Gin Cake

Yes, gin cake. No tonic. Just gin.

I've been wanting to try out a recipe for a gin & tonic cake for a while but due to my mixing and matching of certain recipes, the tonic has been ommitted from this particular version! I've added a note at the bottom of this post to show how you can adapt it.

Do not be put off by the amount of gin that goes into this cake. It sounds (and looks) a lot for a small cake but, with a bit of persistance, it will mix in and most of the pungent gin flavour will cook off. This may not be in keeping with my aim to do "healthy recipes" but I can't resist anything gin based, especially with the season of alfresco drinking and BBQs approaching. With the bitterness of the lemon and the floral notes of the gin, this makes for a surprisngly refreshing cake. Be warned - only a small slice is needed. But what better way to finish a gin drinking session than by eating gin too?

The quantities of butter, sugar and flour will vary depending on how heavy your eggs are! Weigh yours eggs together, in their shells, and then use that same amount of butter, sugar and flour.






You Will Need: 
-4 eggs, weighed in their shells
-butter
-caster sugar
-self-raising flour
-2 lemons
-4-5 shots of gin

For the icing:
-500g icing sugar
-250g butter
-2-3 shots of gin












First off, preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 1kg loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (this can be done by hand although a food processor is a more pain-free process!)

Crack in the eggs and beat until combined. Sieve in the flour whilst mixing then grate in the zest of both lemons. Stir through the juice of one lemon and add 4-5 shots of gin. Pour into a 1kg loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes. I'd suggest checking it at 30 minutes and covering with foil if it is browning too much. 







Once the cake is cooked, transfer it to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, you can make the butter icing by simply mixing together the butter, icing sugar and 2-3 shots of gin(depending how strong you want it!). Once cool, spread the icing over the cake and it's ready to serve.

NB: if the butter icing is something you want to avoid, you can make a drizzle instead which includes tonic. Simply combine 150g granulated sugar, 4-5 shots gin, a dash of tonic and the juice of one lemon. Prick the surface of the cake and the drizzle it over!

Nic

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Kettner's

If you're looking for something with a touch of class and romanticism, but still affordable, then look no further than Kettner's. I'm due to make my fourth visit here next week and I have no doubt that it'll be as amazing as the previous three; both in style, delicious food and just for it's overall atmosphere.

Kettner's prides itself on its history. Originally opened in 1867, it has survived two world wars and has had such historical figures as Oscar Wilde, Agatha Christie and Bing Crosby walk through the doors, as well a fair few royal faces! What I love so much about Kettner's is you can make it what you want. You could dress up to your hearts content for a super swanky evening, or simply put on your comfy hangover clothes and no one would bat an eyelid. It's impossible to get bored here too as they cover all areas. They have a range of afternoon teas on offer (including a free-flowing prosecco one...eeeer HELLO!), brunches, pre/post-theatre and, best of all, a Gin, Fizz & Jazz night every Tuesday featuring live blues singers and £6 gin cocktails. If I can't have free gin then £6 gin cocktails is surely the next best thing?! 

Anyway, this particular visit was on a Wednesday so I'll focus more on the food than the gin (booo). But even so, it's not disappointing! When you're having a midweek dinner accompanied by a man on a grand piano, there's not too much to complain about really is there...

So onto the food. With a regularly changing menu, it's always easy to try something different. Knowing that this was going to be a 3-course affair, I went for the lighter option of fresh buffalo mozzarella with red peppers and an black olive tapenade. The tapenade is what sold this to me, and it didn't disappoint. Mozzarella can quite often be bland in flavour but the saltiness from the olive emphasised everything else.










Also on offer was chicken liver parfait with homemade piccalilli and crispy sourdough. The presentation of this made the, lets face it, "pate and toast" really stand out. 
               













Next up, the mains. As you probably have guessed by now, I'm an absolute lover of all things from the sea. So I was more than happy with this pan-fried pollock with Jerusalem artichoke puree and sauteed wild mushroom. Although it was a nice dish overall, the pollock was slightly overcooked due to how big the fillet was. I'd preferred to have had a smaller amount that didn't need to be cooked for as long.









My regular partner in crime also went for a fish based dish: pan-fried fillet of stone bass with squid ink tagliolini, prawns and mussels. I have to admit, I had major food envy over this. I definitely lost out!







Finally, dessert. As per, it was a pointless case of overindulgence here but these things have to be done! I was having a bit of a rough week at this point (get the violins out) and there was only one think that could make it better....sticky toffee pudding. Simple! The addition of peanut ice cream gave a slight twist to a British classic. Absolute blood perfection.

So overall, another successful visit to Kettner's! This is such an easy place to enjoy, no matter what the occasion. I'll be back... (booking already in for next Tuesday. Keen).

Nic

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