This lovely, moist, and tender cake has a delicate flavour. It is effortless to make, and the combination of yoghurt, blueberries, and coconut perfectly complements each other. The blueberry compote is divine!

Praia de Aguda

Every two weeks for my weekly shop, I drive a little further to a health food store north of where I live. It takes me through the Sintra mountain along narrow, windy, tree-lined roads; then, it opens into a broader, flatter landscape with warmer temperatures. I arrive at a sweet health food store called Ideal in a little village named Janas. I like this place as they offer vegetable seedlings, and the vegetables and fruits are abundant and fresh, newly picked from their garden. After finishing my shop, I continue up the road towards the sea, park my car and walk down the steps towards the beach. This car park and beach are busy on the weekend, but on weekdays, there is nobody, especially on cloudy days. Sometimes, I go just for the sunset, which is especially magical when the mist rolls off the ocean.

 

Lemon coconut cake with blueberry compote

recipe inspired by Nigella Lawson.

preparation 45 minutes

makes 8 – 12 slices

tools – 1 x 9-inch springform cake pan (can be made in an 8-inch)

cake

1 cup/120g white spelt flour

¾ cup/100g whole spelt flour

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

¼ tsp fine rock salt

⅔ cup/130g coconut or vegetable oil

¾ cup/150g light brown sugar

1 cup/220g thick coconut milk (see note below)

2 lemons, zested

3 Tbsp/35g lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

blueberry compote

1 cup/130g blueberries

1 Tbsp/12g lemon juice

1 Tbsp/12g light brown sugar

3 Tbsp/35g + 1½ tsp cold water – divided

1½ tsp cornflour 

icing

1 cup/250g  thick vegan Greek yoghurt or milk-based Greek yoghurt 

1 tsp vanilla extract or scrap the seeds from a vanilla pod

¼ cup/35g icing sugar

preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease the sides and base of a springform cake tin and line with baking paper.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. In another bowl, whisk the oil, sugar and coconut milk together, followed by the zest, juice and vanilla extract.
  4. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, whisking to combine, then pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool completely.

blueberry compote

  1. Put the blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, and 3 Tbsp water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer, stirring now and then, for a few minutes until the blueberries have softened.
  2. Remove from heat; mix the cornflour with the remaining 1½ tsp water in a small cup and stir this paste into the blueberries. Return to heat and stir gently for 30 seconds; the sauce will bubble and thicken. Pour the compote into a bowl to cool. It will set once cold.

icing

  1. Mix the yoghurt and vanilla, sieve the icing sugar over the yoghurt and stir to combine.

assemble

  1. Turn the cake over (so the underneath is now on top) onto a plate. Place most of the icing on top of the cake. Spread out and bring a small amount down the sides, evenly scraping so that you can see some of the cake through the icing (sides only.) Decorate with lemon zest, thyme, and blueberries. Dust the blueberries with icing sugar. Slice and spoon with a generous amount of the blueberry compote. If not served immediately, the cake can be refrigerated until ready. 

tip

Don’t shake the tin of coconut milk; try to get as much of the thick, creamy part as possible, and purchase a better-quality can to ensure thick milk.