Inspiring vegetarian recipes
Try our vibrant veggie dishes, from meat-free lasagne to vegetable curry and vegetarian chilli
Gin and tonic traybake squares
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- + cooling
- Easy
- Makes 32
Ingredients
- 200g unsalted butter, softened
- 200g golden caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp
- 4 eggs
- 200g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 6 tbsp gin
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 tbsp tonic water
BUTTERCREAM
- 150g unsalted butter, softened
- 400g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp gin
- 1 tbsp tonic water
- 1 lemon, zested and ½ juiced
Method
- STEP 1
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and line a 20cm x 30cm rectangular cake tin.
- STEP 2
Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until fluffy and pale. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating until incorporated before adding the next (add a tbsp of flour after each one if it splits). Add the remaining flour, baking powder, 4 tbsp of the gin, the lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of salt. Scrape into the tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until risen and firm.
- STEP 3
Mix together the 2 tbsp of caster sugar, remaining gin and the tonic water.
- STEP 4
Cool the cake for 10 minutes then use a skewer to poke holes all over. Pour the gin and tonic mixture all over the cake, then cool in the tin before removing onto a board.
- STEP 5
To make the buttercream, whip the butter with electric beaters until really soft, then add the icing sugar a spoonful at a time. Mix together the gin, tonic water and lemon juice, and stir through the buttercream. Spread over the cake and sprinkle over the lemon zest. Cut into bite-sized pieces to serve.
