I find that when I get one, as good as it may be, I make one or two recipes and on the shelf it goes. I have no idea why because they are all filled with a lot more than two fabulous recipes. It’s like the new updated gadget comes out, the old one gets shelved even though it’s still in perfect working condition.
So I’ve been combing through them page by page on my lunch hour at work and at home in the evenings. First, for recipes to spotlight these blueberries, and second, to look at photographs.
When I took the online CreativeLIVE Food Photography Course with Penny De Los Santos a few weeks ago, she repeatedly advised that aspiring and experienced food photographers should always be looking for inspiration. In books, in magazines, anywhere there is a food photograph, study it and use it to inspire your own ideas. That tip really stuck with me so I’ve been trying to incorporate picture study-time on a regular basis.
In the process I found an almond cake I wanted to try last year, but never got around to it. It comes from Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff which I reviewed last year. It remains one of my favorite books because while it focuses on canning it is filled with recipes for entrees and desserts as well.
So I took the cake as a guide, used my favorite sugars and flours, added a little, took a little away and ended up with this Blueberry Almond Cake.
I was incredibly happy with the result. The cake is sweet and slightly nutty and the berries add just a little tartness. It’s a bit of a cross between a dessert cake and a coffee cake. I only view that as a bonus because once again, cake for breakfast!
- 1 cup raw, unsalted almonds
- ¾ cup evaporated cane or raw sugar plus 1 tbsp and some for sprinkling (I use Demerara)
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoons fine ground sea salt
- 4 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch spring-form pan.
- In a food processor, process the almonds and 1 tablespoon of the sugar until they are finely ground, somewhat close in consistency to a coarse flour.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
- To the bowl of an electric mixer, add the eggs and ¾ cup of sugar. Using the whisk attachment, beat for about 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Mix in the almond extract.
- Slowly alternate adding the butter and flour mixture, blending after each addition just until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Evenly distribute the blueberries on top of the cake, gently pressing each into the batter. Sprinkle on 1 to 2 teaspoons of raw sugar.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the sides pull away from the pan. Place on a cooling rack and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the spring-form pan and cool to room temperature.
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What a great way to celebrate blueberries. This cake looks like it tastes incredible.
Almonds & blueberries are so good together! That looks like a perfect snack for fika.
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one with a stack of cookbooks that haven’t been used. I have high hopes in the beginning, going through and marking the recipes I want to try but then, like you, I make 1 or 2 while it’s on my radar and I suddenly get distracted with something else. I did something similar to you a while back and took a cookbook to work and then made my weekly menu based on it. I haven’t been back to that cookbook since but at least I feel like I used it.
This blueberry cake is going on my list for sure! Yum!!
What kind of lens do you use for your food pictures?
I need to focus on some of my cookbooks that I so often forget about…they need attention too! 🙂
This looks so light and moist. The blueberries pop so well too. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
First the photograph was awesome, the slice of cake sucked me in!
Second, I challenge folks to come up with a better combo than almond and blueberry. I just scored a big batch of blueberries, so if I can find the time, this is definitely on my list of must makes. What a treat.
This looks stunning, i love your ‘real’ ingredients. I love to browse through my cookbooks too, i find that if the first couple of recipes i cook are good more will get tried but if they are not so good on the shelf it goes!
Although I’m disappointed that you didn’t choose the cinnamon rolls, I’m kind of glad you didn’t. 🙂 This looks delicious! What is the substitution ration you use for raw sugar vs. regular sugar?
Eliana – It definitely put them in the spotlight. 🙂
kat – Yay! Fika for me. Glad I could have my own in this little corner of the world! 🙂
Danielle – Great idea with basing a weekly menu on one!
Emily – For most, I use Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM. The 50mm doesn’t have an automatic stabilizer and it’s much better when used on a tripod so I’ll also us my Canon EF-S 18mm-200mm Zoom lens for overhead shots because it’s easier work with from that angle.
Cassie – Thanks! Glad you liked it.
OysterCulture – Thanks! Not a bad deal with those berries. Enjoy!
muppy – Thanks!
Mindy – Ha, ha! I was planning to get to those, but I’m not sure the berries are going to last long enough. 🙂 For this recipe, the ratio is the same. You can sub white sugar and flour as they are listed in the recipe.
We’ve been getting blueberries in our CSA lately, and loving them! Definitely going to be bookmarking this cake because it sounds delicious – and the perfect thing to have for breakfast =)
looks deliciously moist! nice shots!
Beautiful cake–it looks so moist and perfect!
😉
I made the blueberry cake this morning for breakfast and it was a big hit! I made a few substitutions to clean it up a bit. I used almond meal instead of grinding the almonds, 1/3C honey for the sugar, 2 eggs + 2T flaxseed mixed with 6T warm water instead of 4 eggs, and 1/2C melted coconut butter in place of the 3/4 C butter. I will be making this again for sure!
Love the blueberry almond combo. Can’t wait to try this.
Peggy – Yes, you can’t go wrong with cake for breakfast!
MrsLavendula – Thanks!
Deb – Thanks!
Paige – I guess cleaning is in the eye of the blogger and baker. Glad you found a version you like. Sounds good!
Food Hunter – I’m surprised at how well the blueberry almond combo went over. It ended up being great together! Hope you like it.
Just found your site. I’ll be trying this out as soon as blueberries start popping up at our farmer’s market.But strawberries are in full force, wonder if that work work just as well.
I am horrible for buying what I deem awesome cookbooks, and then not even making a single recipe from them. I browse them, get inspired, but forget to go back and actually make those recipes that drew me to the book in the first place. And regardless of how many resolutions I make to cook from my cookbooks more often, I always fail.