Blueberry and lemon are a classic flavour combination. It’s easy to see how these little cakes will become a favourite. This is a simple recipe that creates a gorgeous sweet lemon cake with notes of tang from the blueberries. The glaze adds a little sweetness to balance out the citrus elements. These cakes keep for around three days in an airtight container on the counter. You can also use other berries like raspberries if blueberries aren’t available.
I tested a lot of different styles of cake for this recipe, as I haven’t used a mini bundt pan before. I started with a classic vegan sponge cake which didn’t really suit such a small bake. It was too airy and oily. Then tested a butter style cake and it still wasn’t quite the texture I was wanting. By the fourth test, I went with a mud cake method which added weight to the cake texture and moisture without it being too sticky or dense. This worked brilliantly.
The trick when using a mini bundt pan is to bake your cakes for a little longer then you think so they brown well on the outside. If you under bake these cakes they can become a little doughy. If you’re in doubt, use a knife to gently lift one of the cake out to see how well it’s baked, as the tops remain quite pale.
Vegan Blueberry Lemon Tea Cakes
- Total Time: 29 minutes
- Yield: 12 small tea cakes 1x
Ingredients
Ingredients For Cakes
- 80 g vegan butter or margarine
- 125 mls plain soy milk (around half a cup )
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 30 mls lemon juice (2 tablespoons)
- 1/2 tsp high-quality lemon essence or flavouring
- Rind from 1 organic lemon (about 1 tbsp)
- 220 g plain all-purpose flour
- 170 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 75 mls boiling water (around 1/3 cup )
- 100 g frozen or fresh blueberries (small wild blueberries work best if you can get them, if frozen allow to thaw and drain excess water)
Ingredients For Glaze
- 2 fresh lemons
- 110 g icing sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160C/320F. Grease a 12-cup mini bundt pan with vegetable oil. Make sure you grease the grooves well.
- Melt butter in a small heatproof bowl and set aside.
- In a small jug mix soy milk and vinegar together. It should thicken a little.
- Add vanilla, lemon juice, rind, lemon essence and butter. Mix together well and set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Turn mixer on low to mix dry ingredients together.
- Slowly add butter and milk mixture to the batter whilst it’s on a low speed. Once added pause mixer and scrape down the sides and mix for a few seconds.
- Trickle boiling water down the side of the bowl slowly whilst mixing on a low speed. Mix until just combined. Add blueberries and mix through.
- Spoon mixture into your pan filling almost to the top. Bake in your oven for 27- 29 minutes on the top rack. Be careful not to under bake your cakes. They should be just brown on the outside. The tops of the cake will remain pale so if you’re in doubt, use a knife to gently lift one of the cake out to see how well it’s baked. If your oven bakes unevenly, rotate your pan at the 24-minute mark. Tip cakes onto a cooling rake and allow to cool.
- Slice lemons in half and squeeze over the top of cooled cakes.
- To make glaze mix icing sugar and one and a half tablespoons of lemon juice together. Drizzle over cakes. Serve with hot tea.
Notes
If you’re after a sweeter cake, glaze with a simple sugar syrup instead of lemon juice before you drizzle your icing.
- Cook Time: 29 minutes
Love lemon and blueberry cakes? Check out this Almond Blueberry Cake with Lemon Syrup…
