Dessert Recipes

Cucumber, Gin & Lemon Cakelettes

March 4, 2022

Yield
Serves 6
Prep Time
20mins
Cook Time
55mins
Difficulty Level
3 / 5

Are cupcakes now too sweet for your taste? Here’s a similar dessert that you can’t outgrow – a sophisticated ‘cakelette’ that boasts the all-familiar vanilla sponge, but with an elevated lemon curd cream frosting and a sprinkling of gin syrup. An indulgent, but not too over-the-top treat with cool and refreshing slices of baby cucumber.

Ingredients

GIN SYRUP

LEMON CURD CREAM

Steps

01.

Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease a 6-hole Texas (¾ cup/180 ml) muffin pan; line each hole with a 16 cm square of baking paper.

02.

Cut Lebanese cucumbers in half lengthways; scrape out seeds and discard. Coarsely chop cucumbers. Blend or process cucumber with juice until smooth.

03.

Beat butter, sugar, rind and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gently fold in sifted flour and baking powder, then cucumber mixture until just combined. Spoon into pan holes.

04.

Bake cakes for 25 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

05.

Meanwhile, make gin syrup. Stir ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil; boil, without stirring, for 1 min.

06.

Make lemon curd cream. Whisk cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Swirl through lemon curd.

07.

Use a skewer to poke holes in the top of each cake; pour hot gin syrup over hot cakes. Leave to cool in pans.

08.

Thinly slice baby cucumbers lengthways using a mandoline or V-slicer. Place slices in a bowl of iced water for 10 mins. Drain well.

09.

Serve cakes topped with lemon curd cream and cucumber curls.

TIP These light lemony cakes have a delicate cucumber flavour, similar to a botanical gin; which makes these perfect for an afternoon tea party. These cakes are best made on the day of serving.

Photo: bauersyndication.com.au