Blueberry Lemon Cake

Let me begin by saying that this actually is an almond-blueberry-lemon-poppy seed cake. This was one of the first cakes I baked or should I say first cake I baked successfully. The only reason I tried making this cake was because the recipe looked pretty simple to put together and the ingredient list was as healthy as it can be for a dessert. My pics here really do not do justice to how tasty the cake was - spongy, soft and yum.

 INGREDIENTS:
4 cups almond flour
2tbsp poppy seeds
3 eggs
2 cups of blueberries (save half for toppings)
2 lemons
1/2 cup coconut oil or ghee
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Glaze
1 cup greek yogurt
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

NOTES:

• If you do not want to use just almond flour, you can use 2 cups spelt+1.5 cups almond flour. I tried this combination
• I used coconut oil and honey but I am sure ghee and maple syrup would produce the same results
• I forgot to save 1 cup of blueberries for toppings and ended up adding the whole 2 cups in the batter - and it didn't feel they were messing with the taste or anything in fact I liked it that way.
• You could use simple home-made or regular store bought yogurt. The only reason Greek yogurt works a bit better is because its thicker. 

PROCESS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C
2. Mix the almond flour+poppy seeds+salt+baking powder+baking soda in a large bowl and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil and honey in a sauce pan on very low heat until the oil melts and gets mixed with the honey. I didn't want to put my pan on a direct flame, instead I put it on an iron tawa - this is not necessary, I was just being extra cautious.
4. Grate the zest from 2 lemons and add it to the honey+oil mixture. (My experience with lemon zest has never been good - I always find it too bitter so I DID NOT use any zest here). But if you happen to like it then definitely go ahead with the step.
5. Cut the lemons in halves and squeeze the juice of 3 of the halves and add it to the honey/oil mix. Save the 4th half of the lemon for the glaze
6. Add the honey+oil+lemon juice mix to the dry ingredients from Step 2.
7. Beat the eggs in a bowl and fold them into the batter. (I usually beat them for a while till they get a bit frothy)
8. Add 1 cup of blueberries and mix them gently with a wooden spoon
9. Grease a pan with oil and add the batter to it and put it in the pre-heated oven
10. While cake gets baked, prepare the glaze. Hang the yogurt in a cheese cloth for about 15 mins to drain out all the excess water - the idea is to make the yogurt as thick as possible. You might need to do this longer (say 30-40 mins) if you are using regular yogurt.
11. Add the juice from one half of the lemon left and vanilla extract to this thick yogurt. (Make sure you taste the yogurt first to see how sour it is- and add lime juice accordingly. You dont want it to be too sour - it you feel its very sour - just add little bit of honey) Keep it in the fridge to chill for about 20-30 mins.
12. You need to bake the cake for about 40-50 minutes depending on the oven and the size and material of the pan being used. I highly recommend checking the cake at the 30-35 minute mark.The cake needs to be golden brown on top and cooked all the way through. You can cover the cake with foil during the last 15 minutes if you feel the top is getting burned but the rest of the cake needs more cooking. (I did not need to do this, I baked mine for 40 mins and then let it sit in for another 5-7 mins after switching off the oven)
13. Take the pan out and let it cool for at least 30 mins. I was impatient and tried taking it out while it was still warm - it crumbled and ruined the pics:(
14. When the cake has cooled completely, cover it with the honey yogurt glaze and top with the remaining blueberries. Since our cake was not going to be consumed all at once, I did not want it to get all soggy - I served the yogurt glaze and blueberries on each individual piece.

Recipe Source: Green Kitchen Stories