Traveling, especially during the summer when the days are long and the nights are soft, is amazing. Tasting new foods, seeing new places, experiencing different cultures and countries, discovering things about myself along the way, is everything that I love about traveling.
There’s nothing like coming home to my familiar surroundings, making a cup of good, strong coffee, cosing up in the kitchen and cooking or baking something inspired by those travels.
This time, it was cake. A blueberry cake.
Blueberries are all over Northern Europe at the moment. They are at their prime, especially wild blueberries that I love. I couldn’t find any wild ones at the market, but these were exceptional nonetheless. Sweet and plump, juicy and shiny; they were perfect.
They made my cake not only flavorful but beautiful as well, with that purple, deep-blue hue of theirs. And it was a warm, fluffy and soft cake, intensely aromatic and elegant, with the juiciness and freshness of the blueberries, the slight acidity from the lemon and the warming cinnamon.
Blueberry cake
Choose plump and juicy blueberries and make sure to remove any stems that are attached to them before adding to the cake.
If you can’t find fresh blueberries, use frozen. Defrost and drain them, and add to the cake as you would the fresh ones.
Yield: 1 cake / 10 pieces
Ingredients
130 g all-purpose flour, plus 1 tsp for tossing the berries
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp sea salt
115 g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the pan
160 g caster sugar
2 large eggs
Freshly grated zest of 1 small lemon
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
300 g fresh blueberries
1 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Special equipment: 22 cm round springform pan, baking paper, fine sieve
Preparation
Butter the bottom and sides of the springform pan. Line the bottom with baking paper. See here how to make a round piece of baking paper.
Preheat your oven to 175°C.
Sieve together in a bowl the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl), add the softened butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed, using the paddle attachment (or a hand-held mixer), until light and fluffy, for about 4 minutes.
Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Then add the lemon zest and the vanilla, and beat well to mix through.
Add the sieved flour mixture and beat on low speed until it is just incorporated and you have a smooth batter.
Empty the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
Rinse and drain the blueberries, add them in a medium-sized bowl together with the 1 tsp of flour and the lemon juice, and toss to coat them. Add the blueberry mixture on top of the cake batter, making sure to distribute the berries evenly.
Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
When ready, remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then remove it from the pan (run a knife around the outside to ensure the cake hasn’t stuck to the pan) and allow it to cool completely on the rack.
Transfer to a cake platter, berries side up, and serve cut into pieces.
You can keep it at room temperature, covered, for 2-3 days.
There’s nothing like coming home to my familiar surroundings, making a cup of good, strong coffee, cosing up in the kitchen and cooking or baking something inspired by those travels.
This time, it was cake. A blueberry cake.
Blueberries are all over Northern Europe at the moment. They are at their prime, especially wild blueberries that I love. I couldn’t find any wild ones at the market, but these were exceptional nonetheless. Sweet and plump, juicy and shiny; they were perfect.
They made my cake not only flavorful but beautiful as well, with that purple, deep-blue hue of theirs. And it was a warm, fluffy and soft cake, intensely aromatic and elegant, with the juiciness and freshness of the blueberries, the slight acidity from the lemon and the warming cinnamon.
Blueberry cake
Choose plump and juicy blueberries and make sure to remove any stems that are attached to them before adding to the cake.
If you can’t find fresh blueberries, use frozen. Defrost and drain them, and add to the cake as you would the fresh ones.
Yield: 1 cake / 10 pieces
Ingredients
130 g all-purpose flour, plus 1 tsp for tossing the berries
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp sea salt
115 g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the pan
160 g caster sugar
2 large eggs
Freshly grated zest of 1 small lemon
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
300 g fresh blueberries
1 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Special equipment: 22 cm round springform pan, baking paper, fine sieve
Preparation
Butter the bottom and sides of the springform pan. Line the bottom with baking paper. See here how to make a round piece of baking paper.
Preheat your oven to 175°C.
Sieve together in a bowl the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl), add the softened butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed, using the paddle attachment (or a hand-held mixer), until light and fluffy, for about 4 minutes.
Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Then add the lemon zest and the vanilla, and beat well to mix through.
Add the sieved flour mixture and beat on low speed until it is just incorporated and you have a smooth batter.
Empty the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
Rinse and drain the blueberries, add them in a medium-sized bowl together with the 1 tsp of flour and the lemon juice, and toss to coat them. Add the blueberry mixture on top of the cake batter, making sure to distribute the berries evenly.
Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
When ready, remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then remove it from the pan (run a knife around the outside to ensure the cake hasn’t stuck to the pan) and allow it to cool completely on the rack.
Transfer to a cake platter, berries side up, and serve cut into pieces.
You can keep it at room temperature, covered, for 2-3 days.
I'm so with you in that a hot cup of coffee and time in the kitchen is the best. And the result of your time in the kitchen is perfect! This looks delicious :)
ReplyDeleteSues
Thank you so much Sues!
DeleteBlueberries remind me of when we lived in Maine - such a wonderful flavor, and so healthy for you! (Even in cake!) Beautiful recipe, Magda - I look forward to making it soon. ~ David
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it David. And thanks for your wishes on my last post :)
DeleteAs a child in South Wales, I used to gather wild ones, we called them Wimberries. They were so tart and delicious. My Mum would make a Wimberry Tart and I was in my element. All we children came home with blue/black mouths and hands. Such memories!
ReplyDeleteOh that's so sweet. Thanks for sharing your memories. :)
DeleteThis cake was AMAZING! Thank you for a great recipe. I was wary of a cake with no liquid (milk, yogurt, etc) but it came out wonderfully. I am not a fan of baking with frozen berries though, and since it's summertime now, I used fresh blueberries. Could I do this fresh fruits of other types in other seasons? For example, apples or pears for fall, persimmons for winter... and what would be your suggestion on the treatment of those fruits before baking them with the cake?
ReplyDelete