I spend a lot of time in Santander in the North of Spain. There are a lot of drinks that are popular in Spain but BY FAR the gin & tonic is the most loved cocktail. For this cake I’ve taken one of my favorite pound cake recipes and replaced the soda pop-leavening with tonic water. There’s a subtle tonicy taste in each sweet and buttery bite and then there’s a bit of ZING from the lime.
Juniper berries are the dominant flavor in gin. In Spain it’s very common to put a few fresh or dried juniper berries in a glass of gin and tonic as garnish. They’re very fragrant and add to the experience!
You can order juniper berries HERE. I usually buy a bulk pack and keep them in the freezer until I’m ready to use them.
I have used this gin-flavored simple syrup on ice cream, in milkshakes, and on bread pudding. It’s wonderful! I have a large collection of gins at home. My current favorites are Junipero, that I used in this recipe, and I also like Xorigur Mahon and Gin Mare from Spain.
Gin & Tonic Pound Cake
The classic flavors of gin & tonic in cake-form!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 sticks Butter 340g
- 3 cups Sugar
- 5 Eggs
- Juice & Zest of 1 Lime
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Tonic Water
For the gin syrup:
- 1 cup Sugar
- 3/4 cup Water
- 1 handful Juniper Berries
- 1/4 cup Gin You can adjust this quantity to taste.
Instructions
For the cake:
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Preheat oven to 325F/160C and grease and flour a 10 cup Bundt pan.
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Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. About 5 minutes.
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Add eggs one at a time mixing well between each egg.
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Add lime juice and zest and mix well.
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Add flour one cup at a time mixing between each cup.
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Add tonic water and mix well scraping down the sides of the bowl as you mix.
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Pour batter into prepared tube pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes until cake is not jiggly and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
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Remove cake form oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes and then invert pan and allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the gin syrup:
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Combine sugar, water, and juniper berries in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
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Lower heat to low and simmer for 6 minutes.
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Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
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Mix gin into cool syrup.
To serve:
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Cut a slice of cake and put it on your favorite plate and drizzle a ton of tasty gin syrup over your slice and enjoy!