Let’s be honest, we’ve come a long way from our basic chocolate or vanilla days. We’re spoiled with so many unique and delicious flavor combos, I thought it was time to make one dedicated to the Middle East! And that’s exactly what brought me to this Vimto Lemonade Cake.

In a country filled with year-round sunshine, a summer-themed cake was obvious. And to put a local spin on it, I landed on Vimto! Yes, the famous berry concentrate drink that usually takes over during Ramadan. But this sweet drink isn’t just for the holy month. Well, not anymore that is 😉

Combined with zesty lemon cake and delicate Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting, this Vimto Lemonade Cake hits all the right spots without turning into a tsunami of sweetness. Instead, it has a touch of Vimto flavor to bring out the refreshing lemony notes. And it’s delish! (In the mood for something salty? Don’t miss our Chips Oman grilled cheese!) 

So let’s get started!

INGREDIENTS:

Cake Layers

• 375 gms Unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
• 375 gms Caster sugar
• 6 Eggs
• Zest of 5 Lemons
• 375 gms All-purpose flour (sifted)
• 2 Tsp Baking powder
• 4 Tbsp. Lemon juice
• 1 Tsp Vanilla extract

Vimto Reduction (to flavor the frosting)

• 250ml Vimto concentrate syrup

Vimto Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

• 6 Egg Whites
• 375 gms Caster Sugar
• 675 gms Unsalted Butter (softened to room temperature – but on the cooler side)
• Vimto reduction (to taste)
• Pink or Burgundy gel food coloring

Vimto Lemonade simple syrup

• 250 ml Water
• 125 gms Sugar
• 60 ml Lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp Vimto concentrate syrup

Decorations

• Sprinkles
• Dehydrated Lemon slices
• @shop.slice Cake topper

To make the cake:

• Preheat your oven to 170°C and prep your baking tins. I used four round 6” cake pans, greased and lined with parchment paper.
• Using a paddle attachment in your stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter together on medium speed until pale and fluffy (about 5–8mins).
• Scrape the edges of your mixing bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are properly combined. This is something you need to do at every step when using a stand mixer.
• Add eggs one at a time and mix on medium speed.
• Add Lemon zest and mix.
• Add the sifted all-purpose flour + baking powder and mix on low speed until incorporated. Do not over mix.
• Finally, mix in Lemon juice and Vanilla extract on low until combined.
• Divide the batter equally among your prepared baking tins and bake for 25mins (or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake).
• Once the cakes have cooled, remove them from their tins and cover in cling wrap. Place them in the fridge to chill. This will make them easier to work with during leveling and assembly.

To make the Vimto reduction:

• Place 250ml of Vimto concentrate syrup into a saucepan and place over low to medium heat.
• The point of this is to thicken the Vimto syrup so that we can incorporate it into the frosting.
• You’ll need to slowly reduce the syrup for about 25-30mins, stirring occasionally.
• Careful! Do not try to rush this process by turning up the heat to high. You may end up burning the syrup or taking it too far, to a hard candy-like consistency.
• Once thickened (enough to coat the back of a wooden or metal spoon) take the reduction off the heat and set aside to cool at room temperature. It will get thicker as it cools.

To make the frosting:

We’ll be making Swiss Meringue Buttercream. It’s silky smooth and not too sweet – which makes it a good choice to accommodate the sweetness of the Vimto reduction.

• Add the egg whites and sugar to mixing bowl and whisk over a double boiler (bain-marie). Mix until the sugar is fully dissolved – the easiest way to check is by rubbing the mixture between your fingers to see if you can feel any sugar granules.
• Once dissolved, remove the mixing bowl from the double boiler and place in stand mixer with whisk attachment. Beat on high until glossy white, and soft peaks form.
• Make sure the bowl comes back down to room temperature. Then add the softened butter, piece by piece, while the mixer is still on.
• Don’t panic! The frosting may look like it’s starting to split, but do not worry, it will come back together. Once all the butter is incorporated, you should have a smooth and thick consistency. If not, keep mixing until you do.
• Remember to scrape the edges of the mixing bowl to make sure all the ingredients are properly incorporated.
• Next, change the whisk attachment to a paddle attachment, and add the Vimto Syrup to taste (I ended up using the whole amount made). Mix for 1-2 mins on low speed. The paddle attachment will help incorporate the syrup while removing any air bubbles caused by the whisk attachment.
• If you plan on following the decorating steps, set aside 2-3 tablespoons of the frosting in a small bowl. If not, ignore this step.
• To color the frosting and make it the perfect consistency for icing the cake, place 2-3 large scoops of the frosting in a microwave-safe bowl. Add gel food coloring and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds (or until melted). I add the food coloring during this step as I’ve found that heat helps make the color more vibrant.
• Add the melted colored frosting to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until combined.
  
• You should now have silky smooth Vimto frosting! Fill a piping bag and get ready to assemble.

Assemble the cake:

• Level your chilled cake layers by using a serrated knife to slice off the top dome.
• Drizzle the warm Vimto Lemonade syrup over the cakes to soak them. Wait for about 10-15mins, until the cakes have completely soaked up the syrup. You may not need all of the syrup, so it’s okay if you have some left over. Just don’t over-soak the cakes.
• Start by placing a dollop of frosting on your cake base. Place the first layer of cake and press down, making sure it’s centered.
• Pipe rings of frosting onto the first layer of cake to cover completely. Then place the next layer of cake on top of it. Press down, making sure that the layers are centered and your cake is straight.
• Repeat this process until you have stacked all four layers of cake.
• Time to lock the crumbs in! apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake and smooth out using either your off-set spatula or a cake scraper.
• Place in the fridge until set (no frosting should transfer onto your finger when you touch the cake).

At this point you are technically done. But if you’d like to go all the way and decorate the cake, follow the final steps below.

Decorate:

• Use a piping bag to pipe the remaining frosting around the cake, making steady rings until fully covered (top and sides).
• Use your off-set spatula to smooth out the top surface of the cake.
• Then use a cake scraper (that is taller than the cake) to smooth out the frosting around the sides of the cake.
• Holding the scraper at a 45° angle, place the bottom edge of the scraper flat against the cake base, and make sure it is perpendicular to the cake.
• Slowly turn the cake while scraping off the excess frosting to smooth it out. Do not press too hard.
• Leave the excess frosting that gets scraped off in a bowl. Be sure so wipe your scraper between each scrape.
• Fill any gaps with more frosting and smooth again. Do not scrape too much of the frosting off. Keep going until you are satisfied, but be careful not to over do it.
• Leave the rough edges of frosting around the top of the cake as is.
• Place the cake in the fridge to chill until set (no frosting should transfer onto your finger when you touch the cake).
• Using a tapered off-set spatula, slowly slice off the rough edges on the top of the cake, creating a clean, sharp edge.
• Now take a small amount of lighter frosting (what we had set aside earlier) and apply it in patches all over the cake.
• Smooth it out with a scraper to give the cake a textured look.
• Take your sprinkles and place them in patches around the cake.
• Place your remaining frosting in a piping bag with a decorating tip of your choice. I used the Wilton 1M tip.
• Pipe swirls onto the top surface of the cake and decorate with more sprinkles and dehydrated lemon slices (I painted mine with gold luster dust).
• Finish with a cake topper or some candles (or both!).

If you’ve gotten this far, congrats! You are a patient and dedicated individual with the power to make amazing things. Now sit back and enjoy a slice (or three). You earned it habibi 😉