Gin & Tonic Cake

Posted on by Cooks Professional

A cake fit for the Queen! This gorgeous cake is a great dessert for any summer dinner party, or for really impressing at a bake sale!

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 250g salted butter
  • 350g golden caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 75g natural yoghurt
  • 2 limes, juice only
  • 75ml gin
  • 150ml tonic water

For the icing

  • 200g softened butter
  • 400g icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 3 limes, zest only

To decorate

  • 2 limes, zested and cut into thin wedges
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • Lemon sherberts
  • 1/4 cucumber, peeled into ribbons

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / Gas Mark 4, then grease and line 2 x 20cm cake tins. 
  2. Beat together the butter and 200g of sugar in a stand mixer until pale and fluffy, for around 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, making sure each one is fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next. Add in the flour, and mix into the egg and sugar.
  3. Mix the natural yoghurt with the juice of one of the limes, and 50ml of the gin. Add this to the cake mixture and slowly mix until you have a silky, thick mixture. Split the mixture between the two cake tins and bake for 35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
  4. Whilst the cakes are cooking, make the syrup by putting the remaining sugar, tonic water and juice of one lime into a saucepan over a medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes until you have a thick syrup. Allow to cool for five minutes, strain, and then add in the remaining gin. Set to one side.
  5. Once the cakes are out of the oven, allow them to cool for five minutes. Prick all over with a skewer, then spoon the syrup mix over both of the cakes. Now allow them to cool completely in their tins.
  6. Make the buttercream by beating the butter until soft, then add the icing sugar a little at a time. Once fully incorporated, add the milk and the zest of the limes.
  7. Assemble by placing one of the cake layers on a board and cover with 1/3 of the buttercream. Sit the second layer on top, and cover this with a thin layer of buttercream. Place the cake in your fridge for 30 minutes to firm up, then use the remaining buttercream to cover the top and sides of the cake.
  8. Mix the lime zest and sugar together, and sprinkle over the top to decorate. Finish with the lemon sherbets, lime slices and cucumber ribbons.