Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Cake

I am totally addicted to Pinterest, it is where I found the recipe for this beautiful cake! I pinned this recipe a while ago, meaning to try it, so when I eventually bought blueberries this was my go to recipe. Now I have slightly adapted the recipe from it's original source Sweet Pea's Kitchen, firstly I converted the measurements from American cup sizes to metric, then I tweaked (ever so slightly) the amount of vanilla extract and lemon zest. The link to the original recipe is below, so feel free to check it out. 

This to me is the perfect tea time cake, it has a light and delicate crumb and the combination of blueberry and lemon are classic. It is not a difficult cake to make, just make sure that you test it with a skewer to ensure it is cooked the whole way through. Enjoy!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

For the Cake
210g + 1 tbsp Plain flour, divided
2 tsp Baking powder
¼ tsp salt
250ml Plain yogurt (I used buttermilk instead)
220g Caster Sugar
3 large Eggs
1 Lemon, juice and zest
1 tsp Vanilla extract
125ml Vegetable oil
200g Blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed (important that the berries are thawed)

For the Lemon Syrup (Optional):
80ml  Freshly squeezed lemon juice
70g Caster sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:
120g Icing sugar, sifted
2 to 3 tbsp Fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180ºF/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf tin/ 8 inch round cake tin; dust with flour, tapping out excess.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt/buttermilk, sugar, eggs, 1 tsp lemon zest, vanilla and oil. 

Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. (It is really important to test the cake, my first attempt in a 9x5 inch loaf tin, took much longer to cook than the 50 minutes, more like 70 minutes!)

Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. (I have made this cake with and without the lemon syrup, I think it's gilding the lily slightly, the cake is so moist without it, however it will add that extra sparkle for a very special occasion.) While the cake is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. 

Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside. 

Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely. 

To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable.

Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. (I grated a small amount of lemon zest directly onto the wet lemon glaze and topped with three juicy blueberries). Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Recipe Notes:
This recipe will also yield about 12 standard muffins or 36 miniature muffins, baking time adjusted. It could be doubled and baked in a well-greased and floured bundt pan, baking time adjusted. This recipe could also be baked in an 8-inch square or 9-inch round, to create a thin cake (approx. 1 1/2 inches tall), baking time adjusted.

Source: adapted slightly from Sweet Pea's Kitchen originally viewed on Pinterest