Is that time of year again where everyone turns their attention to South West London for two weeks to watch the pinnacle of world tennis. The Wimbledon Grand Slam will not only be showcasing some of the biggest homegrown and international names in the sport, but also serving up for the thousands of spectators descending on SW19.

Whether you have a ticket to Centre Court already or you plan to queue up at an ungodly hour in the morning to snag a spot on Henman Hill, everybody will be gorging on sandwiches and strawberries and cream. One of the most iconic summer drinks synonymous with the tennis competition is the Pimm’s Cup.

Pimm’s mixed with lemonade, oranges, strawberries, cucumber and mint. I think we can officially declare it the start of summer when someone cracks out a jug of Pimm’s.

But if you can’t get enough Pimm’s, I discovered Good Food had married Pimm’s with a cake in its most recent issue to make the epitome of summer in baked good form: a Pimm’s drizzle cake.

If you’re tired of the same old lemon drizzle cake and looking for a dash of excitement added to your Wimbledon picnics, this might be for you. I tested out Good Food’s recipe for myself to see how it fared.

The key is to make sure you get as much of the Pimm’s in the cake as possible without overwhelming it with booze. You can’t just add the alcohol to the batter, as adding alcohol directly into cake batter can lead to a few potential issues.

Alcohol could weaken the cake's structure, potentially making it denser or more crumbly. It could also affect the way the cake sets.

This recipe called for a macerating liquor of Pimm’s, orange juice, and golden caster sugar for the strawberries to infuse the fruit with a boozy punch. To get the flavour of the cocktail into the sponge, you’ll need the remaining half of Pimm’s, orange juice, and sprinkling of sugar to make a syrup.

It’s really important not to let your eye off the ball waiting for it to get sticky, like I did. It depends on the strength of your hob, but it’s best to keep it at a lower temperature for a longer time to avoid boiling or burning the syrup.

The sponge recipe itself is incredibly easy with a creaming method. Don’t worry if the batter looks a little curdled at first, just be liberal with the spoonful of flour.

Patience is needed when baking the cake. The recipe dictates between 45 minutes and an hour, but mine took an extra five minutes. So this is really oven-dependent

The syrup packs a punch, but I fear there’s not enough to drench the cake sufficiently with enough flavour. The same goes for the drizzle, trying to find the balance between booze and sweetness is a tricky task. Sweetness prevails in this recipe.

The best dose of Pimm’s goodness comes from the macerated strawberries which slowly seeps its juice into the sponge. Freshness from the strawberries is important as it cuts through the sweetness of sugary icing, white the Pimm’s bring a slight warmth.

Honestly, wave lemon drizzle goodbye. Good Food’s quirky creation adds a bit of fun to the summer, and who doesn’t love a refreshing glass of Pimm’s? This needs to be on your Wimbledon menu.

Pimm’s Drizzle Cake

Ingredients

• 225g butter, softened, plus extra for the tin
• 225g strawberries, quartered
• 100ml Pimm’s
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 275g golden caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 225g self-raising flour
• 125g icing sugar
• Handful of mint leaves

Method

Butter a two litre loaf tine and line with baking paper. Heat the oven to 180℃/160℃ (fan)/gas 4.

Put the strawberries in a bowl and stir in half the Pimm’s, half the orange juice and 25g of the caster sugar. Set aside to macerate.

Beat the butter, 225g of the remaining sugar and the orange zest together using an electric whisk until the mixture is thick, creamy and lighter in colour. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour between each to prevent curdling.

Fold in the remaining flour, tip into the lined tin and bake for 45 minutes - one hour, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Meanwhile, pour the remaining orange juice, Pimm’s and caster sugar into a small pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for five to ten minutes until you have a light syrup. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes. While the cake cools, strain the strawberries through a sieve set over a bowl.

Prick the top of the cake all over using a skewer, then pour over the Pimm’s syrup. Once the cake has cooled completely, combine the icing sugar with enough of the reserved macerating liquid to create a runny icing (you’ll need about one tablespoon of the liquid).

Drizzle the icing over the cake, the top with the strained strawberries and mint leaves.