Blueberry Lemon Cake

Blueberries. In Michigan, we wait all winter this season and then pick berries till our freezers are full in hopes that we will have enough berries till the next year. Well, maybe not all Michiganders are as crazy as me. But it is hard not to be a little blueberry crazy when they are growing all around you in West Michigan. I also enjoy picking to connect to where my food is coming from and my Maker. There is something so simple, and so spiritual about growing, harvesting and eating the food that you worked the earth to gather. So, if it is mid-July, you can find me wandering my favorite local no-spray blueberry farms in West Michigan. Email me if you are looking for a Michigan no-spray fruit farm to get started.

I started last week and picked an average of 30 pounds a day and now have around 100 of pounds in the freezer and who knows how many fresh eaten pounds by my kiddos. Of course there were many picked for treats to enjoy the season, but the majority goes in the deep freeze to make it through the long winter.  This may seem a bit much, but between, cakes, crisps, muffins, smoothies and just eating them from the freezer, my family will eat them. I hoping we can make it to next spring with some remaining.

This cake was a little extra gift after a long picking day. You know me, I have a way of celebrating life and it's seasons with a little bit of cake. And when you have friends that ask and devour your experiments, well then, you really have no choice :)

Blueberry Lemon Cake Recipe

{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, nut and seeds, and refined sugar-free}

1 1/2 cup of finely ground certified gluten-free oat flour
1 cup of white rice flour
1/2 cup of tapioca flour
1 cup of coconut sugar
1 ts. of sea salt
1 ts. of baking soda
2 ts. of baking powder (I use the Hain brand so to avoid corn ingredients)
1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
1/2 cup of coconut milk beverage mixed with 2 TB. of apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice (juice from 2 lemons)
1/2 cup of melted organic coconut oil
zest from juice lemons, or 8-10 drops of Young Living essential Lemon oil 
or you can use 1-2 ts. of lemon flavoring which essentially contains the same oils but also mixed with another mixing oil. The zest alone does a good job of flavoring, but I think the oils add just the right amount of lemony flavor

1 1/2 cup of fresh picked blueberries (or you can use frozen here as well)

First grind your GF flours and mix well with all the other dry ingredients. Then mix in the wet ingredients, and lastly the warmed oils and lemon oils. Mix well and you will start to see the lemon juice and baking powder do it's work and make the better poof up a bit. Fold down and then mix in the fresh berries, but making sure to not over mix and break in the berries.

Pour in a coconut oiled baking pan. I baked mine in a bundt or angel food cake pan. But you could also make this in a 9x9 circle or square pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until it is no longer wet and giggling. The cake should show a clean toothpick from the middle of the cake and firm, but soft. no wetness. Pull from the oven and let it cool completely.

The frost your cake with the following:

Honey Lemon Cream Frosting Recipe
1/2 cup of room temperature soft but NOT liquid coconut oil
1/3 cup of pure local honey
2-3 TB of fresh lemon juice plus 6-8 drops of essential lemon oil or lemon oil flavoring
pinch of good sea salt

Whip up the ingredients with a fork in a bowl, DO NOT over mix because it will soften too much. Then just whisk and spread on the completely cooled cake. Then top with another cup of fresh blueberries and more lemon zest for color and flavor.

 

Now you are ready to make this cake happen in your life. I made it without eggs, dairy, and gluten and not to mention toxic sugar, nuts, seeds and soy so that everyone in the family (and friends) could enjoy. Some days, well lets be honest, most days are incredibly hard having to eat a special diet or have limited options because of health issues, butt this cake is here to say, "This ones for you, baby!" So get your big girl panties and apron on and make this divine cake and feel the love!

Much love and grace and peace, my friends!