STRAWBERRY, GIN AND LEMON VERBENA CAKE
STRAWBERRY, GIN AND LEMON VERBENA CAKE
Recipe
I’ve been growing lemon verbena at home, and it has become one of my favourite herbs ever.
FOR THE CAKE:
12 fresh lemon verbena leaves
150g butter, softened
150g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 organic eggs
150g spelt, or all-purpose white flour
50g ground almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup unsweetened full-fat Greek yoghurt
¼ cup gin
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
200g fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled and quartered (if using frozen, thaw and drain them)
FOR THE LEMON VERBENA AND GIN ICING:
150g butter, softened
160g icing sugar
3 tablespoons gin
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g cream cheese
TO DECORATE:
Handful of fresh or freeze-dried strawberries
Handful of fresh or dried lemon verbena leaves
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Line two 22cm tins with baking paper.
- Very finely slice the lemon verbena leaves into ribbons.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon verbena ribbons together until pale, light and fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In two parts, add the flour, ground almonds and baking powder. Mix until just incorporated.
- Next add the yoghurt, gin, lemon zest and juice and mix until just incorporated. Be careful not to over mix.
- Evenly divide the batter between the two tins and spread out to the sides. Dot in the strawberry quarters.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden in colour, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, make the icing. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, icing sugar, gin, zest and vanilla together until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the cream cheese until smooth.
- Once the cakes are fully cooled, ice one layer and then place the other directly on top. Neatly ice the top of the cake and decorate as desired.
- Serve at room temperature.