Classic cocktail meets cake. Flavoured with white rum, mint and lots of lime, this mojito cake is light, refreshing and packs a real punch!
I had so much fun developing this recipe, spending an afternoon drinking rum and eating cake. Dreamy. I loved experimenting with the flavours to find the perfect balance between sweet and citrus, and making sure the rum comes through but doesn’t blow your head off!
So what makes this a mojito cake?
Well, first the three layers of sponge are flavoured with lime zest and vanilla. Then whilst the cakes are still warm, a sugar syrup infused with lime juice, fresh mint and white rum is then drizzled over, soaking into the sponge. A simple buttercream with fresh lime juice and white rum is used to sandwich the cakes together, and the final touches are a sprinkle of lime zest and a lime wedge placed on top.
Ingredients (makes a 3 layer, 8 inch mojito cake / 8 slices)
For the cakes:
300g Stork tub
300g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
300g self-raising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons whole milk
3 limes, zest only
For the syrup:
3 limes, juice only
100g caster sugar
Small bunch mint
100ml white rum
For the buttercream:
300g unsalted butter, at room temperature
600g icing sugar
3 tablespoons white rum
1 ½ lime, juice only
For the decoration:
1 lime, zest only
Mint leaves
Lime wedges
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line the base of three 8inch round baking tins with greaseproof paper and lightly grease the sides with a little butter.
Start by making the cake. In a large bowl beat together the butter, caster sugar and vanilla extract until light and creamy.
Mix in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the 300g flour with each egg to stop the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining flour, baking powder, lime zest and milk and fold together until smooth and combined. Be careful not to over-mix. The mixture should drop off the spoon but still hold its shape.
Divide the mixture equally between the cake tins. Lightly tap the baking tins on the side to release any air bubbles. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cakes are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Whilst the cakes are baking, make the mojito syrup. Add the lime juice, sugar and mint to a saucepan and heat on medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved, the liquid is bubbling up and is syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir through the rum. Leave to infuse for 10 mins, then strain into a bowl.
Take the cakes out of the oven and leave them to cool for 5 minutes. Prick them all over with a toothpick or skewer and spoon over about 3 tablespoons of syrup per cake. Leave to cool completely.
Now make the buttercream. Beat the butter until really soft and pale in colour. Sift in half the icing sugar and beat together until smooth. Sift in the remaining icing sugar, add the rum and lime juice and beat again until smooth. If the buttercream is too soft add a 1-2 tablespoons of icing sugar.
Time to decorate. Put one of the cakes on a pretty plate or cake stand. Spread an even layer of buttercream on top. Top with the second cake and repeat. Put the final cake on top and cover the top with buttercream. Decorate with the lime zest, lime wedges and mint leaves.