Summer is all about refreshing swims in Lake Hayes, hiking up local Arrowtown hills and evenings spent barbequing and enjoying the long Central Otago evenings.

We are lucky to live in this beautiful area with bountiful seasonal stone fruits, award- winning wines and an increasing number of delicious locally made boutique gins.

This is the inspiration behind my Gin & Tonic cake, the perfect pick me up treat to enjoy over summer either for afternoon tea or as a delicious dessert.

My recipe is packed with lemon zest, vanilla and ground almonds which make it wonderfully lemony with a moist crumb. The syrup features gin and tonic with juniper berries to provide a real G&T cocktail flavour.

The Gin& Tonic cake features in our Provisions Café baking line up from time to time along with our very popular sticky buns and seasonal fruit frangipane tarts.

The summer menu offers a range of fresh, seasonal dishes – many using unprocessed ingredients where possible – and our cottage garden is an ideal spot to sit  under the fruit trees and enjoy Allpress Coffee, brunch, lunch or sample local wines and craft beers.

I encourage you to come and enjoy our beautiful café, expertly managed by our wonderful café manager Barb Griffen, supported by talented chef Rebecca O’Malley, both who have been the backbone of the team since we opened in 2010. 

 We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and happy, safe, holidays from the Provisions team.

Provisions Gin & Tonic Cake

Heat oven to 170 c and grease and line two 20cm baking tins

Cake Ingredients

250g butter softened

200g caster sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups flour

2 & ½ tsp baking powder

½ cup ground almonds

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp vanilla essence

100g plain yoghurt

50ml gin

Syrup Ingredients

150ml tonic water

150g white sugar

1 tsp crushed juniper berries

Juice of 1 lemon

25ml gin

Lemon Buttercream Icing

200g soft butter

400g icing sugar

2 tlbsp milk

Zest of 2 lemons

Cake Method

Whip butter and sugar together and beat through zest of 2 lemons then  add eggs one at a time and beat in well.

Mix together juice of 1 lemon with the gin, vanilla essence and yoghurt and beat into butter mixture.  Sift together flour, salt and baking powder and mix into the mixture along with the ground almonds.

Split the mixture between the cake tins and bake 30 mins until skewer comes out clean.

Remove cakes from oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes then prick the cakes all over with a skewer and liberally spoon over the syrup.

Make the syrup while the cakes are cooking by adding all ingredients into a small pan and boiling for 5-8 mins until syrupy. Remove from stove, let cool then add gin.

Make the buttercream icing by beating the butter and slowly adding the icing sugar and then add in zest and milk.

To assemble the cake place one cake on a board and cover with 1/3 of the buttercream then sit the second cake on top.  Ice the top of the cake with a small amount of icing and then chill in fridge for ½ hour, to make it easier to spread, before finishing off by icing the remainder of the top and sides.  

To decorate use thinly sliced lemons, cucumber and mint. Another option is to add freeze dried feijoa slices and cut up paper straws for effect.

Enjoy with a cool long G&T.