I love it when a recipe is versatile. When you can swap out the fruit for whatever is in season or add/remove toppings and glazes the possibilities are endless and very exciting. This cake gives you those possibilities. Swap the blueberries for fresh rhubarb, raspberries or blackberries. Use orange or grapefruit zest instead of lemon. Add a almond crumble topping or leave off the glaze. Each combination is as tempting as the next and this makes it utterly impossible to decide which to bake. After much consideration and browsing the green grocer’s selection, I stuck with the classic Blueberry & Lemon combo: a guaranteed mid- morning rumbly tummy pleaser.
Oh, and it’s so simple to throw together! A saving grace for last minute brunch!
Blueberry & Lemon Yogurt Loaf
Makes 1 loaf
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plain natural whole yogurt (I used Greek style)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
zest from 2 large lemons
1 tsp extract (I used 1/2 vanilla 1/2 almond)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
For the syrup:
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a loaf tin and set aside.
Mix the blueberries with the additional tbsp of flour and set aside. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and extract. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, being careful not to over mix the batter. Gently fold in the blueberries until incorporated into the batter. Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or when a tester comes out clean from the center. Cool for 10 minutes in tin before removing from tin and placing onto a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
For the glaze, add lemon juice to the powdered sugar until it has reached a liquid but stable consistency. Apply syrup and glaze while the loaf is still warm.