Recipe for Autumn Sloe Gin and Tonic Cake topped with Blackberries

As we drift gently into the crisp autumnal months, there’s nothing quite like tea and cake to bring warmth and comfort as the days shorten and the weather cools. Sloe gin and tonic cake topped with blackberries is perfect for the job with rich seasonal flavours. The gin and tonic are blended and cooked to create a boozy syrup that soaks into the sponge, making it moist and delicious but not too sweet. The blackberries add a juicy refreshing tang ensuring it’s a truly autumnal treat. Find my recipe below and enjoy.

Ingredients

 For the syrup:

- 100ml good quality sloe gin

- 100ml tonic water

- Juice of half a lemon

- 1 lemon finely sliced

- 120g granulated sugar

For the sponge:

- 200g caster sugar

- 200g self-raising flour

- 20g cornflour

- 3tsp baking powder

- 200g unsalted butter

- 4 large, good quality eggs

- 1tsp vanilla extract

- 3tbsp milk

- Zest of half a lemon

- Icing sugar to dust and seasonal fruitto decorate cake

Method

 1. Heat the oven to 190c, 170c for a fanoven.

2. Next make your syrup. In a smallsaucepan mix the tonic water, lemon juice and sugar. Gently bring the mixtureto a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes until themixture has become nice and syrupy. Add the lemon slices and simmer for afurther two minutes.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and stirin the sloe gin, then place to one side to cool. Once cooled, strain themixture into a small bowl

4. In a large bowl, beat together thebutter, sugar and four eggs, 200g self-raising flour, 3tsp baking powder, 3tbspof milk and, lastly, the lemon zest.

5. Spoon your mixture into a greased tin,smoothing it down with a spatula then place in your pre-heated oven.

6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until asharp knife comes away clean from the middle of the cake.

7. When you’ve removed your cake from theoven, tip a little of your syrup evenly all over your sponge. Wait for it tosoak through then continue until your syrup is finished.

8. Let the cake cool and remove from yourtin. Dust with icing sugar then decorate with blackberries.

Recipe by Mide Carter.

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