Eggless Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Cream

I baked a version of this lush blueberry lemon cake with eggs for book club a few weeks ago. It must have looked good because soon after, Mufasa put in a last minute request to bring one to "food day" at work. Wondering what all the hype is about, Roo's been clamoring for an egg-free version for weeks. Without further ado....

Roo's Eggless Lemon Blueberry Cake!

That's three times in three weeks! Given the rate at which it's being requested, I'm most grateful that this sweet tart little beaut is not only quick to whip up, but as I've discovered through rampant experimentation, a most forgiving and versatile recipe.

See how the berries formed a layer at the bottom of the cake in the photo above? The key difference I noted between my egg-free version and the original, is that the blueberries tend to sink more in the eggless version, making it imperative that your pan is well-greased, floured, and lined with parchment. Consider yourself warned. Otherwise, bake on with abandon. But don't get too comfortable. Chances are good you're going to be baking this one on instant repeat.

Eggless Blueberry Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream
adapted from TheKitchn.com

For the cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
4 tbsp (1/2 a stick) of butter
1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (or vanilla or lemon Greek yogurt)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tbsp turbinado sugar

For the lemon cream

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup lemon flavored Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a round 9" cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment. Grease the parchment. Flour the bottom and sides of the pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.

Put the granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest and use your fingers to massage the zest into the sugar. This is favorite kid job, that is, a job that kids tend to favor,as opposed to a job for your favorite kid. Just make sure your help has clean hands. 

Add the butter and beat with an electric mixer for a few minutes until the mixture is pale yellow, light and fluffy. Don't forget to scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl. Add the vanilla, yogurt, and buttermilk and beat until everything is well combined.

Add half the flour mixture and beat gently until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of your bowl, add the remaining flour mixture and beat again until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Scatter the berries evenly over the top. Sprinkle the top of the cake with turbinado sugar.

Bake 25-30 minutes until nicely browned on top and set in the center. If the top of the cake starts to get too brown before the center is set, cover the cake with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and cool 10-15 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack, carefully remove the parchment paper, and cool completely.

To make the lemon cream, pour the whipping cream into a medium bowl. Whip with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.

Add the yogurt and beat again until you have a luxuriously thick, creamy topping.

 Slice the cake and serve with a dip fat dollop of lemon cream.

Natural Easter Egg Dye

We've been cutting back on processed meats and nitrates, trying to keep the meat we do eat organic, and incorporating lots of colorful fruits and vegetables in our diets every day. We try to limit potentially carcinogenic food dyes found in so many processed foods including mac and cheese but don't let me kid you. Our eating habits are far from perfect. Ice cream for breakfast, anyone?

In a continuing effort to do more good than harm, I thought we'd jump on the bandwagon by way of natural Easter egg dyes this year.

Nice, right? 

I have to confess I bought a back-up package of PAAS because I wasn't sure how the troops were going to react to the idea soaking for hours only to end up with muddier, less vibrant hues. I shouldn't have worried. They had so much fun mixing up their potions and checking up on their eggs over the course of the day, they almost forgot all about the fizzy Paas tablets. Almost.

As for hard boiling eggs, there are all sorts of tips and tricks out there for avoiding the dreaded green ring around the yolk, making the eggs easier to peel, etc. The way I see it, if anyone knows how to properly hard boil an egg, it's Martha. So here's a recap of her drill.

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
courtesy of Martha Stewart

1 dozen eggs
Large stock pot
water

Allow the eggs to come to (or close to) room temperature. Place them in a heavy bottomed, large stock pot. Cover the eggs with an inch or 2 of cold water. Heat to a boil slowly, over medium heat. Once the water boils, remove the pot from heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes.

After 12 minutes, rinse the eggs under cold water in a colander for several minutes until cool.

Now your ready to start mixing your dyes!

Natural Egg Dye (Blue)

1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Combine the water, vinegar, and blueberries in a medium bowl. Use a masher, muddler, or wooden spoon to mash the berries. Let sit for 15-20 minutes, then strain out the berries through a fine sieve, reserving the liquid dye.

How long you soak your eggs will depend on the vibrancy of your berries and the color you want to achieve. We soaked our blue eggs for nearly 5 hours to get the color you see in the photos. 

 Natural Egg Dye (Yellow)

1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp ground tumeric

Combine the water, vinegar, and tumeric. Stir well.

 Natural Egg Dye (Orange)

1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp ground paprika

Combine the water, vinegar, and paprika. Stir well. 

With these dyes like many others, the longer you soak, the darker your eggs will get. We soaked our yellow egg in the tumeric dye for about 2 hours to achieve the lovely golden hue you see here. The blueberry and paprika dyes took longer - about 4-5 hours each. You can always stick them in the fridge to soak if they're taking a while and check up on them periodically until you like what you see.

Overall, the natural food dyes were a roaring success. The kids didn't mind the slightly duller colors (compared to the electrically bright PAAS) and really enjoyed mixing and smelling the dyes...especially the blueberry. Personally, I think these are much prettier than our neon eggs of years past. Next year we're prepared to go all out, nixing the tablets, and expanding our color palette with beets, onions, and green tea powder. Happy Easter!