Almond-flour lemon-blueberry cake

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175°C. Grease a 20 cm round cake tin, line the base with parchment, and lightly grease the paper.
2. Whisk the almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of this dry mixture and set aside.
3. Separate the eggs between two clean bowls. Whisk the yolks with the yogurt, maple syrup, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the remaining dry mixture.
4. Beat the egg whites to firm, glossy peaks. Stir one-quarter of the whites into the thick batter to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest in two additions.
5. Fold in the coated blueberries. Spread the batter in the tin and bake for 35 to 42 minutes, until golden, springy in the center, and a skewer comes out without wet batter. Cover loosely with foil near the end if the top darkens too quickly.
6. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge, turn the cake onto a rack, remove the parchment, and cool completely before slicing.

Added Sugar Check

The 60 ml maple syrup contributes about 48 g added sugar to the whole cake, or about 4.8 g per slice when cut into 10. Exact values vary by brand, so check the label if a precise limit matters.

For a no-added-sugar version, replace the maple syrup with 60 g cup-for-cup granular monk-fruit/erythritol baking blend and add 30 ml milk. The cake will brown less and may taste slightly less moist; do not use a highly concentrated pure extract as a volume-for-volume substitute.

Notes

• Gluten-free when the almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder, yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla are all verified gluten-free.
• For someone with celiac disease, use clean bowls, beaters, utensils, tin, work surfaces, and ingredients that have not been exposed to wheat flour. Avoid shared bulk bins.
• Fresh blueberries work best. Add frozen berries straight from the freezer and expect a few extra minutes of baking.
• Refrigerate covered for up to 4 days. Bring slices toward room temperature before serving, or freeze individual slices for up to 2 months.

Sources Consulted

• King Arthur Baking, “Almond flour 101”
• Celiac Disease Foundation, “Sources of Gluten”