Beyond Our Sky

Lemon and Blueberry Cake

This cake is inspired by a blueberry traybake my mum used to make. I’ve created mini individual cakes here, but you can just as easily bake it in a round or square tin.

The original source of inspiration actually came from this recipe, which I reposted here nine years ago. This is obviously a gluten-free version, based on my go-to vanilla cake recipe. As usual, just a few baking notes:

  • This is a butter-based cake recipe involving the creaming method. To incorporate air and yield a light cake, it is important to cream the butter and sugar for at least five minutes on high speed. Do not rush this step. And I like to add a small amount oil to keep the cake tender.
  • Since the butter is at room temperature, the eggs should also be at room temperature. If you forget to take your eggs out of the fridge, it is not a big deal – the cake will turn out just as well – but it simply allows the butter and eggs to properly emulsify and avoids curdling.
  • This specific blend and ratio of flours is pivotal in achieving that light yet moist texture. It is very important for the white rice flour to be super fine. Some of the products in Australia supermarkets are not finely ground but course and gritty, so just be careful. I prefer to develop recipes with the individual flours rather than using a store-bought GF flour blend, because each brand has a different mix of flours and may not necessarily work.
  • The xanthan gum is also important for providing structure, which is lacking without gluten.

Baking notes continued:

  • To loosen the batter, I prefer to use water instead of milk, and have yet to experiment with lemon juice. When I was developing this recipe, I found that the water yielded a much better cake texture compared to milk. Since gluten-free batters are a bit more delicate, I’m unsure if the acidity of lemon juice would adversely affect the cake. The only lemon in the cake comes from the zest.
  • You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries, both work. I like to coat them in a bit of flour to prevent them from sinking.
  • Rather than folding the blueberries into the batter, I like to layer them throughout. Simply scoop a generous tablespoon of batter into each cupcake hole, then scatter blueberries on top, before adding another tablespoon of batter and more blueberries. This allows a more even distribution of berries in each cake.
  • Chopped walnuts can also be incorporated into the batter, either folded in or sprinkled on top before baking, if you want some crunch.
  • As mentioned earlier, you can bake this in a 20cm round or square cake tin. You’ll have to increase the baking time to 35-40 minutes (I would check it at 30 minutes).

The icing couldn’t be more simple – just lemon juice and icing sugar mixed together. To create this drippy look, you want to aim for a thicker icing. If you want a more rustic drizzle, add more lemon juice to thin it out.

The weather has been really hot in Brisbane lately, so I’ve had to store the cake in the fridge. If it’s cooler where you are, it should be fine kept at room temperature. I hope you enjoy the recipe, and let me know if you have any questions.

Gluten-free Lemon and Blueberry Cake

Makes 12 mini cakes.

Ingredients

Lemon and Blueberry Cake

  • 115g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 115g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 40g almond meal
  • 60g white rice flour
  • 20g potato starch
  • 10g tapioca starch
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 200g blueberries, fresh or frozen

Lemon Icing

  • 130g icing sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp lemon juice (around half a lemon)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (or 160°C fan). Grease and line a cupcake tray with baking paper (I grease with softened butter, and cut rounds of baking paper to fit the bottoms and strips for around the sides).
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers. Add the butter, oil, and vanilla extract, then cream the mixture on high speed until light and pale, about 5 minutes. With a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl about halfway through mixing to ensure all the butter is creamed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition and scraping down the bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the almond meal, rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking powder and xanthan gum. Reserve one tablespoon of flour to coat the blueberries.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the water, and mix on medium-low speed until fluffy and a smooth batter has formed, about 20 seconds.
  5. Scoop a generous tablespoon of batter into each cupcake hole, then scatter around six blueberries on top and gently press down. Add another tablespoon of batter and finish with a few more blueberries. Each cake should be around three quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cake lightly springs back when touched.
  6. Allow to the cakes to cool in the tin for around 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. For the icing, mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice. Spoon a teaspoon of icing over each cake, gently pushing it down the sides to create drips. Decorate with fresh blueberries if desired.