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A deliciously light, soft, and flavourful cake based on the wonderful gin & tonic. Lime sponge, gin & tonic drizzle, gin icing, and lime = gin & tonic drizzle cake!

Gin and tonic themed bakes

You guys have completely raved about my gin & tonic cupcakes, and my gin & tonic fudge since I posted them. Honestly, I thought they could be reasonably popular, but I am amazed but how they are continually popular day in and day out. Therefore, when my brother suggested a gin & tonic drizzle cake, I knew it had to happen. It was DELIGHTFUL. I honestly can’t love it any more.

Loaf cake

I went for simplicity with the cake part of this recipe, because sometimes simple is best. It’s basically a Victoria sponge type recipe with proportional ingredients for the cake such as the butter, sugar, flour and eggs. However, I did add in some lime zest to give it a little hint of flavour. I didn’t want it to be completely plain, but it has just enough in it to give it a bit of flaaaavour.

I used a loaf cake style tin as I haven’t baked a loaf cake in a while, and I thought it would suit this cake! You can easily make it into a different shape or style, or even add the G&T buttercream from my gin & tonic cupcakes, but thats up to you! The drizzle is really very simple as well.

Drizzle

You need the sugar in it to give it a bit of substance, and make it drizzle like (such as you use for lemon & lime drizzle cake type recipes), otherwise using just gin and tonic might make it slightly soggy rather than drizzly. It’s very easy and simple to just dissolve the sugar into the gin and the tonic, and huzzah you’re done. Drizzling it over the cake, and letting it soak in is the painful part, as you just want to eat the cake already!

Icing

I was wondering whether using gin in the ‘water icing’ would work, but it did! It sort of makes it a sweet gin flavour, so you definitely have to like gin to like the icing. You can of course just use water, but I adore it with the gin! It’s almost bitter in a weird way, but still sweet.

Gin & Tonic Drizzle Cake!

A deliciously light, soft, and flavourful cake based on the wonderful gin & tonic. Lime sponge, gin & tonic drizzle, gin icing, and lime = gin & tonic drizzle cake!
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Category: Dessert
Type: Cake
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 People
Author: Jane's Patisserie

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 250 g unsalted butter
  • 250 g caster sugar
  • 250 g self raising flour
  • 5 medium eggs
  • 1 lime zested

Drizzle

  • 75 g caster sugar
  • 5 tbsp gin
  • 5 tbsp tonic water

Icing

  • 200 g icing sugar
  • 3-4 tbsp gin

Decoration

  • 1 Lime zested
  • Lime slices

Instructions

For the Cake!

  • Grease and Line a 2lb loaf tin, and preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan
  • Cream together your butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy. 
  • Add in the eggs, flour, and lime zest, and beat again until smooth and combined. 
  • Pour your cake ingredients into your tin, and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes. When baked fully, a cake skewer should come out clean, and the cake shouldn't be making a bubbling sound. 
  • Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool slightly whilst making the drizzle. 

For the Drizzle!

  • Add your caster sugar, gin, and tonic to a small pan. 
  • Heat on a low-medium whilst stirring, and wait for the sugar to dissolve. Once dissolved, turn off the heat. 
  • Poke your cake lightly with a cake skewer/fork, and then drizzle over the drizzle. Leave the cake to cool fully in the tin. 

To Decorate!

  • Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the tin. 
  • In a small bowl, add your icing sugar, and gradually mix in the gin until you get a thick pourable consistency. You don't want it too thin otherwise it will all run off. 
  • Pour the icing over the cake, and sprinkle over some lime zest, and then add some lime slices for more decoration. 

Notes

  • Sometimes, the cakes can take longer than the time stated due to oven temperatures and such. Keep an eye on it, but make sure to look for the clean skewer and no bubbling sounds for when its done!
  • I used Bombay Sapphire gin for this one, but you can use any! A stronger flavoured gin is better, but any will do!
  • You don't have to use lime in this recipe either, or you can use a different flavour, I just love lime with gin!

Find my other recipes on my Recipes Page!

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J x

© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.

107 Comments

  1. Ann Ramsay on March 1, 2022 at 9:39 am

    i don’t like g&t but love pink gin and lemonade. do you think this would work?

