Blueberry, Yoghurt and Lemon Cake

Blueberry, Yoghurt and Lemon Cake
Main INGREDIENTS
  • Fruit
Ingredients
Method

Ingredients

Cake:
  • 225g soft butter
  • 450g caster sugar
  • zest of 3 unwaxed lemons, finely grated
  • 4 large free range eggs
  • 450g plain flour, plus one extra teaspoon for the blueberries
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • a large pinch of salt
  • 275g natural full fat yoghurt
  • 350g fresh blueberries, plus a few extra for decoration
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Icing:
  • 225g icing sugar, plus a little extra to decorate
  • 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons boiling-hot water
Candied lemon decoration:
  • 2 unwaxed lemons
  • 100ml water
  • 100g caster sugar

  • Method

  • 1
    Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan forced
  • 2
    Grease the Bundt tin with butter. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Cream the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes until paler in colour and slightly fluffy. Beat in the lemon zest, then beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour with the third and fourth egg.
  • 3
    Toss the blueberries in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the flour. Working in batches, sift one third of the remaining flour into the cake mixture and fold in with one third of the yoghurt, repeat twice more so that all the flour and yoghurt are combined in the mixture. Fold in half of the blueberries. Spoon one-third of the cake mixture into the base of the cake tin, spread it out evenly and scatter with one third of the remaining blueberries. Repeat this twice more, ending with a layer of blueberries.
  • 4
    Bake the cake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until well-risen, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the deepest part of the cake comes away clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 2 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a cooling rack placed over a baking tray.
  • 5
    Candied Lemon:
  • 6
    While the cake is baking, make the candied lemon decoration. Peel the zest from the lemons using a Le Creuset Citrus Zester, taking care to leave the white pith behind. Cut each piece lenghtways into fine shreds. Put the water and sugar in a small, heavy-based saucepan and gently heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the shredded zest to the syrup and simmer for a further 2 minutes. Remove the peel from the syrup using two forks and scatter the separate strands over a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper. leave to cool and set.
  • 7
    To Finish:
  • 8
    Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, strain over the lemon juice, add the hot water and mix together until smooth. Spoon the icing over the top of the cake, letting it run down both sides. Decorate with the blueberries and candied lemon zest, dust the berries lightly with a little icing sugar, and leave to set. Serve cut into slices.