With summer and temperatures soaring, many Brits are heading out into the garden and enjoying a barbecue in the sun.
After a few sausages and a barbecue burger, there’s nothing better than a sweet treat.
Rather than searching for ice cream or making a tedious pavlova, you can try making Nigella Lawson’s ‘easy’ lemon cake with blueberry compote.
The food writer said of the recipe on her website: “This cake has a miraculous texture – almost like a super-airy fluffy pancake – and a delicate flavour; it’s lemony rather than tingly.
“And even though there is coconut milk in the cake, it translates into sweetness rather than tropical exuberance.
“Even though it’s a three-way affair, it’s ridiculously simple to make: the perfect pudding when friends come over for dinner.”
The recipe, from Nigella’s book À MY TABLE, serves eight to 12 people and can be cooked in 30 minutes.
How to make Nigella Lawson’s lemon cake with blueberry compote
Ingredients
For the cake:
225 grams of plain flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
Half a teaspoon of baking soda
Half teaspoon of fine sea salt
150 milliliters of vegetable oil (more for greasing)
150 grams of powdered sugar
275 grams of coconut milk (see recipe introduction)
Two unwaxed lemons (finely grated zest, plus 3 tablespoons (15 ml) of juice)
A teaspoon of vanilla extract
For the compote:
150 grams of blueberries
A 15 ml tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
A 15 ml tablespoon of caster sugar
1½ teaspoons corn flour
For garnish :
250 grams of coconut milk yogurt
A teaspoon of vanilla extract
2½ teaspoons icing sugar
Method
1. First, preheat the oven to 180°C, grease the sides and line the bottom of a 20cm springform cake tin or an eight inch springform cake tin.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
3. In a large pitcher or bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar and coconut milk, before adding the lemon zest and juice and vanilla extract.
4. Then pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix with a whisk before pouring everything into the cake mold. Bake for 30 to 25 minutes or until cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake bake in a pan before removing it. It may leak but that’s normal.
5. Now it’s time to prepare the compote. First, put the blueberries, lemon juice, caster sugar and 50ml / 3 tbsp cold water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower the pan and simmer, stirring gently, for a few minutes until the blueberries are soft.
6. Remove the pan from the heat. Mix the corn flour with 1.5 teaspoons of cold water in another cup until thickened. Add this blueberry paste and mix. Return it to the heat for 30 seconds or until the sauce thickens. Add more water if it has become too thick. Once prepared, pour it into a small heatproof pitcher to cool.
7. Now it’s time to assemble the cake. To do this, first remove the cake from the cake pan and invert it onto a plate or stand.
8. Mix the coconut milk yogurt and vanilla and pour the icing sugar into a strainer before sprinkling it over the yogurt mixture. Spread the filling on the cake. Pour the compote over it and serve immediately.