  2. Dawn Dacey on July 3, 2021 at 1:17 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely favourite cake recipe !
    My friends & family love it !
    I’ve adapted a little this time using lemon & limes and also put lemon flavoured gin in so 🤞
    Thank you so much 😊

  3. Salli on June 13, 2021 at 12:51 pm

    4 stars
    Love the gin and tonic drizzle cake so much. Have made 3 in the last 3weeks,,as requested by friends. The sponge is so moist and have tried a couple off Gins,Bombay the best. This gives the icing a very sweet taste. I have tho not put the lime slices on top of the last one,as it makes the icing watery.

  4. Susie on May 1, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    I’ve made this cake twice now and both times it’s taken over an hour to bake as the top middle part just won’t bake! Any ideas what I’m doing wrong? The drizzle helps though and love the icing!

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 8, 2021 at 2:40 pm

      Hello! Sometimes loaf cakes can take longer, likely is it just needed more time xx



    • Yvonne on August 25, 2023 at 5:51 pm

      What Does 180C/160C fan means?
      If baking at 180c – top and bottom heat?
      If baking -160c – fan?



    • Jane's Patisserie on August 26, 2023 at 11:50 am

      It’s 180ºc for a regular oven, or 160ºc for a fan oven x



  5. Becky Malocco on March 10, 2021 at 1:41 pm

    5 stars
    When you put the slices on the top it tends to melt the icing do you have any tips to stop this happening . Thank you x

    • Jane's Patisserie on March 10, 2021 at 7:51 pm

      Unfortunately it can happen! If you’re bothered I would leave them off, or you can try crystallising them or just use peel! x



  6. Lisa on March 9, 2021 at 4:36 pm

    5 stars
    I really want to make these as mini loaf cakes rather than a large loaf cake. Will I need to adapt the recipe at all?

    • Jane's Patisserie on March 10, 2021 at 8:13 pm

      Other than timings you should be able to use it yeah!



  7. ZOE HIGGS on February 16, 2021 at 4:23 am

    5 stars
    This was unbelievably good! A marriage of my two great pandemic loves: baking and g&t’s!

  8. Maddy on February 9, 2021 at 11:47 pm

    Hi, I would love to make this for my mum’s birthday but i’d need to make it two days before and store it.

    Do you think it will be ok after that time? I will have to ice it etc. in advance as well as won’t have access to a kitchen.

    Kind regards

  9. Josh on December 31, 2020 at 6:50 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve been using this recipe for over a year. I can hands down say this is the best cake over ever eaten. Everyone I’ve ever made it for days the same. Here I am on News years eve again, making my favourite cake. Thanks a lot. Have a happy 2021 🙂

  10. Izzy H on December 7, 2020 at 8:30 pm

    5 stars
    Really good recipe, used a bit less gin and more tonic than the recipe called for (student life, gin too expensive 😂) and accidentally lost count of how many eggs I’d put in (don’t ask, I didn’t put enough in,
    no idea how it happened) but it still turned out really well.

  11. Carrie Hughes on July 5, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    5 stars
    This was the most delicious cake I have ever baked!

  12. Denise on June 10, 2020 at 7:37 am

    5 stars
    Fantastic recipe, cake turned out perfectly. I’m making another one today for my stepsons Birthday!!!

  13. April on June 7, 2020 at 10:26 pm

    4 stars
    Taste amazing! No matter what I do e.h., fully cooked, room temperature ingredients, not over mixing) the middle always sinks as it cools any suggestions?

    • Jane's Patisserie on June 8, 2020 at 1:11 pm

      Hey – so the main reason a cake sinks, is under baking. When taking the cake out, no matter the skewer test, if the cake is still making a bubbling/crackling sound then it’s not finished baking! x



  14. Nichola on June 4, 2020 at 4:07 pm

    Very excited to make this for my boyfriends birthday next week…could I use the G&T tray bake icing and decoration instead? Would the quantities be the same?

    • Jane's Patisserie on June 4, 2020 at 7:42 pm

      Hey! You would probably only need half of the icing for the loaf cake!! Otherwise it should be fine!! x



  15. Holly on May 7, 2020 at 10:55 pm

    I’m struggling to get any self raising flour at the moment. Could I use plain flour and baking powder instead? If so, can you advise what quantities please. I have a few family members that want me to make this for them. 🙂

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 8, 2020 at 10:10 am

      You whisk in 2tsps baking powder per 150g of flour before using in any recipe!



  16. casey cotogno on May 7, 2020 at 3:19 pm

    5 stars
    One of the best recipes I bake and everyone at my work and home loves the cake as well

    • Lisa on March 8, 2021 at 11:40 pm

      5 stars
      I really want to make these as mini loaf cakes rather than a large loaf cake. Will I need to adapt the recipe at all?



