Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C and line a 23cm x 23cm square tin with parchment
In a jug mix together the milk and. Vinegar and leave it to stand and cuddle for a few minutes while you prepare your ingredients
In a large mixing bowl add the golden caster sugar and oil and mix until combined
In a separate bowl add all the other dry ingredients together and mix
Add the milk mixture to the sugar and mix together followed by the dry ingredients. Once all combined add the yoghurt and give it a final mix so that you have a smooth cake batter
Pour the batter into your lined tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean
For the syrup
Add all of the ingredients into a small pan and put over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened. Leave to cool
Once cooled and your cake is out of the oven pierce the cake all over with a skewer and then add the syrup on top and let it seep into the sponge
For the Swiss meringue buttercream
Add your egg whites into the bowl of your stand mixer along with both sugars. Sit a bowl on a pan of simmering water and whisk together. You want to gently heat the sugar and egg white together until the sugar is completely dissolved and it feels hot to the touch. You can test this by rubbing a bit of the mixture between your fingers
Once the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot transfer the bowl onto your stand mixer and start whisking on full speed to make a meringue which has peaks when you upturn the whisk. This will take 8-10 minutes and you want the sides of the bowl to be room temperature before you start adding the butter. (Tip: if it’s at the meringue stage and still very hot you can put the bowl in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to cool down)
Now you have made a meringue switch to a beater and mix on a medium speed. Start adding your cubes of butter slowly waiting for the butter to be incorporated each time before adding more. It might look like it starts to split at one stage but done worry it will come together in the end, just be patient! You will end up with a super silky buttercream at the end. At this stage if you still have some Pimm's syrup left you can add in a few tablespoons to give it some flavour
Decorating
Transfer your Pimm's soaked cake onto a lovely serving plate/board and it’s time to decorate
Start with the strawberries (you want to start off with the bigger fruit first to decorate) and then start filling in the gaps with the orange slices, cucumber rolls and finally the sprigs of mint until you are happy with the final look. Time to serve and enjoy!
