Lemon Blueberry Cake

from The New York Times Cooking

Baking time: 30-40 minutes.

Total prep time: 2 hours.

Served with some coffee or tea,
it's well worth the wait.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup refined sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, beaten
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup ground almonds
1 1/2 cup blueberries
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar

Step One

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9- or 8-inch/21-centimeter loaf pan with butter, line it with a parchment paper sling and butter the paper. Set aside.

Step Two

Place butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract in the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until light, then lower speed to medium. Add eggs in three additions, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Step Three

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and almond flour. With the stand mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing just until no white specks remain. Fold in about 3/4 of the blueberries by hand, then scoop batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Step Four

Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining blueberries over the top of the cake. Return to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes, until cake is golden brown but still uncooked. Cover with foil and cook for another 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside in its pan to cool for 10 minutes before removing cake from pan and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Step Five

When cake is cool, make the icing: Add lemon juice and icing sugar to a bowl and whisk together until smooth, adding a bit more juice if necessary, just until the icing moves when you tilt the bowl. Pour over the cake and gently spread out. The blueberries on the top of the cake may bleed into the icing a little, but this will add to the look. Let icing set (about 30 minutes), slice and serve.