    • Jane's Patisserie on March 11, 2021 at 12:13 pm

      The timings will change and it depends on the mini loaf tin or liners, but otherwise you can just use it!



  17. Levi on May 4, 2020 at 3:30 pm

    5 stars
    This was my first ever bake! I was drawn in by the simplicity of the recipe and the…. gin! It turned out absolutely delightful! I’m still in shock at how amazing it tasted! Hats off to you! I now have a real drive to bake more.. maybe a cheesecake next? Who knows! Thank you, Jane for this wonderful, super simple, fabulous recipe!

    • Angela Freeman on June 9, 2020 at 8:41 am

      I only have large eggs how many should I use instead



    • Jane's Patisserie on June 9, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      I would use 4 large!



  18. Gemma on May 3, 2020 at 7:48 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was bloody delish! Have to admit I did sneak a little extra gin in than the recommended amount! Thanks for another incredible recipe! 😀

  19. Becks leach on May 3, 2020 at 7:39 pm

    5 stars
    Love this recipe it’s by far one of my favourite summertime bakes lovely and fresh tasting.. well done love your recipes xz

  20. Aime on May 3, 2020 at 11:16 am

    Apologies I made a typo in my email address
    Please to know the size cake tin (round) for this recipe
    I’m not a baker at all so this my be a really silly question

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 3, 2020 at 12:24 pm

      Hey! I already have a round version on my blog!



  21. Aime on May 3, 2020 at 11:14 am

    I really want to try this for my boyfriends birthday next week but would like to make it round in a cake tin, what equivalent size cake tin (round) should I use to use this amount of ingredients. Thanks you

  22. JESS BAILEY on April 29, 2020 at 1:58 pm

    Made the cake exactly according to the recipe and specifically bought the correct size loaf tin. However in the cake batter has spilled over the side of the tin a lot and after 45 minutes in the oven it’s still very liquid. Just hope some of it is salvageable as it’s for my girlfriend’s birthday cake.

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 4, 2020 at 11:33 am

      I’ve made this recipe countless times and so have a lot of people but I’ve never heard or seen this happening unfortunately – I’m afraid it sounds like something was measured incorrectly to cause this! It also may be that the tins are different sizes – sometimes a 2lb loaf tin, can be varying in size even though they are called the same!



    • Simona M on July 18, 2020 at 3:14 pm

      Hi, I’ve made many of your cakes and this is the first one I’ve had trouble with, but found a solution that I would like to share for anyone else that might be struggling. Same issue with the cake not baking in the middle – after 45 minutes it was baked on the sides but watery in the middle. I’ve sorted it by dropping the temperature from 180C to about 160C, and putting the cake lower in the oven. It had come out perfect after about 1:15hrs. I think the medium eggs I’ve used would have passed for large, and my tin was quite small, so that might be why!



    • Jane's Patisserie on July 18, 2020 at 4:32 pm

      Ah yes, if your tin was smaller then it will definitely cause a problem, along with too much egg. I bake mine at 160C as my oven is a fan oven and it works wonders!



  23. Jess on April 23, 2020 at 12:25 pm

    Is the drizzle meant to thicken? or should it be a watery consistency? Going to attempt this for my mums birthday!

    • Jane's Patisserie on April 23, 2020 at 12:26 pm

      No, the drizzle is just designed to soak into the sponge so doesn’t really thicken!



  24. Anna on April 21, 2020 at 11:03 pm

    If I wanted to make the lime sponge vegan, what would you recommend as the egg substitute? I normally use a 1:1 flax egg replacement ratio, but just wanted to see if you had other ideas. Thanks!

  25. Georgia Cawston on April 20, 2020 at 9:13 am

    This looks amazing! Going to try it this weekend, are you able to use lemonade inf the drizzle instead of tonic water?

  26. Suze on April 19, 2020 at 9:10 am

    Could i use the new Gordons sicilian lemon gin for this? X

    • Jane's Patisserie on April 19, 2020 at 10:43 am

      Yes you can! You can use any gin you fancy!



  27. Heather Albion on April 19, 2020 at 8:12 am

    5 stars
    Baked this for my husband’s 40th during “lockdown” and it turned out brilliantly – so thanks for the recipe 🙂 Added lime and lemon zest to the cake mixture, used 150g of sugar and around 200g of salted butter because I ran out of unsalted (and it wasn’t that salty!) Also added lime and lemon juice to the drizzle and the zest to the icing….super lush!

