Oh blueberries, how I love them. Blueberry muffins. Blueberry pancakes. Blueberry smoothies. Blueberry anything sounds just heavenly to me.
Blueberry Cake. I took a pack of organic, plump, sweet spring blueberries and made this Blueberry Cake. I love this recipe because it doesn't quite fit into a recipe category box. It is a hybrid. Blueberry muffin meets frosted cake meets hearty, grain-filled goodness. This cake is easily a dessert, tea cake, sweet treat breakfast nibble or afternoon snack.
The frosting is a simple virgin coconut oil-based blend. Silky, fluffy, decadent enough to rival any traditional "buttercream" frosting. There are blueberries baked into the cake - melting with their silky blue stain , mingling with oats, flax seeds and chopped nuts. And there are also fresh, raw berries on top. The more blueberries the better!..
Blueberries. Blueberries are amazing little fruits. One cup contains about 80 calories and zero fat. 4g fiber and 24% of your daily vitamin C needs. They are rich in vitamins C and K - and they also contain smaller amounts of various B vitamins and vitamin E. They are rich in manganese and contain some potassium too. Blueberries are quite amazing based on their strong antioxidant capacity. Beyond the rigid nutrition data facts - the power of blueberries is in their color - their phytonutrients.
Fron WHFoods.com: "Virtually all of the (blueberry) phytonutrients function both as antioxidants and as anti-inflammatory compounds in the body, and they are responsible for many of the well-documented health benefits we get from regular consumption of blueberries."
..the short story: eat more blueberries! Here is one delicious way (scroll down for recipe!)..
Smoothie Book Update. All is going well in the land of 365 vegan smoothies. I sometimes wonder what my neighbors must think hearing my Vitamix buzzing around so many times a day. There could really be only two explanations to all this blender noise: either I'm on a really weird blender diet or I'm writing a smoothie book! Smoothie book it is. I'm deep into the taste-testing phase and will be starting on calculating all the nutritional info soon. Which is actually a lot of fun for me. I love breaking down each smoothie and seeing what it offers nutritionally - the numbers can be quite interesting. I'm excited about more photoshooting - but I have to admit that I am dreading the photo editing process. I already have 2500 shots in my "smoothie book" folder - new photos I've been taking the past few weeks - and more to come. But overall - loving this adventure!
My smoothie consultants/officemates..
Blueberry Cake
vegan, makes one 9" round cake
1 ½ cups organic white flour
*sub with other flours if desired
¾ cup sugar, organic (why organic here)
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoon vegan butter, softened
½ teaspoon almond extract (sub with vanilla if desired)
3 tablespoon rolled oats
2 tablespoon flax seeds + ⅔ cup warm water
⅓ cup soy milk, vanilla
¼ cup applesauce, unsweetened
3 tablespoon orange juice + pinch orange zest (fresh squeeze room temperature oranges - or warm OJ to about room temp)
½ teaspoon salt
optional: ½ teaspoon cinnamon
fold -ins:
½ cup blueberries
½ cup chopped walnuts (or almonds)
topping: blueberries +pinch rolled oats + sprinkle of almonds
note: I used about 10 ounces blueberries total - buy 2 6oz packs and eat any leftovers 🙂
Frosting:
⅓ cup vegan butter, softened
⅔ cup virgin coconut oil
3 cups powdered sugar
pinch salt
note: if you only use coconut oil this frosting is STILL super yummy. You could also add in or sub in some vegan cream cheese if you'd like.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, oats and optional cinnamon to a large mixing bowl. Toss a bit.
3. In a small dish, combine the water and flax seeds. Stir briskly and let sit for about 2-4 minutes.
4. Add the water/flax mixture, orange juice, applesauce, vegan butter, salt, extract and soy milk. Tip: try to make sure these ingredients are either room temperature or slightly warmed. I used room temperature oranges to fresh squeeze - and room temp applesauce. This will help your batter blend more seamlessly - and the vegan butter will stay smooth.
5. Stir your batter by hand until smooth. Fold in the blueberries and chopped nuts.
6. Pour your batter into your cake dish - grease and flour the sides before pouring.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes - or until edges begin to brown a bit. Remove from oven to cool.
