It is funny, these days I feel like I have so much to say but can never quite put down in words what is in my head. I used to be able to open up my blog post and things just flowed. This year, not the case. I just don’t know where to start or how to express things. I guess this is how other people are feeling too? I hope I am not alone in the fuzziness that is 2020? For now, all I can do is write the first thing that comes to mind, a little bit like how I cook these days. If it pops up in my thoughts and I have the ingredients, I’ll make it.
This morning all I could think about was the lone lemon that has been sitting in my fridge for the last week, getting slightly more shriveled by the day, and decided to make my lemon and blueberry loaf. It is so simple to make and a really tasty treat. I tend not to make lemony cakes very often, in fact I usually made them for my Grandmother who passed away last November at the age of 105. Since then, I haven’t had much excuse to make anything with lemon in it. My sister is allergic to citrus and over the years, I adapted my cooking in case she came over. Similar to how I use salt in cooking. With my dad’s no salt diet, we taught ourselves how to get flavour without using salt and I no longer use salt without a good reason. But with the current situation with Covid and winter setting in, I am craving salty lemony goodness all the time. And today was no different, I needed a pick me up in an emotional kind of way. So after this mornings pier walk, I came back and whipped up this cake for a post work/creche treat with Grandma who will visit tonight. I just felt like I needed some cake. I will be surprised if there is any left over to give to my tiny human and his Grandmother, as I seem to be munching my way through it rather too quickly.
- 150 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 150 g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 160 g or a heaped cup of natural Greek yogurt
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste
- 225 g self raising flour sieved
- 125 frozen blueberries, fresh is fine too
THE HOW
Heat the oven to 160o C and line a loaf tin with parchment.
In a large bowl, place the sugar, yogurt, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and melted butter, whisk until pale and fluffy. I like using vanilla bean paste as you can see the dots of vanilla running through the mix. But you can use good vanilla extract too.
Next add in the flour (sieved so there are no lumps) and gently mix until all the flour is combined.
Tip in your blueberries and gently stir again.
Pour into your loaf tin and top with extra berries if you have them. Pop into the oven for around 45 minutes. It should rise nicely and go golden brown on top. Test to see if it is done is by inserting a skewer, if it comes out clean then it is cooked.
Cool in the tin.
Kitchen Feasts 
The texture on this cake looks wonderful!