Yotam Ottolenghi. <sigh>
This Ottolenghi recipe was featured recently on the NY Times food site and it is wonderful. The crumb is light and the almond flour gives this little cake a delightful texture. This cake is so good, in fact, that it is almost worth getting up early on a Sunday morning to enjoy a lemony slice and a cup of steaming hot tea–or, at least, grabbing a slice of the cake as soon as you stumble out of bed and try to remember where you left your glasses the night before. (Here is the link to the original recipe: Ottolenghi’s Blueberry, Lemon and Almond Cake .)
I’ve posted a few Ottolenghi recipes on Blue Cayenne before and he continues to be a culinary inspiration for me. If you are unfamiliar with him, Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi is a cooking phenom. He operates several highly-rated restaurants in London and has published a number of well-received cookbooks. He is also a contributor to the NY Times cooking site. (Here is a link to his official site where you will find a lot of his great recipes: Ottolenghi’s Official Site.)
Lest you feel guilty about eating cake, remember that you get to eat blueberries in this recipe and that cancels a lot of the guilt. Blueberries are,after all, a certified health food. Lots of health sites say so. And, if you are of a certain age and still feeling guilty, take a walk down memory lane and be reminded that no less an expert than Fats Domino sang that blueberries (or, at least, Blueberry Hill) can give your mood a boost: Fats Domino and Blueberry Hill.
Native to North America, blueberries are grown from the tropics to the arctic. In peak season now (July is National Blueberry Month!), you can enjoy them for a reasonable price. Blueberries are low in fat, high in vitamin C, and clock in at only 80 calories per cup. They have the highest antioxidant capacity of all fruits.
Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup (150 grams) unsalted butter (at room temperature
- 1 Cup (190 grams)granulated sugar
- 1 t. lemon zest
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs (beaten)
- 2/3 C. (90 grams) all-purpose flour (sifted)
- 1 1/4 t. baking powder
- 1/8 t. salt
- 1 C. (110 grams) almond flour
- 1 1/2 C. (200 grams) fresh blueberries
- 2/3 C. (70 grams) powdered sugar
- 1-2 T. lemon juice
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Step 2 Grease an 8-9 inch loaf pan with butter. Line the pan with a parchment sling and butter the surface of the sling. Set aside.
- Step 3 Beat butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract in the bowl of your mixer. (You should use the paddle attachment.) After mixing the ingredients together at a low speed, increase the speed of the mixer and beat at a high speed for 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time. You will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl during this process.
- Step 4 Use a separate bowl and whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and almond flour together.
- Step 5 Add the flour mixture to the butter/egg mixture in your mixer. Your mixer should be set at a low speed for this step. Then, fold 3/4 of the blueberries into the mixture by hand. Then, put the batter into your prepared loaf pan.
- Step 6 Bake your blueberry cake for 15 minutes. After fifteen minutes, take the cake out of the oven and sprinkle the remaining blueberries over the cake. Then bake for another 15-20 minutes. You want your cake to be golden brown but it will not be totally cooked at this point. After the 15-20 minute bake, cover the cake with foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes.
- Step 7 Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Step 8 Meanwhile, make the icing by adding the lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Whisk. Pour the icing over the cooled cake and use a spatula to spread the icing across the top of the cake. (Lick your fingers.)Let your cake sit out on the counter to totally cool for about 30 minutes before slicing.
- Step 9 Enjoy.
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