This cake is a deliciously light, soft and tasty lime sponge cake infused with gin & tonic. It’s the perfect showstopper cake to enjoy with afternoon tea.
SERVES 12
325g golden caster sugar
250g salted butter, diced
250g self-raising white flour
4 medium eggs
75g natural yoghurt
Juice of 2 lime
75ml gin
150ml tonic water
For the buttercream
200g softened butter
400g icing sugar
2 tbsp milk
3 lime zest
4 drops gin & tonic flavouring
2 x 20cm cake tins
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4
- Grease and line the cake tins. In a mixer, beat together the butter and half of the sugar until white and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time with a tbsp of flour making sure they are fully incorporated before adding the next one. Fold in the rest of the flour once the eggs are all mixed in.
- Mix the yogurt with the juice of one of the limes and 3/4 of the gin. Add this to the cake batter and mix it in.
- Pour half the cake batter into each cake tin and bake for 35 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
- While the cake is in the oven, make the syrup. Put the remaining sugar, tonic water and juice of one lime into a saucepan over medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, stir it and then let it cool for 5 mins. Pour in the remaining gin and set aside.
- When the cake is ready, let it cool in its tin for 5 mins. Using a skewer, prick the cake all over and then spoon the syrup over both halves of the cakes. Leave it to cool completely.
- Next, make the buttercream. Beat the butter until soft in a mixer for a few minutes, then add the icing sugar, a third at a time. Add a tbsp of milk to help loosen the texture if it’s too stiff. Add the zest of the limes. You may add 4 drops of gin and tonic flavouring (optional) and mix in to finish it.
- To dress the cake, cover the top of one half with 1/3 of the buttercream. Sandwich the second layer on top. Cover this with buttercream too before working buttercream onto the sides. This gives a beautiful naked finish.
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