not make this cake.

Cut to this year, I resisted the recipe written on my book and decided to shoot it again. So here we are hibiscus lemon cake that has been a long time coming, she is very delicious and worth the effort. I like to make quick and easy cakes/desserts that are suitable for all bakers. But I also love fun flavors and combinations to helps you explore new tastes. Let us get to it.

What is hibiscus?

Hibiscus is flower that isa genus from the mallow family, Malvaceae. They grow in subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. The petals are dried and used as tea like my karkade recipe or in desserts, drinks, cakes and cooking as well. I have made jam, pudding, cake, tea, drinks and much more from the dried hibiscus petals.

Can hibiscus be used for cooking? Can hibiscus be used for baking?

You can use hibiscus leaves in baking and cooking. Some recipe ask for the leaves to be hydrated and the water thrown out, then rehydrated with fresh water and used as needed. This depends on the place you are getting the leaves from.

How do you increase the flavor of lemon in a cake?

Using fresh lemon zest from the skin as well as lemon juice makes sure the cake is packed with lemon flavor. I like to rub the sugar with lemon zest to release the lemon oil from the zest into the cake batter before baking – this might seem like a stupid step but it is so worth it. Some recipe call for lemon essence or lemon extract – I personally don’t like using either but sometimes I might add a little limoncello into the cake. Batter before baking.

What is lemon cake made from?

Lemon cake is mainly made form lemons, butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, milk.

What is hibiscus lemon cake?

Hibiscus lemon cake is a lemon cake that is filled with a sweet and sour hibiscus jam, frosted with vanilla buttercream and a little hibiscus jam. It is a fresh, fruity and floral cake that is simple to make but very tasty and perfect for the summer.

What ingredients do you need to make this Hibiscus Lemon Cake?

There are 3 parts to this recipe, the lemon cake (which is my lemon drizzle loaf cake batter baked into two 7 inch round cake tins), the hibiscus jam and the vanilla bean buttercream.

Lemon drizzle cake –

to make this recipe we need lemons (zest & juice), butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, salt.

Hibiscus jam –

we need hibiscus leaves (dried), sugar, water, lemon juice, corn flour.

Vanilla buttercream frosting –

we need vanilla extract or a vanilla bean, butter, icing sugar, whipping cream, almond extract and salt.

What equipment do you need to make this Hibiscus Lemon Cake?

To make this cake we need a mixing bowl, electric beater and two 7 inch round cake tins. We also need a ribber spatula to help make the cake batter. The jam is made in a sauce pot and a spoon is needed to stir it. I like to blend half the jam and keep some of it chunky. But you. Can leave all of it chunk or blend all of it as well. The buttercream is made in a bowl with an electric beater. The cake is assembled in a plate and an offset spatula helps but you can use a butter knife to layer it up.

How to make this Hibiscus Lemon Cake?

Lemon cake –

To make the cake we preheat the oven to 170℃ and line a 2, 7 inch round cake tins by brushing it with butter and adding baking paper. In a large mixing bowl add the castor sugar, lemon zest and rub together with your fingers for a couple of minutes. Add the butter and beat with an electric beater until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well between each egg. Add the vanilla and beat again. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt into a sieve and sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Beat well until its all combined. Add the lemon juice and fold together, scraping the sides and mixing well. Divide the batter into the baking tins and bake for 35-40 mins until risen and a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let them cool completely before decorating. You can do this cake ahead of time, wrap in cling wrap and set in the fridge overnight.

Hibiscus jam –

In a saucepan, combine the hibiscus flowers, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar 2 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, At this point, add stir the corn flour in water in a small bowl and pour into the jam, stirring. Let it come to a boil and take it off the heat. Depending on your preference for the jam texture, you may blend half of the mixture or all of it or leave it chunky.

Vanilla buttercream –

We start by beating the butter in a large bowl until creamy, pale and fluffy. Add in the icing sugar in 2 parts beating well between each part. Add the vanilla, almond extract and beat again. Once combined add the whipping cram and beat again. Set aside.

Decorating and serving this Hibiscus lemon cake?

Assembly –

Place one of the lemon layer cakes on a plate. Add a little vanilla butter cream and spread it out to the edges – you could pipe an border around the edge as well but I keep it rustic. Add the hibiscus jam into the center and top with the second lemon layer cake. Top with more buttercream and use a little of the jam to create a marbled effect on the outside. Let the cake sit for 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Storing this hibiscus lemon cake?

Once the cakes are sliced place them in air tight containers and transfer to the fridge. The cake has to be chilled. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. I have also frozen this cake for 3 weeks and allowed it to defrost before serving.

Looking for more summer cake recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this Hibiscus Lemon Cake, you can have a look at the video on my instagram but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more baking recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest or instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.