Blueberry lemon einkorn cake is nutrition packed, and a great option for gluten-sensitive or GMO conscious people.
What is Einkorn Flour?
Einkorn is an ancient grain flour that has more protein, fiber, and vitamins than traditional wheat flour. The flour is easy to substitute in any recipe. It uses the same proportions as the bleached ultra-processed stuff you can buy everywhere. I love to bake, and I am always looking for ways to make my favorite desserts more nutritious. This is a simple swap that is easier to digest than traditional wheat because of its weak gluten. Many gluten-sensitive people can eat Einkorn flour.
Why Use Einkorn Flour?
I have noticed that the food I make with Einkorn is more flavorful than those made with traditional white flour. I am not a fan of wheat flour because it can changes the consistency and taste of baked goods, and not in a way I enjoy. This flour has the same soft pillowy texture of its white flour counterpart, and is a great way to feel good about the baked goods you consume.
Where Can I Buy Einkorn Flour?
I like using Jovial Farms brand Einkorn because it is easy to find at my local grocery stores. This brand is also Organic, Non-GMO, and more. You can also purchase their flour online through their website, and through other retailers. I first tried Einkorn flour after hearing rave reviews from health conscious bloggers like Shaye Elliott and Lisa from Farmhouse on Boone. I think that the taste and nutrition you get from using this flour is well worth the extra cost.
Blueberry Lemon Einkorn Cake Ingredients
Another healthy swap I incorporated in this recipe is using honey instead of sugar where possible. I used this recipe from Jovial as a base. From there I tweaked it to include delicious fresh blueberries, natural sweetener, vanilla and salt to bring out the flavors. I substituted the lemon curd that is used in their recipe for blueberry preserves to amp up the fruity flavors. You could make this cake with other fruits as well by simply substituting the whole blueberries and preserves for slices strawberries, raspberries, banana, candied orange peels, and their accompanying preserves as filling. Get creative, and don’t be afraid to try something new!
How to Make Blueberry Lemon Einkorn Cake
Place 3 sticks or 22 tablespoons (308 g) of unsalted butter and 6 large eggs out of the fridge to bring them to room temperature. Butter creams together easily when softened, and eggs will also incorporate better into the batter if they are not cold. Preheat your oven to 350°F, making sure that the rack you are going to bake the cakes on is in the middle.
How to Butter and Flour the Pans
Next, we are going to butter and flour two 8 inch round cake pans. I take one of the sticks of butter I have softening, and use the tip to grease the bottom and sides of the pan. Then, I put about two tablespoons of flour into one pan. I twist, turn and tap it over the other pan so that the excess falls into it. Then, I pickup the other pan, and do the same, using the now floured pan to catch any excess. This way, I don’t make a mess, and I have less waste.
Combine the Dry Ingredients
Into a medium sized bowl, sift together 3 cups (360 g) of Einkorn flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of fine (very small grain) sea salt, and 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda. I’m going to let you in on a little secret here. Sometimes… I don’t sift together dry ingredients *gasp*. If you are like me for most of my life and don’t own a sifter, make sure to very thoroughly whisk together the ingredients. You DO NOT want a lump of baking powder or baking soda to stay a lump in your batter. This is because it is very salty, and will make for a nasty bite of cake. You could also use a fine mesh wire colander instead of a sifter if you have one.
Cream Butter and Sugar Together
Fit your stand mixer with a paddle attachment (the flat one that looks like a line drawing of a tree) or use a hand mixer. Cream together 1/2 cup (100 g) of granulated sugar and 16 tablespoons (224 g) unsalted butter. This is where the recipe really starts to differ from the Jovial version. You can use an alternative sugar here if you would like, such as coconut sugar. Creaming means whipping air into the butter until it is light and fluffy, and paler in color. Whip the butter and sugar on high speed, stopping every 30 seconds to scrape down the bowl and paddle attachment with a spatula. This is so that the butter stuck to the sides gets well incorporated.
Why Cream Butter and Sugar Together?
The butter and sugar cream together most effectively when the sugar is very fine. This cake is a bit denser than the original version because using less white sugar and substituting some honey will mean that the butter has not been as aerated. The point of creaming together butter and sugar is that the butter becomes fluffy, and adds structure to the cake, while the sugar crystals help to hold that structure in place. You could opt to substitute sugar entirely with honey, but you would have an even denser cake, more like pound cake. If you try it, let me know in the comments below.
