By Yotam Ottolenghi
From Ottolenghi SIMPLE
This Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake is a little unorthodox for me—it’s not from my grandma’s recipe book. But it’s sooo good I had to share!
I was planning on making a Caramel Crust Pie for my friend’s birthday party, but I could not (for the life of me) track down one of the main ingredients. Due to regional flooding the shelves are still quite bare here in Perth, so I needed to look for other options. So, I started to Google for cake recipes that included ingredients I already had, but still sounded delicious.
This Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake kept coming up again and again with many positive ratings. It was posted by websites like the New York Times, Delicious and The Happy Foodie, to name a few. Everyone was commenting about how simple it was to make and how delicious it was. Exactly what I was looking for! I was excited to get baking.
I started baking in the evening, after the kids were settled in bed, and while half-rewatching The Last Kingdom episodes (in readiness for the newest season!). It was simple to make, and this time it was my husband who got to lick out the bowl lol. He loved it! His Italian heritage has breed into him high standards, so I knew we were up for a good cake.
I allowed it to cool off and iced Ottolenghi’s Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake the next morning. Instead of using water and icing sugar for this simple icing sugar, we used lemon juice and icing for a zesty sweet and tart flavour combination.
Off we went with our cake to my friend’s house for a morning of swimming, a BBQ and an enjoyable time together. My friend is from Finland, and I felt happy that I was able to bring a delicious cake over for her as she has no family here to celebrate with. We all quickly polished off our Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake. With Anu (the birthday girl), being able to eat the one remaining extra piece. Yum!
I highly recommend Ottolenghi’s simple yet delicious Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake, and hope you enjoy it too!
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Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 5.3 ounces (15O grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
- 6.7 ounces (190 grams) caster sugar
- 2 lemons: finely grate the zest to get 2 tsp, then juice to get 2 tbsp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 3 ounces (90 grams) self-rising (self-raising) flour, sifted
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 3.8 ounces (110 grams) ground almonds
- 7 (200 grams) blueberries
- 2.5 ounces (70 grams) icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180°C) fan. Grease and line a loaf tin 4in x 8in (11 x 21cm), and set aside.
- Place the butter, sugar, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and vanilla in the bowl of a free-standing food mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat on a high speed for 3–4 minutes, until light, then lower the speed to medium. Add the eggs, in small additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl. The mix may split a little, but don’t worry: it’ll come back together. Add the flour, salt and almonds in three additions. Finally, fold in 5.3 ounces (150g) of blueberries, by hand, and pour into the prepared loaf tin.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining 1.7 ounces (50g) of blueberries over the top of the cake. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes, until the cake is golden-brown but still uncooked. Cover loosely with tin foil and continue to bake for 25–30 minutes, until risen and cooked. Test by inserting a knife into the middle: it’s ready if it comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside, in its tin, to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make the icing. Put the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice into a bowl with the icing sugar and whisk until smooth. Pour over the cake and gently spread out: the blueberries on the top of the cake will bleed into the icing a little, but don’t worry: this will add to the look.
