blueberry, honey & oat cake
blueberry topping with a parkin-esque cake
so this was inspired by a recipe sent to me for upside-down pear and parkin loaf cake - parkin, for the uninitiated, is a “gingerbread cake traditionally made with oatmeal and black treacle, which originated in Northern England”
this cake is sort of like that, but that i swapped the pears for blueberries, the loaf tin for a round tin, treacle (or golden syrup) for honey, brown sugar for white, and used olive oil in the cake as i ran out of butter.. so really nothing to do with the original at all, except that it made me want to bake something oaty and warming with what i had at home
the reason for so many substitutes is that penny’s kitchen has moved to its third home in as many years. we’re delighted to be here (albeit with no butter, and only one kind of sugar). there’s winter sunlight sneaking into the kitchen in the afternoons, and a little potted rosemary on the deck
ingredients
blueberry topping
30g butter
35g sugar
1 tbsp honey
zest of one lemon
200g blueberries, frozen
honey & oat cake
75g evoo (or butter)
80g sugar
100g honey
100mL milk
2 eggs
80g rolled oats
100g self-raising flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch salt
method
blueberry topping
preheat the oven to 170C
line a 9-inch round cake tin with baking paper
in a saucepan, melt together the butter (30g), sugar (35g), honey (1 tbsp) and lemon zest (from one lemon) until just combined
scatter the blueberries (200g) evenly over the lined cake tin
pour the butter-sugar mixture evenly over the blueberries and set aside
honey & oat cake
using the same saucepan (no need to clean!) melt together the oil (75g), sugar (80g), and honey (100g)
add the milk (100mL) and stir together
check the temperature with your finger, and let cool for a few minutes if too hot to add the eggs
once lukewarm, add the eggs (2) and beat together
pour in the rolled oats (80g), flour (100g), ginger (2 tsp), cinnamon (1 tsp), and a pinch of salt
fold together until just combined
pour the batter evenly over the blueberries
bake for 35-45 minutes, until very fragrant and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean
let cool in the pan for five minutes then immediately invert onto a serving plate to prevent the blueberry topping from setting and sticking
note: if any bloobs came loose during the inversion just wiggle them back into place
let cool completely before serving
this cake will be even better if wrapped in foil and stored for a day or two before serving
more to come, soon