Adding the Eggs- Why Add Eggs One at a Time?
Crack your six large eggs into a separate bowl, looking out for shell. Then, with your mixer running on medium speed, add one egg at a time, incorporating each egg completely and waiting 30 seconds before adding the next. The reason you add one egg at a time is because oil or fat and water like to avoid each other. The butter and egg yolk are made up of fats while the egg whites and some parts of the butter contain water. If you add the eggs all at once, or on too low of a speed, you will get lumps of egg and butter in your batter. These will bake into little greasy eggy pockets in your cake. Having the eggs and butter at room temperature also helps to emulsify (combine) the fats with the water because cold eggs would harden the butter, and cold butter would not cream.
Combining The Wet Ingredients
Add in one cup of high quality honey. Honey is actually sweeter than sugar ounce per ounce, so you can use less if you would like. Honey can be substituted for sugar equally up to a cup, but after that less honey is needed. If you are using summer or spring honey, it will be sweeter than fall or winter honey. This is because of the types of flowers that the bees are taking nectar from. Next, we are adding into the wet ingredients the juice and zest of one lemon, as well as a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mixer until combined. Remove the bowl from your stand mixer, or put down your hand mixer.
Fold Together the Batter- What is Folding?
Fold in a third of the dry flour mixture into the wet butter mixture using a rubber spatula. Folding means scraping your spatula along the bottom of the bowl, folding half of the mixture onto itself, and then turning the bowl a quarter turn to repeat again. Fold together until combined. Measure out 1 cup (244 g) of buttermilk and fold in half to the mixture. Then fold in another third of dry ingredients, followed by the rest of the buttercream. Lastly, incorporate the last of the dry ingredients. You are essentially following a pattern of dry wet dry wet dry to allow the flour time to absorb the liquids.
Buttermilk Substitutes
Buttermilk can be hard to find in some places, or you may just not have it on hand. In a pinch, you can substitute 1 cup of buttermilk for 1/2 cup of sour cream mixed with 1/2 cup of water or milk. You could also substitute a cup of whole milk and add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to replicate the tang of buttermilk. Here are some more options for buttermilk substitutes.
Coat and Add the Berries
Thoroughly wash and dry 18 ounces or a pint of blueberries. You can add more or less, but remember that however much you add will increase the volume of the batter. This means you may have extra (perfect for some bonus cupcakes!). To prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom, thoroughly coat them with about two tablespoons of flour. The flour sticks to the berries, making them dry and textured, which allows them to stay in place in the wet batter. Gently fold the floured blueberries into the batter until barely combined.
Pour and Bake
Divide the batter evenly into your buttered and floured pans. Bake them next to each other on the middle rack of your oven for 35 minutes. Set the timer for 30 and check them early to make sure they do not get over cooked. Test the cake by sticking a wooden toothpick in the center. If the toothpick comes out without wet batter, the cake is done. You can also poke the center of the cake with your finger. If the cake bounces back, it’s ready. Believe it or not, I find this method easier than the toothpick. As surprising as it is, your finger is a great cake-tester. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then flip them onto a cooling rack. You can also use an upside down cupcake tin or roasting pans as a makeshift cooling rack.
Make the Buttercream
Add 1 and 1/2 cups or (187 g) of sifted powdered sugar, 6 tablespoons (84 g) of the softened unsalted butter, 1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of milk to a medium size bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer. If you use your stand mixer, wash and dry it thoroughly before making the buttercream, and put on the wire whisk attachment. Using a hand mixer may take a bit more time. Beat on low speed for 1 minute until combined, or slightly more for a hand mixer. Turn of the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, or longer if using a hand mixer, until light and creamy. The color should have turned from a dark, buttery yellow, to a pale yellow.
Layer One of Your Blueberry Lemon Einkorn Cake
Check your cakes are fully cooled by touching the top and bottom of each cake. It should be room temperature, not warm. If you put buttercream onto a warm cake, it will melt, and ruin the whole thing. Take your first cake and place it upside down on your cake stand or platter of choice. If you want a cleaner look, you can cut off the slightly rounded top before flipping. I don’t mind the homemade look of rounded cakes. Next, spread on a layer of your favorite high quality blueberry preserves. My favorite brand of preserves is Bonne Maman, but whatever you have will do. I would not use jelly because it lacks the flavor and texture of preserves. For this cake, I used about a cup of preserves. You can may have to use more or less depending on the thickness of your preserves.
