Hands up who wants a slice of this incredible Pimms Cake! This is a gorgeous citrus cake with a Pimm's syrup drizzle, topped with a cream cheese buttercream and studded with all the iconic Pimm's fruit. This impressive cake is easy to make and a perfect summer cake for summer events and summer parties. It is also a brilliant showstopper cake to serve during Wimbledon fortnight as a tennis party cake.
4.75 from 8 votes
Prep Time 30 minutesmins
Cook Time 45 minutesmins
Decorating 45 minutesmins
Total Time 2 hourshrs
Course Bakes, Cakes, Dessert, Party Food, Sweet Treats
Cuisine American, British, English, International
Servings 16slices
Calories 765kcal
Equipment
2x 8 inch round cake tin
Ingredients
For the cake
500gunsalted butter(or a baking butter like Stork)
450gcaster sugar / superfine sugar
6largeeggs
1teaspoonvanilla extract
500gplain flour / all purpose flour
smallpinchsalt
0.5teaspoonbaking powder
300mlsemi-skimmed milk
Pimm’s drizzle
150mlPimm’s
3tablespoonssugar
100mlwater
Cake decorative garnish
400gStrawberries
0.5cucumber
1orange
30gfresh mint(a handful)
Cream cheese frosting
250gunsalted butter
300gicing sugar / confectioners sugar
340gcream cheese(full fat Philadelphia)
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
Sponge
Preheat the oven to 180ºC / 160ºC fan / 356ºF / gas mark 4.
Grease and line two 8-inch cake tins with parchment paper.
Cream together the butter and the sugar until smooth.
Mix in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
Sieve in the flour, pinch of salt and half a teaspoon of baking powder.
Gently stir in the milk.
Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake for around 45-minutes until golden brown. Use a cake tester to make sure the middle is baked through.
Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins.
Trim to level the tops and slice the two pieces to make 4 equal layers.
Buttercream filling
In a mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar together to make a smooth buttercream.
Drain off any excess water in the cream cheese and add it to the buttercream mix along with the vanilla extract.
Beat again until smooth and pop it in the fridge to set slightly (this is essential if it’s a particularly warm day).
Pimm’s drizzle
Add the Pimm’s , sugar and water to a saucepan set on a medium heat. Allow the mixture it to bubble and thicken slightly (it should only take a few minutes). Keep stirring, and remember to give it your full attention as it could bubble over if the saucepan gets too hot.
Once thickened, remove from the heat and set aside.
Putting it all together
To assemble, take a cake stand or plate and position the first cake layer. Using a pastry brush quickly brush over the Pimm’s drizzle. Be careful to not add too much, this should only be light drizzle.
Either pipe with a large circular nozzle, the buttercream onto the cake, or use a knife to covering the sponge with a thick layer it on thickly with a knife. You will need a quarter of the buttercream for each layer. Repeat with the remaining layers finishing with a buttercream cream cheese layer on top.
Pop it somewhere cool or in the fridge until ready to serve (don't leave it in the fridge for more than a few hours. If it's a hot day the fridge will help keep the icing from melting too much before it's served).
Remove from the fridge for an hour to bring the cake to room temperature.
Complete the cake, simply add the iconic Pimm’s toppings – strawberries, orange slices, cucumber and some fresh mint leaves.
Video
Notes
• Store somewhere cool but not in the fridge if possible once cut.• You can make the cake ahead of time (1 or 2 days before you need it. Once cool wrap in clingfilm and leave somewhere cool) but leave making the cream cheese buttercream until the day you need it.• If you have a larger tin you can do this in 2 x 10inch cake tins. It would make the cake bigger and the layers thinner but it would feed more for a summer birthday or summer event.