Remember the small cookbook magazines that would be in the checkout lines at grocery stores? You know, the ones your mom or grandma has a stack of. All from butter companies and flour companies and whatnot. The internet seems to have killed those off. Well, this recipe started off as one of those. Then, decades later, I converted it to be vegan and gluten free and put it on my website. And I’m sure decades from now, a new version will be uploaded into people’s neural link as they float around in a vat of goo and do karate in the Matrix. At least that’s how I think it went. I’m not sure if I ever made it through the last one.
Anyway, this recipe is pretty straightforward. Combine the dry ingredients, beat the butter and sugar, add your egg substitute, alternate the dry and sour cream, top with the blueberries and bake. That alternating step is incredibly common in cake and coffee cake recipes, whether it’s alternating between dry and liquids, or dry and sour cream. You don’t need to measure the proportions out, just add a third of the dry and mix. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl down. Add half the sour cream and mix. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl down. Repeat until you have everything in and combined. Once you get used to the pattern, it becomes second nature. Doing it this way insures everything gets evenly blended together. Try it! You’ll like it!
If you want to do a half sized recipe, use a 6″ springform pan. If you’re saying to yourself, “But half of a recipe for a 9″ pan would call for a 4.5″ pan!” you need to realize #1 there is no such thing as a 4.5″ inch pan and #2 that’s not how math works. Remember how to calculate the area of a circle? From geometry class, when you thought to yourself that you would never need any of that knowledge? Well, the day you never thought you would see is here. The area of a 9″ circle is 63.6″, the area of a 6″ circle is 28.3″. So a little less than half, but close enough that the cake will be almost the same thickness. Same thickness equals similar baking times and bake, which is always a good thing.
Drizzle it with icing after it cools off and enjoy!
Blueberry Brunch Cake (Vegan and Gluten Free)
Ingredients
CAKE
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup non-dairy butter (1 stick)
- 2 tsp grated lemon zest
- 1 flax egg (1 TB ground flax + 3 TB warm water)
- 1/2 cup + 5 tsp oat flour 72 grams
- 1/3 cup +6 tsp tapioca starch 54 grams
- 1/3 cup white rice flour 54 grams
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 TB poppy seeds (optional)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup non-dairy sour cream
FILLING
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp flour (1 tsp oat flour +1 tsp white rice flour combined)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
ICING
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tsp warm water
Instructions
- For the cake, combine flours, poppy seeds, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine and set aside. In a separate cup or bowl, mix flax meal and hot water to make egg substitute. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat first amount of sugar with non-dairy butter. Once combined and fluffy, add flax egg and lemon zest. Beat until combined and fluffy.
- Add approximately 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix on low, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add half of the sour cream. Mix on low, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat this process until all ingredients are combined.
- In a separate bowl, toss blueberries with sugar, flour and nutmeg until they are coated.
- In a well oiled springform pan, spread cake batter on bottom and slightly up the sides. Pour blueberry mixture into the middle. Blueberries should not be touching the pan, just the batter.
- Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 45-55 minutes. Cake should be golden brown, pulling away from the sides of the pan and slightly springy to the touch.
- When cake cools, carefully remove from springform. Combine powdered sugar and warm water until desired icing consistency is reached. Drizzle over cake and serve.
