Gin & Tonic Loaf Cake!
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A delicious gin & tonic drizzle cake with a lime sponge, gin & tonic drizzle, gin icing, and lime!
Gin and tonic
One of the most iconic drinks in the world, a gin and tonic is a delightful drink that is so versatile in flavours and taste with how many gins are available, and how many tonics are available now too.
Whether you like it more spiced, or sweeter, there is definitely a flavour out there for you – and it’s just SUCH a refreshing drink. I switch mine up all the time as I adore so many, but if you have a favourite combo, why not dry it in cake form as well?
If you aren’t a fan of tonic, you can use lemonade as well – it works the same in this recipe as the tonic does. It’s easy to make a delicious bake with whatever drinks you have in the cupboard.
Baking with G&T
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. Why not combine the ideas of a lemon drizzle cake, where you have the deliciously easy baked loaf cake sponge, made extra delicious with a drizzle on top? But this time, it’s a G&T poured on top?!
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 flavour.
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!
Decoration
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 packs an absolute punch, but it needs to right?!
I also decorated the cake with some lime slices and lime zest to go with the flavour of the sponge and the theme of the drink (because if you haven’t guessed yet, I like a lime in my G&T), but you can switch this up if it’s not for you.
Tips & Tricks
- This cake will last for 4-5+ days at room temp
- You can freeze this cake for 3+ months
- The decoration can be changed to whatever you want
- Any gin will work
- Any tonic will work
- The tonic can be switched to lemonade
- I use this 2lb loaf tin in the recipe
- I use these small piping bags for the decoration
Gin & Tonic Drizzle Cake!
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 180ºc/160ºc 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 or drizzle the icing over the cake, and sprinkle over some lime zest, and then add some lime slices for more decoration.
Notes
- This cake will last for 4-5+ days at room temp
- You can freeze this cake for 3+ months
- The decoration can be changed to whatever you want
- Any gin will work
- Any tonic will work
- The tonic can be switched to lemonade
- I use this 2lb loaf tin in the recipe
- I use these small piping bags for the decoration
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J x
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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.
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.
Went down a treat at our recent macmillan coffee morning, so light and moist. Think I’ll definitely be making this again!
Ahh yay! I’m glad you liked it!!
What , if anything , can I use to substitute the Gin?
I’ve not personally used a different alcohol, but I assume similar so Rum or Vodka?
Went down a treat at a charity bake sale!! Thank you for creating and sharing!
Ahh amazing!! X
Do you think pink gin will work?
I’m sure it would! The pink colouring probably won’t come through though!
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.
Can you exchange the gin and tonic for gin and tonic flavouring that you used when you made gin and tonic fudge?
Yes indeed!
Would you need to change the quantity? If so, how much by?
Maybe 2tsp?
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.
Maybe your tin is slightly different to mine, but its a standard cake recipe that should work. x
Hi,
Once this is made do I leave it in the fridge ? As I’m making it Tomorrow ready for Thursday?
Noo room temperature is fine, fridge will dry the cake out. x
Will this freeze well
I’m sure it will!
Thanks without the icing I presume
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?
Yes that would be ideal!
This cake looks amazing, would it work if I swapped out the Bombay Sapphire Gin for some Edinburgh Rhubarb and Ginger Gin Liqueur?
You could definitely try it but I’m not sure how well the flavour will come through?!
I was wondering the same. How did it turn out?
It was fantastic – My mum loved it!
What will happen if I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter? 🙂
It might taste a little salty.
I made this G&T cake for the office, it was amazing, very moist and the icing very tangy will definitely make it again
Can it be frozen?
Yep!
I don’t like tonic. Could I use squeezed orange juice instead?
The orange may overpower the gin, but it’s worth a try.. x
This looks lovely. My husband would love it!