gin-tonic cake

Gin is quite popular at the moment. But if you want a different taste of gin, this gin-tonic cake might be an option. It is a bit of work, but the taste is worth it. The inspiration comes from BBC good food.

Ingredients:

for the cake:

• 250 gram butter
• 325 gram brown sugar (200 gram for the cake and 125 gram for the syrup)
• 4 eggs
• 250 gram self raising flour
• 75 gram natural yoghurt
• the juice of two limes (keep the juice from every lime apart)
• 75 ml gin (50ml for the cake and 25 ml for the syrup)
• 150 ml tonic water
• some crushed juniper berries

for the icing:

• 200 gram butter
• 400 gram icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• zest of the limes

Method:

for the cake:

• preheat the oven at 180°C and greese two cake tins (20cm).
• Melt the butter and add 200 gram of the brown sugar. whisk all the time.
• Add the eggs one by one, and continue whisking all the time.
• Add the flour.
• Mix the yoghurt with 50ml of the gin and the juice of one lime.
• Add this to the cake mix.
• Split the mix between the 2 cake tins, and let it bake for 35 minutes.

for the syrup:

• Put the tonic water, the remaining sugar, the crushed juniper berries and the juice of the second lime in a pan and heat it until the sugar has melted.
• Bring it to boil, and let it boil for about 10 minutes.
• Let it cool down for a few minutes and then add the remaining gin.
• When the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool down for 5 minutes.
• Then prick it all over with a fork or a skewer, and spoon the syrup over the cake.
• Let it cool down completely.

for the cream:

• melt the butter in a pan.
• Add the icing sugar slowly while beating all the time.
• At the end, add the milk and the zest of the limes.

finishing:

• place one of the cakes on a plate, and cover with one third of the cream.
• Put the second part on top, and cover also with one third of the cream.
• Put it in the refrigerator for half an hour, and then cover the sides with the rest of the cream.
• You can decorate with lime ice, cucumber, zest, or anything gin-like you may imagine.

I like cakes with a twist. Other surprising cakes are:

• blueberry almond cake
• easy poppy seed cake
• easy apple cake
• refreshing coconut polenta cake