Gin Tonic Cake Recipes

GIN & TONIC CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Greese and line 2 x 20cm cake tins. In a freestanding electric mixer, or using an electric whisk, beat together the butter and 200g of the sugar until pale and fluffy, for around 5 mins. Add the eggs one by one, making sure they are fully incorporated before adding the next one. If the mixture looks like it might split, add a tablespoon of your flour, then fold in the rest of the flour. Mix the natural yogurt with the juice of one of the limes and 50ml of the gin, then add this to the cake mixture to make a thick and silky mixture. Split the mixture between the cake tins and bake for 35 mins until a skewer comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, make the syrup. Put the remaining sugar, tonic water, juniper berries and juice of one lime into a saucepan over medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil and cook for 5-7 mins, until it's a thick syrup. Cool for 5 mins, strain then pour in the remaining gin and set aside.
• Once the cake is out of the oven, allow to cool for 5 mins, then prick all over with a skewer, then liberally spoon the syrup mix over both of the cakes. Allow to cool completely in the tin.
• To make the buttercream, beat the butter until soft, then add the icing sugar, a little at a time to avoid a sugar cloud! Once fully incorporated, add the milk and the zest of the limes.
• To assemble, place one of the cake layers on a cake board, cover with 1/3 of the buttercream then sit the second cake layer on top. Cover this, too, in just a thin coat of icing then put the cake in the fridge for 30 mins to firm up - this will make it easier to get the rest of the icing on smoothly. Use the remaining buttercream to cover the top and sides of the cake.
• To decorate, mix the lime zest with the sugar. Sprinkle this over the cake and finish with lemon sherbets, lime slices, cucumber ribbons, party straws and any other gin & tonic paraphernalia you fancy.

GIN & TONIC CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).
• Butter a 900g loaf tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment. Put the butter and sugar into a bowl, and whisk with an electric whisk until pale, light, and fluffy.
• Lightly beat the eggs in a jug. You just need them to all become the same uniform, yellow colour. Pour them, bit by bit, into the butter and sugar mixture, whisking all the while.
• Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, and lemon zest, so you don't burst the air bubbles in the batter. Pour in the gin and give it a gentle stir. Spoon into the prepared tin.
• Bake for 1 hour. After 55 minutes, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake and, if it comes out clean, take the cake out of the oven. If it doesn't, give it another 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the syrup. Put the sugar and tonic water into a small pan and set over a low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Increase the heat and boil the syrup for 1 minute without stirring. Measure out 2 tbsp of the syrup into a small bowl and mix in the gin. (Discard the remaining syrup.)
• Once the cake is out of the oven, use a skewer to make 8 holes in it. Drizzle the gin syrup over the top of the cake and leave to cool in the tin.
• Turn out the cake, turn it right-side up again, and place on a wire rack. Mix together the ingredients for the icing and spoon it on the cake. Arrange the lemon slices along the top. Leave to set. Recipe taken from Nadia and Kaye Disaster Chef by Nadia Sawalha and Kaye Adams (£20).