  28. Sophie Mort on April 2, 2020 at 10:21 pm

    Do you think slim line tonic will work okay 🙂 going to make this weekend and wondering if I keep to get some in or can use what I have.

    Can’t wait x

  29. veronica bellotti on December 23, 2019 at 12:41 pm

    iv made the cake and icing is on now, and icing is setting, when in a container ,do I store in fridge as its covered or in a cupboard. thanks.

    • Jane's Patisserie on December 23, 2019 at 2:59 pm

      I would just store at room temp on the side in a container!



  30. veronica bellotti on November 6, 2019 at 1:36 pm

    How long in the freeze can I keep it, is a month too long (without icing of course)? Iv made before so i know its good. Thanks

  31. Laura on November 5, 2019 at 12:48 pm

    5 stars
    Hey – I love this recipe but was wondering about making it with a mini loaf tin – Im assuming I would need to cut the temp and bake time

    • Beatrice on August 20, 2020 at 8:53 pm

      I’m hoping to bake this in a Bundt pan which will be difficult to line – is it really necessary if you grease the pan well (and perhaps sprinkle in some flour as well?



    • Jane's Patisserie on August 21, 2020 at 9:56 am

      I find it best to use a lining paste (Nancy birtwhistle was a a great recipe for this) as sometimes just butter/flour can still cause it to stick!



  32. Marie on October 22, 2019 at 12:59 pm

    5 stars
    I made this for a charity bake off at work and won the ‘Taste’ category. Used pink gin for the icing and it turned out really well.

  33. kim on August 21, 2019 at 5:58 pm

    Hey Jane,
    I’ve made so many of your recipes but am baking for a friend who is gluten free this weekend (i made your chocolate cake last time) Would i just substitute the flour for gf flour? Would i need to add anything else in?
    Thank you!

    • Jane's Patisserie on August 21, 2019 at 9:49 pm

      For this I would use xantham gum as well because of the amount of drizzle you pour on! x



  34. Craig on April 16, 2019 at 10:39 pm

    Hi, just wondering how this would work with dark rum and coke instead of g&t? Would the drizzle still need sugar added or would the coke take care of that?

    • Jane's Patisserie on April 17, 2019 at 8:52 am

      I wouldn’t know I’m afraid, sorry!



  35. Lisa on March 9, 2019 at 6:09 pm

    5 stars
    Looks amazing can’t wait to get started! Could I put in 8 round tin or would this mess up all the measurements and look flat??

    • Jane's Patisserie on March 9, 2019 at 7:09 pm

      It would probably mess it up a little! I have a gin and tonic cake you can look at instead! x



  36. Debra Dulake on February 10, 2019 at 1:30 pm

    5 stars
    I am so glad I’ve found this site. I’ve made several Gin and Tonic cakes and this has to be the best by far. I love that you don’t use baking powder as I always find I can taste it no matter now little I use. The sponge was beautifully light and really scrummy. Everyone who ate it loved it. I used Rhubarb and Ginger Gin and put lime zest within the cake and in the drizzle and topping. Gonna try the Vanilla cake for my friends birthday.

  37. Catherine on January 11, 2019 at 11:44 am

    Can I ask what quantity you would use of the G & T flavouring in the drizzle and Icing please. Just making it now for the first time and its in the oven nearly done!

    • Jane's Patisserie on January 11, 2019 at 2:16 pm

      It depends entirely on how strong you like it – I’ve not made the drizzle with the flavouring before but I imagine it would be 1tsp for each?!



  38. Catherine Hurley on January 11, 2019 at 10:43 am

    I’m making this now for the first time. Us8 g the Sainsburys G&T flabouring. What would the quantities be for the drizzle and icing? Thanku

    • juneY on August 22, 2020 at 8:33 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you🙏 Delicious! I halved the ingredients to make a smaller cake for 4 & still had plenty using 1/5 the amount for the drizzle + icing – very sweet so use sparingly! I cut the cake into 4 & layered it using a gin tonic flavored buttercream recipe. Was a hit!😍



  39. Karis Parker on November 28, 2018 at 6:56 pm

    5 stars
    I made this last night, served it in the office today – massive hit!! Will defo be baking this again for Xmas & maybe even with pink gin 🙂 love it! Thanks Jane xx

  40. Nicola on October 25, 2018 at 10:06 pm

    This cake looks amazing. I want to make it for a charity bake sale, but I’m not a baker at all!!!
    Can the cake be make a day before icing? Or would that ruin the cake? How long would it stay fresh for?
    Sorry for all the questions. Thank you for your amazing page.

