September 19, 2014

change with paste – blueberry almond cake

breakfast/afternoon tea, cakes, fruit, nuts
change with paste – blueberry almond cake

I said goodbye to summer in my last post and thought I’d be ready to move on into the Fall . . . not quite so, as it turns out. The weather may have cooled, but produce at the Farmer’s Market stated that summer was holding on.

Zucchini, tomatoes, corn, berries, and peaches were still going strong. Even beloved Tri-star strawberries were available.

I baked this Blueberry Almond Cake for several reasons. I wanted to hold on to the fond memories of our summer trip in Maine. With the more moderate daytime temperatures, I could keep the oven on for a longer period, thus the bundt. The main reason, though, was inspired by Jackie, my friend and food posse sister. She posted an incredibly gorgeous loaf cake with chunks of almond paste during her trip to Canada this summer.

I’m a huge fan of almond paste and am always looking for new ways to incorporate it into my desserts. Since Jackie professed that the cake was decadent yet worthy of the caloric intake, I took the cue and baked something of my own. As the cool evening breeze brushes our cheeks, this cake is great way to welcome fall with summer swirled into it.

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Print Recipe

Blueberry Almond Cake

Yield: one 12-cup bundt cake

Ingredients:

Blueberry Filling
  • 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon low sugar pectin (Sure-Jell/pink box)
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 cup (4-1/2 ounces) fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Cake
  • 3 cups (15 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 cup almond paste, cut into chunks, ranges from 1/2-1-inch
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 3/4 cup (6-1/4 ounces) buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon rose water (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 18 tablespoons (9 ounces/2-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, room temperature
  • Blueberry Filling, recipe above
 Blueberry Almond Glaze and Assembly
  • 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
  • 2 teaspoons Armaretto (almond liquor)
  • 2 teaspoons buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1-1/2 cup (6 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

Blueberry Filling

1. Whisk sugar, sure-jell, and salt together in small saucepan. Process blueberries in blender until mostly smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer 1/4 cup pureé and zest to saucepan with sugar mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. Bring mixture to simmer over medium heat, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently to dissolve pectin and sugar. Transfer mixture to medium bowl, add remaining pureé and lemon juice, whisk to combine. Let sit until slightly set, 8-10 minutes.

Cake

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325℉. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Combine 1/4 cup of flour and almond paste chunks, toss to coat, set aside. Whisk remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom together in large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, lemon juice, extracts and rose water (if use) together, set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix lemon zest and sugar with fingers tips until it fragrant. Add butter and beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to medium, add eggs and yolk, one a t a time, until incorporated.

3. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture (in 2 additions), beginning and ending with dry ingredients, and beating in each addition until barely combined. After final flour addition, add almond paste mixture and beat on low until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and finish folding batter with rubber spatula to fully combine. Let batter sit for 15-20 minutes.

4. Spoon half of batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Using back of spoon, create 1/2-inch-deep channel in center of batter (batter should push up sides of pan slightly). Spoon half of filling into channel. Using small offset spatula, gently swirl filling into batter using figure-8 motion, being careful not to drag filling to bottom or edges of pan. Repeat steps with remaining batter and filling.

5. Bake until top is golden brown and wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into center comes out with no crumbs attached, 45-55 minutes. Cool cake in pan on wire rack set over baking sheet for 10 minutes, then invert cake directly onto rack.

Blueberry Almond Glaze and Assembly

1. While cake is cooling, combine all ingredients except confectioners’ sugar into a blender and puree until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar in several additional and blend until smooth and creamy.

2. Pour glaze over top of cake, sprinkle toasted slivered almond on top and continue to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
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breakfast/afternoon tea, cakes, fruit, nuts
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