April 6, 2018

Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Cake —the 100th post!

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets 100th post, arándanos, cake, celebration, Meyer lemon, milestone

And with this one, I reached 100 posts. 100 recipes! I find it hard to believe, it has been such a joy to write all these posts and recipes, cooking and baking and enjoying every dish. A cake was in order for such milestone, and I chose this Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Cake.

My friend Shelby once asked me if I would run out of recipes to make, and I very convincingly said no way! There are so many dishes I still want to cook, and share.  I have enjoyed writing about Spain, and about Valencia and Onteniente, and the culture and history of my homeland, as well as the rumblings in my head, including my own children and our family life, and even other subjects like the women’s movement. Thank you for allowing me to do this, for reading what I write and cooking the recipes. I hope you continue to be there for 100 more posts, and beyond. I promise I’ll continue to be there too, and please let me know through your comments when I start to bore you or disappoint you. Nothing farther from my intentions! Let me know what you want to see more of, or read about, and I’ll do my best to do it.

So, like every birthday, and especially the big ones, this one, the 100th, comes with a cake, and very timely, too, as we celebrate Easter! It’s a delicious blueberry and Meyer lemon cake. Have you ever tried Meyer lemons? I love to smell them when I peel them, its an aroma that reminds me of the candy of my childhood, I don’t know how to explain it -maybe we grow Meyer lemon trees in Spain, but call them by a different name, who knows! When I peel one, I almost want to rub the peel against my wrists, like perfume, to carry that aroma around.

This cake is a bit elaborate, I won’t kid you, but it’s totally worth it. Good news, though, is that you can make it in stages, over a few days, and assemble it on the day you want to have it. The blueberry sauce is very easy to make, and you can make it days in advance and keep it in the fridge. You can also make the cakes, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze them until ready to use, or leave them at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, if you’ll assemble the cake the next day. The cream cheese frosting can also be kept in the fridge for a couple of days, and then bring it to room temperature before using.

Assembling the cake is not hard, although as you can see, I am not great at slicing the cakes, ha ha! I’m sure there are tricks and tools to use, I simply use a long bread knife, and the result is what you see. But any errors are easy to correct, as this cake is very forgiving, using the fresh blueberries and the liberally applied frosting to hide any imperfections. Thank you again for being there during these first 100 posts, I am very thankful for your support.

Thank you for your comments, and for subscribing to Mama Ía blog. And if you do like the blog, please share it with your friends! I promise there’ll always be a dish you are dying to make, or to eat! You can also follow my Facebook page @mamaiablog and Instagram @natachasanzcaballero, where you can find many other dishes I cook that are not in the blog, as well as stories of life and travel. From the bottom of my heart ❤️

 

BLUEBERRY AND MEYER LEMON CAKE

Tarta de Arándanos y Limón Meyer

Lemon Cake    (makes 2 8-inch round layers)

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

3/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 tsp Meyer lemon zest

1 Tbs pure vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 pint blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter 2, 8-inch pans and line them with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust with flour. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, egg yolks, cream, buttermilk, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Add the butter one piece at a time, beating until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Slowly add half the wet ingredients. Increase the speed to medium and beat until incorporated. Lower the speed again and add the rest of the wet ingredients, beating until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat for another minute or so. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, tapping them gently on the counter to help release any large air bubbles. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Turn the cakes over onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, and let cool completely before frosting.

Blueberry Sauce  (makes about 1 1/2 cups)

1 pint blueberries

1 cup granulated sugar

Juice of one Meyer lemon

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries burst and start to release their juices. Raise the heat to medium-high and boil until it thickens, 6-7 minutes. Pass the sauce through a sieve or food mill to remove the skins. Chill before using.

Meyer Lemon Frosting

3/4 cup Meyer lemon juice

3 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

3/4 cup sugar

A pinch fine salt

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup whipping cream

Combine the lemon juice, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt in a stainless steel bowl that will rest securely over a pot with about 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat and stir the mixture until it thickens, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn the heat off and remove the bowl from over the simmering water. Let the mixture cool down, stirring from time to time. Cut butter into tablespoon-size pieces. Transfer the lemon cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and, adding 1 tablespoon of butter at a time, blend after each addition until all the butter is incorporated. The cream will be pale yellow and quite thick. Store in the fridge to chill. In the bowl of a stand mixer (very clean and chilled), whip the cream and fold it gently into the lemon cream.                  

                     To Assemble the Cake

Using a large serrated knife (a bread knife), cut the rounded top of each cake horizontally to make them flat. Then split each cake horizontally in half, making 4 total cake layers. Place one cake layer onto a serving platter or pedestal and use an offset spatula to spread about 1/2 cup of frosting on the cake, making it a bit thicker at the edges (you can use a pastry bag and nozzle if this makes it easier). Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of blueberry sauce over the frosting and spread about 1/4 cup fresh blueberries.

Place a second cake layer on top and repeat the process with the next layers of cake. Make sure the last layer is placed upside down (with the flat side facing up so the top of the cake will be flat and crumb free). Cover the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Add a second, heavier coat of frosting on the top and sides of the cake, smoothing with an offset spatula or wide blade.

To finish, spread some fresh blueberries and Meyer lemon peel strips on top. Refrigerate.