Gertrude, The Gin & Tonic Cake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
Makes 1 loaf cake
- 250g/8.83ozs. butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups caster or superfine sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
- 1/2 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
- 2 teaspoons ground juniper berries
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
G&T syrup
- 150ml/5flozs. tonic water
- 75g/2.7ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 25ml/1oz. Gin
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
G&T Icing
- 175g/6ozs. icing or confectioners sugar, sifted
- 4 tablespoons tonic water
- 2 tablespoons gin
Oven dried oranges
- 1/2 orange, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons icing or confectioners sugar
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 150C/300F and line a loaf tray on the base and sides. Beat the butter until it becomes pale white-around 5 minutes on high speed. Add in the sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Then beat in each egg one at a time until well incorporated. On the lowest speed, or by hand, add in the flour, buttermilk, lime and orange zest, ground juniper berries, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix until just combined.
Step 2 - Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes or until the centre springs back when touched. 10 minutes before the cake will be done cooking, make the syrup. Boil the tonic water, sugar and lime juice until reduced by half. Then add gin and keep warm. When the cake is ready, poke about a dozen or so holes in the cake and pour the syrup into the holes where it will absorb the syrup.
Step 3 - Mix the icing sugar, tonic water and gin. I do it the lazy way because I loathe sifting so I pop the icing sugar in a food processor and blitz until the lumps are gone and then I add the tonic and gin. Drizzle over the cake. Decorate with edible roses, oven dried oranges and coriander sweets.
How to make oven dried oranges
Preheat oven to 120C/248F and line a baking tray with parchment. Slice the oranges thinly, not more than 1cm thick and then press against paper towels until it has absorbed all the excess juice. Sprinkle with icing sugar and bake for 1 hour or until dried out and caramelised.