Blueberry-Lemon-Almond Anytime Cake
We love the play of lemon and blueberries in the Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake in Ottolenghi Simple — a fabulous recipe. Because we’re always looking for ways to use less sugar and more whole grains, we tweaked that one a bit for this moist and fruity loaf-pan cake, losing a quarter of the sugar and swapping whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour called for in the original, and keeping the almond meal, which is so nice with the blueberries and lemon
We also upped the fruit in the recipe — adding more blueberries, lemon zest and lemon juice to the batter. We changed the icing to a more-lemony glaze, for more citrus zing and a lighter finish. Some of the glaze will fall off, but that’s OK — use a butter knife to put some of it back; it’ll soak in. And finally, we adapted the instructions to allow for a hand-held mixer (the original required a stand mixer with paddle attachment).
We love the resulting cake, which is delightfully bright and satisfyingly rich. It’s incredibly craveable — morning, noon and night. It works as a (not-over-the-top-sweet) dessert, and it’s just as wonderful for breakfast or afternoon coffee break. Store it in an airtight container at room temp, and it’ll keep well for three days — if it lasts that long!
[Read our story about Blueberry-Lemon-Almond Anytime Cake]
Serves eight.
Blueberry-Lemon-Almond Anytime Cake. The recipe was inspired by one in ‘Ottolenghi Simple,’ by Yotam Ottolenghi with Tara Wigley and Esme Howarth.
Ingredients
2/3 cup / 90 g. whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons / 110 g. almond meal or almond flour
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) / 150 g. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup / 142 g. granulated sugar
1 generous tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
9 ounces / 255 g. blueberries
1/2 cup / 62 g. powdered sugar
Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 8 1/2 X 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, and line the base with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and almond meal. Set aside.
3. Place the butter, granulated sugar, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and the vanilla in a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. If you’re using a hand-mixer, use regular beaters; if you’re using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for three or four minutes, until the mixture is light. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium speed after each addition; use a rubber scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl each time. Add one-third of the flour mixture, beat on low speed till incorporated; repeat twice, until all the flour mixture is fully incorporated.
4. Use a rubber spatula to fold in three-quarters of the blueberries, and scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top so the batter is even. Bake for 15 minutes, then scatter the remaining blueberries evenly over the top. Return the cake to the oven and bake another 15 minutes, until it is golden-brown, but still uncooked. Cover it loosely with foil, and continue to bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until it has risen and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a thin, sharp knife around the periphery of the cake, invert it onto a board or flat plate to remove it from the pan, then set it right-side up on a wire rack to cool completely.
5. While the cake is cooling, make the glaze: Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a small bowl with the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. When the cake has cooled, set it on a plate or board and pour the glaze as evenly as possible over the cake. After a few minutes, use a butter knife to scrape up any glaze that has fallen off and spread it on top. Don’t worry if you don’t get it all; it’ll be sweet and tart enough.
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Blueberry-Lemon-Almond Anytime Cake
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup / 90 g. whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons / 110 g. almond meal or almond flour
- 10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) / 150 g. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup / 142 g. granulated sugar
- 1 generous tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 9 ounces / 255 g. blueberries
- 1/2 cup / 62 g. powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 8 1/2 X 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, and line the base with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and almond meal. Set aside.
- Place the butter, granulated sugar, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and the vanilla in a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. If you’re using a hand-mixer, use regular beaters; if you’re using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for three or four minutes, until the mixture is light. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium speed after each addition; use a rubber scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl each time. Add one-third of the flour mixture, beat on low speed till incorporated; repeat twice, until all the flour mixture is fully incorporated.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold in three-quarters of the blueberries, and scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top so the batter is even. Bake for 15 minutes, then scatter the remaining blueberries evenly over the top. Return the cake to the oven and bake another 15 minutes, until it is golden-brown, but still uncooked. Cover it loosely with foil, and continue to bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until it has risen and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a thin, sharp knife around the periphery of the cake, invert it onto a board or flat plate to remove it from the pan, then set it right-side up on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, make the glaze: Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a small bowl with the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. When the cake has cooled, set it on a plate or board and pour the glaze as evenly as possible over the cake. After a few minutes, use a butter knife to scrape up any glaze that has fallen off and spread it on top. Don’t worry if you don’t get it all; it’ll be sweet and tart enough.