For the chef
Blueberry, Almond and Lemon cake
Now is a time for enjoying the simple pleasures in life and this cake is one of them! This cake is timeless, easy and also keeps well for 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Ingredients:
150g unsalted butter at room temperature plus extra for greasing
190g castor sugar
2 lemons: finely grate the zest to get 2 teaspoons, then juice to get 2 Tablespoons
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 large eggs, beaten
90g self-raising flour, sifted
1/8 teaspoon of salt
110g ground almonds
200g blueberries
70g icing sugar
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Grease and line a loaf tin 11 x 21 cm, and set aside
Place the butter, sugar, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of the 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 spilt a little but don’t worry: it will come back together! Add the flour, salt and almonds in 3 additions. Finally, fold in 150g of blueberries, by hand and pour into the prepared loaf tin.
Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining 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 another 25-30 minutes, until risen and cooked. Test by inserting a knife in the middle: it’s ready if it comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside, in its tin, to cool for10 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 in a bowl with the icing sugar and whisk until smooth. Pout 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.
Enjoy!
Source: Ottelenghi