Food special: Blueberry & limoncello drizzle cake
Blueberry & limoncello drizzle cake
I was talking to the lady from the management company I’m with, the very gorgeous Nicola, about my forthcoming (this one) book and she said to me, and I remember this quite clearly, ‘A baking book is not a baking book without a good lemon drizzle cake in, don’t you think? You have a good one in there don’t you?’ Having handed in the book already without a drizzle cake recipe, I quickly cobbled this one together with what I feel are very pleasing results. Nicola, my love, this one is for you.
SERVES 12
- spray oil
- 125g (41⁄2 oz) caster sugar
- 100g (31⁄2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 100g (31⁄2 oz) greek yogurt (use the full-fat version)
- 2 medium whole eggs, lightly beaten
- 250g (9oz) self-raising flour
- 4 medium egg whites
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
- finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
- (if waxed, wash them in hot soapy water
- and dry them to get rid of the wax before
- using)
- 200g (7oz) blueberries
TOPPING
- 50g (2oz) icing sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp limoncello (or lemon juice for an alcohol-free version)
● Preheat the oven to 170C (fan 150C), 325F, gas mark 3 and set the shelf in the middle.Spray a 20cm (8in) round, loose-bottomed deep cake tin with oil, line the bottom with baking parchment and then set it aside on a baking sheet.
● Put the sugar, butter and yogurt into a large bowl and beat like mad with a whisk until well combined. A food mixer would be great for this job, otherwise get your whisk, roll up your sleeves and just go for it. Now, this mix is not going to go all light and fluffy and pretty like its full-fat cousin, but you are just looking for some semblance of uniformity (it will have quite a few little lumps in, but that is OK).
● Next, add the whole eggs and half the flour and beat for a good few minutes, until the mixture is well blended and starts to look a little smoother. Whisk the egg whites until white and fluffy and fold them into the mixture with the rest of the flour, the baking powder, vanilla extract and lemon zest and beat until you have a smooth batter. Finally, stir half the blueberries through.
● Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth it down evenly with the back of a spoon. Arrange the remaining blueberries, flat side down, on the top in a few lines across the centre. Pop into the oven for 25–30 minutes, until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. The top should be quite a light golden brown and the sponge will feel firm to the touch.
● Meanwhile, to make the topping, put the icing sugar into a small bowl. Stir in the limoncello (or lemon juice) to give a smooth, runny mixture and set aside until ready to use.
● Once the cake is cool, place it on a serving platter or cake stand. Slowly spoon the topping all over the top and allow to just pour over the edges beautifully.
● Cut into 12 wedges and serve.
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