[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;”] T[/dropcap]his week, if Stonesoup feels a little different it’s because I’m writing from the Northern Hemisphere.
For the first time in three years we’re back in Ireland for one of my Irishmans mates weddings. So! Excited!
The timing is great because on Sunday Fergal turned two!
I know.
So we’ll get to have a party with his Granny and Grandad. And his twin Irish cousins who are a month older.
To celebrate I have a special new cake recipe for you. It’s something Fergal and I have been working on during our Sunday Baking Sessions. Easily one of our favourites.
Enjoy!
___
Blueberry Yoghurt Cake
This is my gluten-free version of the classic French yoghurt cake that I discovered in Pamela Druckerman’s brilliant little book ‘French Children Don’t Throw Food’. It’s one of Fergal and my go-to cakes for our Sunday Baking Sessions. The yoghurt makes it super moist but also surprisingly light.
serves: 6-8
takes: 50 minutes
250g (9oz) almond meal
50g (2oz) sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
250g (9oz) natural yoghurt
2 eggs
50g coconut oil or other neutral flavoured oil, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 handfuls blueberries (frozen are fine)
1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and grease and line a 20cm (8in) cake tin with baking paper.
2. Mix almond meal, sugar and baking powder in a medium bowl. Make a hole in the middle and add the yoghurt, eggs, oil and vanilla. Mix to combine but don’t stress if you end up with a few lumps.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Scatter over the blueberries and bake for 40 minutes or until the cake it golden brown and feels springy. And a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
4. Cool in the tin before serving.
Variations
budget / nut-free – replace almond meal with plain (all purpose) flour.
choc-hazelnut – replace half the almond meal with hazelnut meal and replace blueberries with chopped chunks of chocolate.
different fruit – feel free to use your imagination! Raspberries are lovely.
diary-free – use coconut yoghurt or coconut cream instead of the yoghurt.
vegan – use the dairy-free option and try replacing the eggs with large mashed banana (I haven’t tried this so let me know if it works!)
sugar-free – replace the sugar with a granular stevia or your favourite sugar substitute.
Big love,
Jules x
______
Ooh, great timing. I made your Pamela Druckerman cake only yesterday (it was great; it’s all gone!) Now to try this version..
Welcome to Ireland. I love your simple, less fussy approach to cooking on this blog. make sure you visit some farmers markets and try out some of our freshest and finest food while you are here.
Made this as soon as I could get to the oven. I think you have just created the world’s most perfect cake. Favourite ingredients, quick as a flash to make. Teenage boys inhaling it as I type. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
I was looking for a simple almond meal blueberry recipe and I found yours-
I absolutely love the results! I am new to baking and to almond meal so I appreciate the simplicity and deliciousness of this cake!
I added a little bit of cocoa to my cake and it made it taste a little bit chocolaty
you rule!
Hi Jules,
I’m a big fan of your website and Pamela’s book!
My 4-year old son and I made this cake yesterday and it was such a success with all of us! Thank you for the healthier adaptation! The ground almonds actually improve the taste and the texture (not to mention the gi!)
Look forward to more interesting posts from you.
Irina
Wonder whether kefir can work a yogurt substitute. Any idea? Thanks!
Tofu can be used as a substitute for yoghurt, cream, sour cream etc. You just whizz it up with a blender and add a little water if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Tofutti makes a delicious product called “Better Than Cream Cheese” but I haven’t used it in baking, yet. Hope this helps.
Thx Peggy!
I just made this and had to substitute plain flour for half the almond meal as I didn’t have enough (assuming it would be ok from your notes at the end), and it was terrible, sorry! Flat, dense and flavourless. I weighed everything and followed the recipe but yikes – maybe it needs more baking powder or self-raising flour instead if you’re going to substitute?? 50g sugar doesn’t seem like enough either.
I put in some chia seeds and a bit of plain flour to get the texture that I was after. Thanks for this recipe I can taste the goodness!
Glad you were happy Sami!
I just made the cake almond yugart and blueberry I used sour cream it’s very yummy
Love the idea of using sour cream Lisa!
Hi Jules,
I was wondering if I could use coconut flour instead of almond meal?
Thank you so much,
Tina
You could but you’d need to reduce the amount of flour and increase the liquid because coconut flour works in a completely different way Tina – so unless you’re experienced in converting I wouldn’t do it :)