There are cakes and there are gateaux and then there is this gin-credible pink Cherry Gateau spiked with gin and Maraschino liqueur - we are salivating!

Let’s start from the inside and work our way out:

The structure of this sweet, show-stopping dessert is formed of four layers of fluffy, vanilla sponge inspired by our beautiful Strawberry, Gin & Elderflower Cake; between those layers can be found silky, pink cherry-infused frosting and fresh cherry jewels that have been macerated in gin and Maraschino liqueur - they give a delightfully boozy burst of rich juniper and sweet, juicy cherry with each mouthful.

The fluffy, soft, velvet icing that is draped around this cherry and sponge tower is made with lashings of full-fat cream cheese, mascarpone, butter, icing sugar and a good helping of cherries blending into a delicious coulis, which gives the icing its sumptuous pink glow. You can find the normal, non-cherry version of this frosting recipe here.

Crowned with fresh cherries, this cake is sure to impress any baker or gin fan. We can’t wait for you to give it a go!

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Cherry Gateau
With gin and maraschino liqueur

What is the difference between a gateau and cake? “Gateau” (“gateaux” plural) is simply the French word for cake. However, while every gateau is a cake, not every cake is a gateau.

This is because gateau, when used in English, has come to connote a certain elegance and delicacy, a cake made to be consumed as soon after baking as possible for it to be enjoyed at its best. This is certainly the case with our Cherry Gateau, leave it too long and the juice from the fresh cherries may make the sponge too soggy - nobody likes a soggy sponge! And this is certainly true of the most famous gateau, the Black Forrest Gateau (find our ginny take on a Black Forrest Gateau here!).

A cake, on the other hand, is a hardier product that can be baked and enjoyed over time. It can even improve over time, as with a good Christmas cake - our sloe gin-spiked Christmas cake is divine, you can find the recipe at this link!

So there you have it, “gateau” or “cake”, whatever you want to call this mouth-watering bake we can guarantee that it will get them fighting over every last crumb!

For the sponge:
280g caster sugar
280g butter at room temperature, plus a little extra to grease the tins
5 free-range eggs
250g self-raising flour
30g cornflour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tbsp milk

For the filling:
500g cherries, pitted and halved
250g granulated sugar
50ml gin
50ml Maraschino liqueur

For the frosting:
150g soften butter
150g mascarpone
150g full-fat cream cheese
150g icing sugar
75g fresh cherries, pitted and blended into a smooth coulis

1. Preheat your oven to 180c.

2. In a large bowl, mix the halved cherries with the gin, Maraschino liqueur and sugar. Leave to macerate, stirring regularly.

3. Cream the sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each one before adding the next. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract then sift in the baking powder, flour and cornflower. Fold in the flour carefully, only until no more dry flour is visible - we don’t want to overwork the batter.

4. Pour the batter equally between two 8” cake tins that are lined with greaseproof paper. Bake them in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden - they are done when you can pierce them with a skewer and have it come out clean. Once baked, leave the cakes to cool on cake racks.

5. In a large bowl, make the frosting by whisking together the butter, mascarpone, cream cheese, icing sugar and cherry coulis until fluffy and pink.

6. Assemble the cake by slicing the two fully cooled sponges in half, creating four sponge discs. Slice the domes off of the two top halves so that you have four flat discs. Spread a thin layer of frosting on one layer and then add a third of the halved cherries on top, spread evenly. Repeat this on a second and third disc of sponge then pile them on top of each other with the remaining disc placed on top. You should now have a four-tiered sponge cake.

7. Spread the remaining frosting evening over the whole cake so that no sponge is visible. Garnish with any fresh cherries that you have left and enjoy!

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