'Purple Rain' Blueberry Loaf Cake w/ Lemon Syrup (GF)

There's a lot of purple in this cake. Blueberries cover the top to start, and then if you add too much lemon juice in the "icing" and put it on when the cake is still warm, a delicious syrup forms a lake of purple haze for everything to soak in.

The recipe is from the cookbook, Ottolenghi Simple. Ottolenghi not only has professional chefs test his recipes, but also at least 12 home cooks. Which is to say that you can usually trust the results.

Baked in a bread loaf pan, the cake has perfectly balanced flavors of sweet and tart with a texture slightly similar to a cheesecake. Even with reduced sugar in the cake, all you will hear is "Yum!"

My Paleo Marin Rating: 4.5 Persimmons

Ingredients:

2/3 cup gluten-free flour, preferably Cup4Cup Gluten Free Multipurpose Flour 

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons finely ground almond meal, preferably King Arthur Super Finely Ground

1 slightly rounded teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

Available from
Amazon here

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs at room temperature, beaten with a fork

1 to 1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries, divided

For the Lemon Syrup:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon+ fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Baking pan
w/ parchment paper
Clabber Girl
Google Images

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" loaf pan, then place a sheet of parchment paper the length of the pan plus enough to overlap the sides of the pan; butter the parchment paper. This allows the cake to be lifted out of the pan when cooled.

1. Whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or handheld mixer), beat the butter on medium high speed until smooth, about 10 seconds for soft butter. With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar and beat on medium until the mixture is light and airy, about 2 - 4 minutes. Stop and scrape the bowl half way through. For a video to see how everything looks at each step, see King Arthur Baking Company link here.

3. Scrape down the sides, and lower the speed to medium. Add the beaten eggs 1/3 at a time. Mix in the lemon zest and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and add in 3/4 of the blueberries, mixing them throughout the batter with a wooden spoon. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth out the top with a spatula. 

Note: Some reviewers tossed the blueberries in a bit of the flour to prevent them from falling to the bottom - optional.)

4. Bake the cake for 15 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and sprinkle the remaining blueberries over the top of the cake, pressing them down lightly. Return for another 15 minutes until the cake is brown on top but not cooked through. Then loosely cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake for 25-30 more minutes until risen and cooked. The cake is done when a skewer comes out clean.

5. Let the cake cool on a rack for about 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the loaf pan and put it on the rack. Remove the parchment paper, and let the cake cool on the rack.

For the Lemon Syrup:

Make the lemon syrup when the cake has cooled down a bit. In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the lemon juice just until the icing moves when the bowl is tilted. Add additional lemon juice as necessary. Pour and spead he syrup over the cake. Let sit for about 20 minutes. Cut and serve.

Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil and store in the fridge for about 3 days.

Recipe adapted from New York Times link here.

#paleo-inspired #cake #blueberries #lemons #almond #glutenfree #nutfree #dessert #purplerain #ottolenghi #newyorktimes

My Paleo Marin Rating 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.