8. Start your frosting about 20 minutes before you want to frost your cake. Your cake must be cooled when you frost it or the frosting will melt.
9. Add frosting ingredients to mixing bowl and blend with hand beater mixer until fluffy and smooth. Add in a splash of room temperature soy milk or coconut milk if needed to thin out the blend. Place frosting in fridge for just about five minutes before frosting. Any longer and the frosting will get too firm.
10. Frost cake and add blueberries on top. Serve with softened frosting. Store in fridge - but allow frosting to soften a bit before re-serving from fridge.
Matthew Lokot says
I've made this twice now. It's an absolute ripper.
Julie White says
I don't usually love frosting, but this was amazing, as was the cake.
http://instagram.com/p/qm9m67rWxA/
Anne Elise Machado says
My frosting is not getting fluffy! Any suggestions??
Sarah says
Has anyone used gf flour in this recipe?
Emily O says
virgin coconut oil is a great substitute, part for part 🙂
Emma Ryan says
Quick Question: I'm posting from Ireland where resources for vegans are sparse. We simply do not have vegan butter. It just doesn't exist. In fact a lot of the ingredients I find on vegan sites are a mystery.
Is there something else I could use instead of vegan butter? Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated 🙂
Laura Beitzell says
Can you use frozen blueberries?
Andrea says
I have this cake in the oven right now! I used lemonade and lemon zest instead of orange, I hope it turns out ok!
Natalie says
Thinking this may be the perfect Mother's Day cake for next Sunday, it looks so moist and delicious - almost like a hummingbird cake.
Daniela Andres says
Wow! I just made this cake- as cupcakes. Beautiful and jummy! I'm not a vegan but try to fit in some vegan days this year. Have tried some vegan baking, and the results aren't always good. With this one you'd never realize it's vegan. Thank you! Greetings from Germany.
Kathy Patalsky says
Sure! I think any fruit will work. Feel free to get creative. So glad you liked it! 🙂
elisayim says
Just made them again with peaches...so good. thanks so much for the recipe! again, made them muffin shaped, and topped with a whole walnut- i know im going to make these all the time!
elisayim says
i made these two days ago...but in muffin shapes as i don't have a cake tin-and they are amazing! a lot of the vegan baked goods come out dense, but these had an amazing and fluffy consistency. i really want to make these again, but am wondering if i can use peaches, or other fruits instead of blueberries
Kathy Patalsky says
updated for you. You add the vegan butter with the rest of the liquid ingredients. And the salt I did leave out - about 1/2 tsp into the batter.
Kathy Patalsky says
Super! So glad u enjoyed it! Frosting is crazy good right?! The coconut oil... 🙂
Elisa Yim says
ive never used coconut oil, but i know that it comes in both a solid and liquid form, is this recipe with the liquid form, or the solid form, melted?
Cheryl Walker says
Just made this beauty... WOW. That frosting is killer, too (in two senses of the word 😉 )
Thanks again for your culinary prowess!
Kerry says
I have only been vegan for 5 months so hadn't baked anything before this wknd . This cake was my first and it is amazing! My father in law who is a carnivore through and through had 3 big slices! Thanks for a great blog!
malpal86 says
Hi.. I am a huge fan of your recipes and I just made this cake and it was amazing. Thank you for these wonderful and delicious recipes.
Cherie says
I would love to try this but I am allergic to oranges do you think lemon would be ok as a substitute?
Taylor says
This is sooo good! The frosting is amazing on this! I didn't have coconut oil so I just used 1/3 c softened vegan butter, a dash of almond and vanilla extracts, and 3 c powdered sugar and it was perfect! I even put it on a slightly warm cake and it kept its thick form. And the cake is absolutely beautiful!
Cathy says
I also had trouble with the frosting. It never got fluffy, it was more of a glaze. It was still delicious but not as pretty as yours!
Alyse says
I saw this on Pinterest and decided to make it for breakfast for my family this Fourth of July. They loved it and they aren't vegan! I made it pretty quick so my frosting did not get too fluffy and my cake was still a little warm... The frosting was more like a glaze which was still really good! thanks for this awesome recipe!
Jill Hobbs says
I took this to a Fourth of July party and it was quite a hit! I am simply amazed at your recipes Kathy and appreciate you sharing them with others! I couldn't believe how tasty the frosting was...it really tasted like butter cream frosting.
