I’m very keen on blueberries at the moment and they are relatively inexpensive at the markets. This cake does blueberries 4 ways! Dried blueberries and fresh blueberries in the batter, blueberry “jam” on top of the cooked cake and more fresh blueberries as a garnish. The cake has quite a nutty taste from the hazelnut meal and the toasted hazelnuts.
It’s a very moist cake too, and is great for dessert.
Ingredients
125 g softened butter
115 g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 free-range eggs
1 heaped tbls our cream
3/4 cup hazelnut meal
1/4 cup toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts
3/4 cups self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 cup milk
30 g dried blueberries, soaked in 1 tblsp of orange liqueur for a hour or so (any liqueur will do)
200 g fresh blueberries
1/3 cup caster sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 170 degrees C or 160 degrees C fan-forced. Grease a 20cm spring form tin and line base with baking paper.
Cream butter, caster sugar and vanilla extract in a food processor. Add the eggs and process until the mixture is thick and creamy. Beat in the sour cream. Sift the hazelnut meal with the chopped hazelnuts, SR flour and bicarbonate of soda. Stir the sifted ingredients into the mixture with a spoon, then stir in the milk.
Gently fold in the soaked dried blueberries and half of the fresh blueberries. Spoon into the cake tin using a spatula.
Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the remaining blueberries and caster sugar with 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved, the blueberries are slightly softened and the liquid slightly reduced. You can gently press on the blueberries with the back of spoon or the bottom of a cup to help them release their juices.
Cool the cake completely in the tin before unmolding. Pile the blueberry “jam” onto the top of the cake.
Serve with more fresh berries and a sprinkling of sugar if desired, and serve with creme fraiche or sour cream, which offsets the incredible sweetness of this cake.
The Quirk and the Cool 