Gin And Tonic Icing Drizzled Over Cake, Anyone?

• 275g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 3 tbsp milk
• 15 juniper berries, crushed
• 275g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• zest of 2 limes, plus zest of ½ lime to decorate
• 275g self-raising flour

• 150ml gin
• 150ml tonic water
• 100g caster sugar
• 15 juniper berries, crushed

• 150g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp gin

Step-by-step directions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease a 20cm-diameter nonstick bundt tin (approximately 2-litre capacity) with butter.
• For the cake, heat the milk with the juniper berries in a small saucepan over a low heat until warm. Set aside. Beat the sugar and butter with an electric hand whisk until very light and fluffy, scraping down the sides from time to time. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lime zest and beat again.
• Add the flour and continue to mix on a low speed until just combined. Strain the milk into the mixture, discarding the juniper berries, and beat once more until the milk is incorporated.
• Spoon the mixture into the tin and gently smooth the surface with the back of the spoon. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden and risen and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
• While the cake is baking, place all the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan and set over a low heat. Stir gently to dissolve the sugar, then increase the heat to high and simmer for 7-10 minutes, until reduced by about half. Strain the syrup through a sieve into a jug, discarding the crushed juniper berries.
• As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke lots of holes into it with a skewer. Pour the warm syrup over the cake and let it soak in for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
• To finish the cake, make the glaze by combining the icing sugar and gin. Put the cake on a serving plate or cake stand and pour the glaze over, sprinkle over the lime zest and leave to set, then serve.