Gin & Tonic Pound Cake
Gin & Tonic Pound Cake
One of Britain’s most familiar cocktails meets one of the American South’s most enduring cakes in this Gin & Tonic Pound Cake.
A gin and tonic depends on contrast: aromatic London dry gin, the characteristic bitterness of tonic water, and the brightness of fresh lime. Here, those flavors are worked directly into a butter-and-cream pound cake.
The cake retains the fine, tender crumb and rich flavor of a Southern cold-oven pound cake. A gin-and-lime glaze completes it, sharpening the citrus and bringing the cocktail character to the surface..
Watch my video to follow along step-by-step.
Gin & Tonic Pound Cake
Yield: 12–16 servings
Pan: One-piece 10-inch, 12-cup tube pan
Oven: Start cold; bake at 325°F (165°C)
Ingredients
For the Cake
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
6 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons (45 ml) London dry gin, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (30 ml) tonic water, at room temperature
¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
For the Gin, Tonic, and Lime Glaze
1 cup (120 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons (10 ml) London dry gin
Tonic water, as needed
Finely grated zest of 1 lime, for finishing
Method
Prepare and chill the pan
Do not preheat the oven.
Position an oven rack so the cake will sit near the center of the oven.
Grease a one-piece 10-inch tube pan thoroughly, including the center tube. Dust it evenly with flour and tap out the excess.
Place the prepared pan in the refrigerator while making the batter.
Prepare the dry and liquid ingredients
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Combine the heavy cream and vanilla in a measuring cup. Set aside.
Place the sugar in a mixing bowl and add the lime zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until the sugar is fragrant and lightly tinted.
Cream the butter and lime sugar
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed until smooth.
Gradually add the lime sugar. Continue beating for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl periodically, until the mixture is noticeably lighter and fluffy.
Add the eggs
Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
After adding the final egg, mix briefly until the batter is smooth and evenly combined.
Add the gin and tonic
With the mixer on low speed, add the gin and then the tonic water. Mix only until incorporated.
The batter may look slightly separated at this stage. It will come together when the flour is added.
Alternate the flour and cream
With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three portions, alternating with the vanilla cream in two portions:
One-third of the flour
Half of the vanilla cream
One-third of the flour
The remaining vanilla cream
The remaining flour
Mix each addition only until mostly incorporated. After adding the final portion of flour, remove the bowl from the mixer and finish folding the batter gently by hand, making sure no pockets of flour remain.
Fill the chilled pan
Remove the prepared pan from the refrigerator.
Spoon the batter evenly into the chilled pan. Smooth the surface and gently tap the pan on the counter once or twice to settle the batter and release any large air pockets.
Bake from a cold oven
Place the filled pan directly into the cold oven.
Set the oven to 325°F (165°C) and begin timing the bake as soon as the oven is turned on.
Bake for 85–100 minutes. Do not open the oven during the first 75 minutes.
The cake is ready when it is deeply golden, begins to pull slightly from the sides of the pan, and a long wooden skewer inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
Cool and unmold the cake
Place the baked cake, still in its pan, on a wire rack and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Run a thin knife or spatula carefully around the outer edge and center tube. Invert the cake onto a wire rack or serving plate and gently lift away the pan.
Allow the cake to cool to slightly warm before glazing.
Glaze the cake
Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, lime juice, and gin.
If the glaze is too thick to flow slowly from a spoon, add tonic water ½ teaspoon at a time until it reaches a thick but pourable consistency.
Spoon the glaze evenly over the top of the slightly warm cake, allowing it to run down the sides.
Immediately grate the fresh lime zest over the wet glaze. Let the glaze set for approximately 20–30 minutes before slicing.
Larder Notes
The cold oven is deliberate
Place the filled, chilled pan directly into the unheated oven and begin timing when you set it to 325°F (165°C).
Do not open the door during the first 75 minutes.
Use a classic London dry gin
A juniper-forward gin gives the cake its recognizable cocktail character.
Choose one you would be happy to drink in a gin and tonic.
Add the tonic to the glaze cautiously
Begin with the lime juice and gin, then add tonic water ½ teaspoon at a time.
Glaze the cake when it is slightly warm, and add the lime zest immediately before the glaze sets.
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