Layer Two of Your Blueberry Lemon Einkorn Cake
Place your second cake on top of the first, giving it a gentle press. Begin spreading on your buttercream with a flat knife or spatula. To prevent crumbs from sticking in the frosting, make sure your knife or spatula has a lot of frosting on it so that you are not having to drag it back in forth. Cover the cake in smooth strokes going in the same direction. When doing the top of the cake, dollop on a large amount, and spread out from the center.
How to do a Crumb Coat
If you want your cake to look very smooth, I would recommend doing what is called a crumb coat. This is where you put a thin layer of buttercream on the entire cake, and then put it in the fridge for 30 min or so. This hardens the first coat of buttercream, so that when you go to put the second coat on, the crumbs are all stuck in the first layer. Since I was going for a rustic homemade look, I decided to skip the crumb coat. You can use a paper towel to clean up around the edges of your cake stand for a cleaner look.
Slice and Eat Your Blueberry Lemon Einkorn Cake!
If you want to try more delicious and decadent recipes with healthier swaps checkout my drinking chocolate recipe. Let me know if you would like to see me create more dessert recipes with healthier ingredients.
Blueberry Lemon Einkorn Cake
Blueberry lemon einkorn cake is nutrition packed, and a great option for gluten-sensitive or GMO conscious people. Sweet blueberries and tart lemon pair perfectly in this delicious dessert.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 Cups (360 g) Plue 2 tbsp All Purpose Einkorn Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
- 1/2 cup Sugar (alternatives in post)
- 6 Large Eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 cup Honey
- 1 Lemon's Zest
- 1 Lemon's Juice
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Pint (18 oz) Blueberries (thoroughly washed and dried)
- 1 Cup (244 g) Buttermilk (alternatives in post)
For the Buttercream
- 1 1/2 Cups (187 g) Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar
- 6 tbsp (3/4 stick) Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Milk
For the Filling
- 1 Jar of Blueberry Preserves
Instructions
- Make the Cake: Place 3 sticks or 22 tablespoons (308 g) of unsalted butter and 6 large eggs out of the fridge to bring them to room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F, with a rack in the middle.
- Butter and flour two 8 inch round cake pans (detailed instructions in post).
- Into a medium sized bowl, sift together 3 cups (360 g) of Einkorn flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda.
- Fit your stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Cream together 1/2 cup (100 g) of granulated sugar and 16 tablespoons (224 g) unsalted butter, scraping down the bowl and paddle every 30 seconds.
- Crack your six large eggs into a separate bowl, looking out for shell. Then, with your mixer running on medium speed, add one egg at a time, incorporating each egg completely and waiting 30 seconds before adding the next (reason why in post).
- Add in 1 cup of honey, the juice and zest of 1 lemon, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract to the mixer until combined.
- Remove the bowl from your stand mixer. With a rubber spatula, fold in about one-third of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Then fold in about half of the buttermilk. Fold in another third of the flour, then the rest of the buttermilk. Fold in the remaining flour until just combined (detailed folding instructions in post).
- Coat 1 pint (18 oz) of Blueberries in 2 tbsp of flour. Gently fold the floured blueberries into the batter until barely combined.
- Divide the batter evenly into your buttered and floured pans. Bake them next to each other on the middle rack of your oven for 35 minutes.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack, upside down cupcake tin, or other porous surface.
- Make the Buttercream: Add 1 and 1/2 cups or (187 g) of sifted powdered sugar, 6 tablespoons (84 g) of the softened unsalted butter, 1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of milk to the clean bowl of your stand mixer.
- Beat on low speed for 1 minute until combined. Turn of the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, or longer if using a hand mixer, until light and creamy. The color should have turned from a dark, buttery yellow, to a pale yellow.
- Assemble the Cake: Take your first cake and place it upside down on your cake stand or platter of choice. Spread on a thick layer of the blueberry preserves.
- Place your second cake on top of the first, giving it a gentle press.
- Spread on your buttercream with a flat knife or spatula. For a clean look, do a crumb coat (detailed instructions in post) and then a second coat.
- Slice and eat your delicious cake!
Notes
Detailed instructions of every step can be found in the full blog post.
What Versions Do You Want to Try?
Let me know in the comments below if you try any other fruit pairings or substitutions, and how they turn out! Would you like to see more recipes like this? Leave a comment below with your suggestions.
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