Blueberry Blitz Cake

Blueberry Blitz Cake

Serves 6

I found a raspberry buttermilk cake recipe in an old Bon Appetit, but as usual, I didn't have the ingredients to make anything out of that silly magazine. So, I went with what I had: Buttermilk, a lemon, and a cup of blueberries. It turned out terrific. Perfect for coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, and dessert in the evening. --AnglophileinLA

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ stick unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 Tb sugar divided

¾ tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

Zest from 1 lemon

½ cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 cup frozen blueberries (or any berry, raspberry works well too)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in the middle.

2. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and lemon zest, then add the egg and beat well.

5. Mix in flour, alternating with buttermilk, mixing until just combined.

6. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing the top.

7. Scatter the cup of blueberries evenly over the top, then sprinkle with the 1 Tb sugar.

8. Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick in the middle comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.

I would be tempted to do a Moroccan spin on this with cinnamon, cardamom, orange rind and orange flower water instead of the lemon zest and blueberries. The buttermilk cake base is so versatile.

Blueberry and Strawberry Lassi

I really love yoghurt based anything. This time I used honey as a sweetener instead of sugar. I think, possibly, it's a healthier option (If you use your local honey then chances of spring time allergies are reduced! yay!) than sugar and it's brings an interesting richness to the drink.



Ingredients:

Serves 3
Fresh blueberries 1 cup
strawberries - chopped 1/2-1 cup
Honey to taste (can use sugar instead)
Milk and/or Yoghurt - 1/2-1 cup (add water if you like it to be more liquidy)
Ice cubes

Method:

1. In your blender, blend everything except the ice at first. Taste and add honey to counter balance the tartness. The honey may be a bit weird with the overpowering taste of the berries, but I really liked the combination of the tartness of the yoghurt and rich and aromatic sweetness of the honey. Add the ice and drink!!!


Note: I think honey and yoghurt combo without the berries will be amazing. I will try it out and report shortly.