Blueberry Poppy Seed Spring Cake

It was a beautiful and bright spring afternoon, my daughters were playing quietly and our home was uncommonly peaceful. It was my day off and I was lazily leafing through my dessert cookbooks, trying to find something to do with some fresh almond meal I had leftover. I stopped when I came across this sweet and uncomplicated recipe, and, knowing full well I have all the necessary ingredients, set about preparing the batter. Although the recipe originally called for raspberries, which I'm sure would have been just as delicious, I had blueberries on hand and used those instead.

My 3 year old daughter, who mostly prefers solitude and loves the outdoors, went to play outside as the cake was cooling on the table, and returned proudly displaying a jar full of cheery yellow dandelions she'd gathered. "For you, mama."

The cake cooled enough to eat, I poured a couple glasses of milk, and sliced into the delicate dessert. The blueberries had gently burst into the batter and become jam-like; the cake itself was light and airy. The air smelled of spring blooms and my daughters laughed at the powdered sugar on my nose.. and it was a perfect day.

Enjoy, friends.

Blueberry Poppy Seed Spring Cake

8 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup almond flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon poppy seeds 1 1/4 cup blueberries

2 large eggs

1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 tsp pure almond extract Zest and juice of one medium lemon

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper, then grease the bottom and all sides with a little butter. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, almond flour, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, add eggs, olive oil and the 1/2 cup of sugar. Whisk until the mixture is completely combined and homogeneous. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts.

4. Gently fold in the flour mixture, being sure not overmix (cake texture will be tough if over-mixed). Transfer batter to prepared cake pan, then top with blueberries and remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a baking rack and let it cool for 10 minutes, then gently remove cake from the cake pan and let it cool completely on the baking rack. Dust with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Enjoy.

This recipe was adapted from Julia Turshen's Small Victories