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 looks amazing! Going to try it this weekend, are you able to use lemonade inf the drizzle instead of tonic water?
Yes you could!
Could i use the new Gordons sicilian lemon gin for this? X
Yes you can! You can use any gin you fancy!
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!
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
Slimeline tonic should be fine!
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.
I would just store at room temp on the side in a container!
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
A month is fine!
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
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?
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!
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.
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!
For this I would use xantham gum as well because of the amount of drizzle you pour on! x
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?
I wouldn’t know I’m afraid, sorry!
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??
It would probably mess it up a little! I have a gin and tonic cake you can look at instead! x
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.
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!
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?!
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
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!😍
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