    • Jane's Patisserie on October 26, 2018 at 9:01 am

      Thank you!! Yes you can make it and then decorate it another day, but I would recommend doing the drizzle on the day of baking so it soaks in properly! Cakes are usually good for 3-4 days.



  41. Zoe on October 7, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    5 stars
    Went down a treat at our recent macmillan coffee morning, so light and moist. Think I’ll definitely be making this again!

  42. Mona R Doyle on September 8, 2018 at 7:05 pm

    What , if anything , can I use to substitute the Gin?

    • Jane's Patisserie on September 9, 2018 at 9:18 am

      I’ve not personally used a different alcohol, but I assume similar so Rum or Vodka?



  43. Sarah on May 30, 2018 at 6:55 am

    5 stars
    Went down a treat at a charity bake sale!! Thank you for creating and sharing!

  44. Laura Jack on May 1, 2018 at 12:02 pm

    5 stars
    Do you think pink gin will work?

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 1, 2018 at 7:12 pm

      I’m sure it would! The pink colouring probably won’t come through though!



    • veronica bellotti on February 27, 2019 at 9:56 am

      OOh beat me to it, I was scrolling down to see if anyone would ask that, as I can only get the Pink Gin and Tonic in a tin at tesco.



  45. Denise on April 30, 2018 at 1:40 pm

    Can you exchange the gin and tonic for gin and tonic flavouring that you used when you made gin and tonic fudge?

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 1, 2018 at 7:11 pm

      Yes indeed!



    • Chloe on September 20, 2018 at 9:23 pm

      Would you need to change the quantity? If so, how much by?



    • Jane's Patisserie on September 21, 2018 at 9:20 am

      Maybe 2tsp?



  46. Ellie on April 4, 2018 at 12:25 pm

    Not sure what happened but my cake has been in the oven about an hour and it’s still not cooked? Oven is on the right setting and ingredients the same.

    • Jane's Patisserie on April 4, 2018 at 12:38 pm

      Maybe your tin is slightly different to mine, but its a standard cake recipe that should work. x



  47. Hollie on April 3, 2018 at 8:30 pm

    Hi,
    Once this is made do I leave it in the fridge ? As I’m making it Tomorrow ready for Thursday?

    • Jane's Patisserie on April 4, 2018 at 12:38 pm

      Noo room temperature is fine, fridge will dry the cake out. x



  48. Evie on March 3, 2018 at 10:48 am

    Will this freeze well

    • Jane's Patisserie on March 3, 2018 at 12:36 pm

      I’m sure it will!



    • Evie on March 3, 2018 at 12:42 pm

      Thanks without the icing I presume



  49. Rosa on February 6, 2018 at 7:24 am

    I buy large free range eggs from the market. They are much bigger than the large supermarket eggs. Would you recommemd 4 and not 5?

  50. Francesca McDonald on January 20, 2018 at 12:15 pm

    This cake looks amazing, would it work if I swapped out the Bombay Sapphire Gin for some Edinburgh Rhubarb and Ginger Gin Liqueur?

    • Jane's Patisserie on January 20, 2018 at 8:03 pm

      You could definitely try it but I’m not sure how well the flavour will come through?!



    • Joanne on January 26, 2019 at 8:35 am

      5 stars
      I was wondering the same. How did it turn out?



    • Francesca McDonald on January 29, 2019 at 11:43 pm

      5 stars
      It was fantastic – My mum loved it!



  51. Tina on January 17, 2018 at 11:33 pm

    What will happen if I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter? 🙂

  52. Sam on January 13, 2018 at 7:30 pm

    5 stars
    I made this G&T cake for the office, it was amazing, very moist and the icing very tangy will definitely make it again

  53. Rita Yeo on January 13, 2018 at 5:58 pm

    Can it be frozen?

    • Jane's Patisserie on January 13, 2018 at 6:26 pm

      Yep!



    • Sue cammish on August 14, 2019 at 9:38 am

      I don’t like tonic. Could I use squeezed orange juice instead?



    • Jane's Patisserie on August 14, 2019 at 2:33 pm

      The orange may overpower the gin, but it’s worth a try.. x



  54. Lori on January 8, 2018 at 12:39 pm

    This looks lovely. My husband would love it!

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