Chocolate and I are on a break. We’ve had a wonderful relationship in the past and we will renew our tryst soon, but for now, we need a little space. All that baking with dark and semi-sweet chocolate, Nutella, Ganache and sugar sprinkles has rendered me bored (and has me carrying around quite a few extra pounds, if you know what I mean), so I’ve decided it’s time to experiment with different flavours and techniques. Spring is here and the market is flooded with gorgeous fruits – berries, melons, nectarines and mangoes! I can’t wait to bake with them all!
For my first attempt down the fruity-baking lane, I baked this enchanting Lemon-Blueberry Cake topped with Coconut Crumble. I say enchanting, because the whole experience of baking this cake is truly so. From the gorgeous ivory hued batter speckled with bright yellow lemon rind and striking blueberries, to watching the cake take form while in the oven, the coconut crumble turning a stunning golden, to cutting a slice to reveal the burst berries leave deep purple blots where they were, and taking a bite only to have the array of flavours tickling your taste buds, this cake is beyond delightful!
I wouldn’t say that this cake is easy to make; there are several parts to this recipe and each require a certain amount of precision and careful attention. But that doesn’t mean this recipe is too hard to try out either. Though time consuming, this cake is worth all the hard work you put into baking it. Don’t believe me? Try this recipe out and see for yourself!
What you need:
For the Lemon Curd:
- Egg – 1, large
- Granulated White Sugar – 75g
- Fresh Lemon Juice – 40ml
- Unsalted Butter – 2 tbsp
- Lemon Zest – 1 tbsp, finely shredded
For the Cake:
- Unsalted Butter – 250 g
- Caster Sugar – 220 g
- Zest of two lemons
- Eggs – 4
- All Purpose Flour – 250 g
- Baking Powder – 3 tsp
- Blueberries – 300 g
For the Coconut Crumble topping:
- Butter – 50 g, melted
- Desiccated Coconut – 150 g
- Egg – 1
- Sugar – 160 g
Here’s how you make it:
- Lemon Curd: Place a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Whisk together the butter, egg, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir it continuously while it cooks, until it attains a thick consistency, like that of mayonnaise. Take it off the heat, pour it through a strainer, cover the lemon curd and keep aside.
- Coconut Crumble: In a bowl mix the melted butter, egg and sugar. Add in the coconut and give it one final mix.
- The Cake: Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs; then add them to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until fluffy. Add the lemon zest and mix. Fold in the flour and 2/3rd the quantity of blueberries. Pour the batter into a greased cake pan. Once the batter has been smoothed out, sprinkle the rest of the blueberries over the top and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the top is set. Pull out of the oven; brush the top-crust generously with lemon curd and they spread the coconut mixture over it. Pop back into the oven for another 20-24 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Take the cake out of the oven and leave it to cool.
This cake was all kinds of yummy! My mum is a huge fan of Lemon Cake and to see her face light up as she took her first bite of this cake was crazy! She smiled and smiled as she savoured every bite, then reached out for another piece. Dad is not a very ‘cake person’, nevertheless, he enjoyed having slices of this cake with tea. The boyfriend was ecstatic when he took his first bite. He isn’t a fan of lemon cake, but this one had him craving more. He almost didn’t leave any cake for my parents to have the next day!
This cake was big compared to the ones I usually bake at home. While cutting it up, I thought to myself, ‘this cake will be around for quite a few days.’ Boy, was I wrong! Within two days, there was none remaining.
Tangy, sweet, the crunchy-crispy top, melt-in-the-mouth are the words that come to mind when I reminisce about the joy of eating this cake. This Lemon-Blueberry cake is the kind of cake which you can’t get enough of; with just one bite, you’re addicted and no matter what you’re doing, it can wait until you have another piece of cake.
I simply loved this cake, and I’m sure you will too! And for mums who wish to get their little ones to eat fruit, you should bake this cake for them!
The Foodscape 