Blueberry and Lemon Cake

“I was expecting another dry blueberry cake…” Well, you can’t say that about this one!

The original recipe calls for almond flour, but I don’t think it loses anything by using all white flour.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (1 stick) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 scant cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
  • ⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Grease a 9- or 8-inch/21-centimeter loaf pan with butter, line it with a parchment paper sling and butter the paper.
  3. Place butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until light, then lower speed to medium.
  4. Add eggs in three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times as necessary.
    In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt. With the stand mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing just until no white specks remain.
  5. Fold in about 3/4 of the blueberries by hand, then scoop batter into the prepared loaf pan.
    Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining blueberries over the top of the cake. Return to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes, until cake is golden brown but still uncooked.
  6. Cover loosely with foil and continue to cook for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until risen and cooked, and a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  7. Remove from oven and cool pan for 10 minutes; remove cake from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. When cake is cool, make the icing: Add lemon juice and icing sugar to a bowl and whisk together until smooth, adding a bit more juice if necessary, just until the icing moves when you tilt the bowl.
  9. Pour over the cake and gently spread out.
  10. Let icing set (about 30 minutes), slice and serve – if you can wait that long!