Blueberry Cake with almond and coconut
Baking

Blueberry Cake-with almond and coconut

Celebrate your kitchen with this Blueberry Cake

I am sharing a simple recipe for a Blueberry Coconut and Almond Cake with you today. This cake celebrates the flavours of summer leaving your palate wowed. Its a recipe from one of my favourite food writers, Yotam Ottolenghi. A delightful and easy to whip up cake, the best part is it includes superfoods like coconut, almond and blueberries. But hey, take it easy, it’s still got butter and sugar, so remember a small slice a day to keep the doctor away.

I feel like Julie from Julie and Julia as I type this post, probably because I am new to the world of blogging. Julie and Julia is an American film released in 2009. The film portrayed the mystical gastronomic journey of two women who remind us to celebrate the simple joys of cooking and the transformative powers it has. So, if you want to get a taste of how cooking can empower you, I recommend you watch it. Food plays such an important role in our lives and we often take it for granted. Cooking is love and Food is Life. You can read my post about it if you want to find out more. http://nomadskitchenstories.com/food-is-life/

I have taken on blogging at a time when the internet is oversaturated and teeming with food blogs. I can only hope that my voice won’t drown in the crowd. While Julie’s mission was to cook Julia Child’s recipes, mine is to inspire you to embrace and celebrate your kitchen. I promise to only share recipes that I know work and are tried and tested in my kitchen. I can definitely vouch for this Blueberry Cake as it truly is that simple to make. It tastes amazing even after one week, that is if it survives that long in your home.

This cake will take you home

As a trained Pastry Chef, I am not trained to follow homely recipes from other cookbooks. But, after going through an exhaustive military-style culinary school regime, working endless hours in Michelin Star restaurants I am done. I have learnt from and worked under some of the most amazing and talented Chefs, creating art on a plate. The plate; a blank canvas and food; the colour, it was like creating magic and the orchestra that goes on in the kitchen is like no other. Playing with the complexity of textures and flavours, temperatures and colours was creative, intense, stressful and fun. But I am done!

Mainly because, my focus has shifted to conscious minimalism, I seek simple comfort and feel like coming home again. Nothing beats the comfort of home cooking and comfort food. Can you honestly tell me you think there’s a better taste than the taste of your mother’s cooking or the flavours of your childhood? The nostalgia and innocent joy they bring is truly unmatched and this is my personal opinion.

So, I am here on a journey to unearth and deconstruct the flavours of your childhood and my childhood, to share the simplicity of baking and cooking which brings back nostalgia. This Blueberry cake reminds me of my mother’s coconut and jam cake. Of course, some ingredients are different and so is the technique, but the flavours are so similar. If you like coconut, berries or almonds, you will love this cake, perhaps it will bring back memories of your childhood. So try it as I truly love the minimalism of this delicious cake.

Anyone can Bake, all we need is a little inspiration

We all seek inspiration from somewhere and if I can inspire you, bring you joy by sharing what I know, well then mission accomplished. I constantly seek inspiration and watching Julie and Julia was one of the few steps that made me want to pursue my education at the Culinary school.

Did you know that about me? I began my career as a Pastry Chef post thirty by enrolling in the Culinary Institute of America, New York for a two-year Baking and Pastry Degree. Many events led me to this, basically, I was seeking a fresh start and I love learning new skills. Another excuse to feel young again, who doesn’t miss University life!? After all, even Julia Child began her Chef career much later in life and while I doubt I want to or will ever reach where she did, at least I followed my passion and tried something new that was unfamiliar.

Are you searching for something new, something unfamiliar besides your daily routine? Do you feel unfamiliar with your kitchen? Do you wish you could bake a cake? I have met many people who seek those answers and hope that someone could just help them bake a simple cake. You don’t have to be a trained chef to cook, anyone can cook and anyone can bake. You just need to get over your fear and that’s why I am sharing a simple recipe with you today.

Why you should bake this cake

Blueberries are the star in this Cake, bursting with flavour. If you like Blueberry Muffins, then you will love this Blueberry Cake which has almond flour and dried coconut taking it to another dimension. The texture is moist, juicy and cakey. While, I love nibbling on blueberries as they are, but if you want to enjoy a cup of tea, you need to have cake, right? Invite friends and family over, this cake will bring warm smiles and soon you might become the star of the evening. 😉

If possible, pick your own berries, preferably wild blueberries. That will definitely take it up a notch. And if like me you like walking in the woods, with a treat in your bag, you will definitely enjoy this lovely easy to bake cake as you watch the sun go down. A perfect treat for your kids too, who will get all their goodness from blueberries, coconut and almond. After all, Ottolenghi knows what he’s doing. I definitely suggest reducing the sugar though, if you like your desserts less sweet.

So go ahead, spread some love and share this cake with others. You literally only need a mixing bowl, a spatula, a baking tin and a weighing scale. This might just be the simplest recipe you will bake and truly worth every bite.

If you have already made this recipe, do share in the comments below and don’t forget to sign up for more recipes, and other freebie’s straight to your inbox. Happy Hygge Baking!

This lovely cake pairs very well with tea, some of my favourite ones can be ordered from here:

Blueberry Cake with Almond, and Coconut

A simple easy to bake cake that you will love. Recipe adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi. It stores very well for a week at room temperature. Moist, juicy and bursting with goodness from juicy blueberries, coconut and almond. 

  • 180 g Ground Almonds
  • 60 g Desiccated Coconut
  • 250 g Sugar (I highly recommend reducing the sugar to 180g to 200g)
  • 70 g Self Raising Flour
  • .25 t Salt
  • 4 ea Eggs
  • 200 g Butter (melted, then set aside to cool to room temperature)
  • 1.5 t Vanilla Extract
  • 2 t Lemon zest
  • 150 g Blueberries
  • 20 g Flaked Almonds (Optional for topping)
  • 25 g Blueberries (Optional for topping)
  1. 1. Grease a 9 inch Cake Tin and preheat oven to 160C

    2. In a mixing bowl, add almonds, coconut, sugar, flour and salt. With a whisk, aerate to remove lumps

    3. Add melted butter to the dry ingredients along with eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest and fold all everything together gently

    4. Fold in the 150g Blueberries. 

    5. Pour the mixture into the greased cake tin, top with optional flaked almonds and 25g blueberries. 

    6. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. This will depend on your oven. Basically, until the skewer inserted comes out clean

    7. Cool in the tin for 30 minutes before inverting out onto a plate. 

    Enjoy warm with cream or just cool and eat as it is 

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