Coconut, Almond and Blueberry Cake | Gratitude Cake

This post is about gratitude. Instead of writing a thank you note. I do what I do best—bake a cake. A gift-worthy cake is the delivery vehicle. This coconut, almond and blueberry cake is the synthesis of a list of superfood: coconut, almond and blueberry. You want to bake a cake with care and attention while using the finest ingredients for the people whom you owe a debt of gratitude.

I’m starting a new list of gratitude cakes. These are the requirements: super ingredients using pantry staples, easy to make ahead, packable, travels well, can be eaten warm or cold, attractive visual appeal, and nourishing. This is the first of the kind of gratitude cakes. Looking back on older blog posts, a similarly delightful cake instantly comes to mind: Rosemary, olive oil and orange cake. The search is on.

Instead of using a 9-inch pan, I used two mini springform pans. Contrary to the belief mini cakes will take less time to bake, it is not really the case. Since there is less batter in the pan, the cakes should bake faster. However, the cakes are taller. I kept on inserting toothpicks into the cakes to ensure they were fully baked (the toothpicks should come out clean). They took a full 45-50 minutes to bake.

This recipe comes from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Sweet. It is very straightforward to do and is friendly to bakers of all levels. Get one bowl for the dry ingredients: almond meal, shredded coconut, sugar, flour and salt. Gluten-free flour can be substituted in this recipe, without much ill effects, because very little flour is needed. There is just enough flour (70 grams) to offset the juiciness of the blueberries.

Put eggs, lightly whisked, in a second bowl. Combine the eggs with the rest of the wet ingredients: melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Pour the wet ingredients and combine them with the dry ingredients. Then fold in the blueberries. Transfer the batter in one or two well-greased and lined cake pans. (The well-greased part is important to ease the final unmolding.) Sprinkle the last of the blueberries on top, along with sliced almonds. Bake for about 45-55 minutes in a 350°F oven.

I did not taste the coconut, almond and blueberry cake. Didn’t want to take a bite, for obvious reasons: it was meant to be wrapped, not eaten. Boy, was I tempted!  The smell was unbelievable. Ottolenghi’s recipes always deliver. I’ve baked enough of his recipes to be highly confident of their superior outcomes. No matter what, I’ll embrace for all that it is and be grateful!

“What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” – Brene Brown

Bake a cake

Practice gratitude

Print Recipe

Coconut, Almond and Blueberry Cake

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients

• 200g / 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, then set aside to come to room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 180g / 180 grams almond meal
• 60g / 2/3 cup shredded coconut
• 250g 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 70g / 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• finely grated zest of 2 lemons (2 tsp)
• 200g / 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries
• 20g / 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

1

Grease and line a 9-inch/ 23cm round cake tin. Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C.

2

Place the almonds, coconut, sugar, flour and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk to aerate and remove the lumps.

3

Place the eggs in a separate medium bowl and whisk lightly. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest and whisk again until well combined. Pour this into the dry mix and whisk to combine. Fold in 150g of the blueberries, then pour the mixture into the baking pan. Sprinkle the last of the blueberries on top along with the sliced almonds and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Keep a close eye on it towards the end of cooking: the large number of eggs in the mix means that it can go from still being a little bit liquid in the centre to being well cooked in just a few minutes.

4

Set aside for 30 minutes before inverting out of the tin, removing the baking parchment and placing the cake the right way up on a serving plate. It can either be served warm with cream or set aside until cool.

5

This will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminium foil. It also freezes well for up to a month.

Notes

Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's Sweet. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-4884876/How-sweet-Coconut-almond-blueberry-cake.html