Kathy Patalsky says
So glad! Thank u!
Natasha says
Would it be possible to substitute wheat germ for the flax seed? I'm having trouble finding it in the stores here.
Kathy Patalsky says
Probably. Flax acts a a nice egg replacer because it gels up a bit so keep in mind.. Wheat germ will add some body too so you should be OK.
Dana says
Loved it! Used Organic frozen blueberries from Costco. Added some Almond Extract to the frosting. I'm already planning for when to bake it again.
ridzomom says
Come July we are up to our ears in Blueberries here in Michigan, so I am always looking for some new blueberry recipes. This looks outstanding. Thanks!
Deepa Godbole says
I so wish we could get fresh blueberry in India as much as you guys get it. Specially where I stay 🙁 .... looks so yummy... my sweet tooth has started to ache big time.. lol
Bobbi Stegora-Bina says
OMG! This was delicious! Made it last night and it will be a frequent go to for simmer dessert needs. Thank you!
Rmm151s says
Great tasting cake! It was a hit at our weekend BBQ. I left out the salt and just mixed the butter with the other wet ingredients before blending. The frosting was tough to get right. The first time it separated and didn't fully blend. Will keep for future use.
Johanna says
Hello! I'm in the process of making this cake and I'm a little confused as to how much salt to use and when to add the vegan butter to the recipe?
Lisa says
Great question! I don't see it either...did you figure it out?
Ingrid says
yea.. it's missing part
Maria MacDonald says
Oh my yummy goodness!! I think I'll be dreaming of blueberries tonight!
Heather Poire says
This is such an amazing cake - the frosting, the blueberries - perfection!
Cavernvision says
I hope to make this this weekend. We have a long weekend,with Monday off,here,and the in-laws are planning to visit for a trip to the forest. This would make a wonderful picnic dessert. Sadly,organic blueberries are all but non-existent here,in Denmark :(. I don't understand why.
Lindsay says
Sounds awesome! I can't wait to try it! In fact, I was reading through the recipe right now getting ready to make it - step 2 says to add salt, but I dont see the amount in that part of the ingredients list. Also, when should the butter be added to the batter? Thanks so much! I'm just getting into vegan baking and am excited to try this recipe.
Heidi B says
thanks for this recipe- I'm always looking for yummy vegan desserts 🙂 And your pictures are just lovely!
Márcia Gonçalves says
Beautiful cake ! And it must be nice to work with your "
smoothie consultants / officemates" :p
Melissa says
It looks like a giant blueberry muffin! Even Domo-Kun wants to eat it! NOM
rjjanglen says
wow that looks yummy (and your kitty is cute). can you get powdered sugar that is made from something other than processed white sugar (i.e turbindo sugar, date sugar etc.)? Thanks.
Kathy Patalsky says
I use organic powdered sugar because it is vegan. I don't know of any specialty varieties.
rjjanglen says
so I took turbindo sugar, blended it with corn starch, and voila, powdered sugar 🙂
Greg Allbee says
That is ridiculously pretty Kathy, thanks for sharing! My wife is the baker in the house, but I want to make this for her to prove that vegan baking can be delicious too!
Jo @ Including Cake says
yum, looks good! I actually love the look of the cake before frosting too. Gotta love the photo sorting and editing process...i'm probably a bit strange, but that's my favourite bit!! 🙂
Holly jo says
Do the flax seeds need to be ground before mixing with water?
Thanks!
Kathy Patalsky says
They do not. But if you want to grind them you may.
Caralyn says
wowzers my mouth is watering looking at that cake!! your photography is so beautiful the way you capture the colors and light! thanks for sharing! looks delicious!
Nada (One Arab Vegan) says
Kathy, what are you doing to me with these pictures! This looks absolutely gorgeous not to mention delicious. I'm so tempted to make it before I move home (where blueberries pretty much cost an arm and a leg) but I'm worried I'd eat it all 🙂
Also glad to hear your smoothie book is going well - super excited for it, your smoothies are some of my favourites.
Kathy Patalsky says
Thanks Nada! If one cake is too much - you could also split the recipe and make a few frosted muffins. (this recipe will freeze well too!)