Bee's knees honey cakes
Makes: 10
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Bee's knees honey cakes
Inspired by the Prohibition-era cocktail, these loaf cakes are flavoured with lemon, honey and gin
Makes: 10
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
491Kcal
Fat
18gr
Saturates
11gr
Carbs
66gr
Sugars
43gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
5gr
Salt
0.7gr
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Ingredients
For the cakes
- 1 tsp juniper berries, crushed
- 4 tbsp gin
- 200g soft salted butter, plus extra to grease
- 175g light brown sugar
- 225g clear honey
- 3 medium eggs
- zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 300g self-raising flour, sifted
For the gin syrup
- 100g caster sugar
- 100ml gin
- 2 tsp juniper berries, crushed
- 1 large lemon, zest pared
- lemon thyme, to decorate
Step by step
Get ahead
The cakes keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease and line 10 mini loaf tins (you can use a 12-cup muffin tin instead if you don’t have mini loaf tins).
- For the cakes, add the juniper berries to the gin and set aside to infuse. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy; at least 2-3 minutes. Add the honey and continue to beat until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition, then add the zest and juice of the lemons, along with the juniper berries and gin, and beat until combined.
- Carefully fold through the flour until it’s fully incorporated, then divide the batter between the tins. Place on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and risen and a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
- While the cakes are cooking, make the syrup. Put the sugar, half the gin and the crushed juniper berries in a pan and place over a gentle heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 5-6 minutes, or until very syrupy. Add the remaining gin and strain into a jug to remove the juniper berries. Return to the pan and add the pared lemon zest. Bubble for a minute or so and then remove from the heat.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and prick all over with a skewer. Drizzle the syrup over the surface of the cakes until they are soaked in syrup, making sure each is topped with some of the lemon zest. Set aside to cool in their tins for 10 minutes, then remove and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Decorate with sprigs of lemon thyme to serve. The cakes keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
