This blueberry cake is a treasured family recipe made by our cousin Dot (more like an aunt actually who made it for many family get togethers) and is a favorite! Her nickname was Dot (or “Dudda” in Hungarian) but her full name was Dorothy. She’s sadly passed away but I think of her fondly every time I make this cake.
I’ve tried for over 25 years to veganize this cake but never had success as the original recipe called for separating eggs and whipping the whites and folding them into the batter. That was a tough egg to crack (no pun intended) but the miracle liquid from canned chickpeas called aquafaba (that I’ve only been using for a few years) was the answer! The egg yolk was another problem but after experimenting, I found that adding some plain oil to a flax egg mixture that used a little less liquid than usual was the other missing piece to this puzzle.
We always called this a cake but it’s more like what I’ve seen called a “buckle” which is fruit and cake with a streusel topping. It’s a light cake on the bottom, with blueberries dotting the surface and a crumb mixture on top (which is separated from the dough base). It’s quite simple and this is how the cake was always traditionally prepared but I decided to also add a lemon drizzle on top because it added a little tartness to the finished bake and looked nice. I hope Dot would approve. We lost her sadly a few years ago and I’d like to think she’d love this vegan version of her classic recipe.
A crucial step for this recipe is folding in the beaten aquafaba “egg whites”. You need to start with room temperature aquafaba as it will whip and hold air more easily. I used a hand mixer but a stand mixer or whisking by hand will also work. You only need soft not stiff peaks (like for a meringue) so it doesn’t take much but it does need to be whipped well. Folding in the whites to the base mixture is also very important. Folding just means you gently combine the whites into the rest of the mixture. I use the classic French technique of sinking a rubber spatula into the center of the bowl then you twist the bowl a quarter turn with your other hand while swiping the spatula underneath the batter and folding it over the top of the whites on top to incorporate it. You continue to do this gently until the whites are fully combined with no streaks of white left.
I use a 9×13 pan to bake this and I line it with parchment paper for a few reasons. One, it makes it easier to lift out once cooled. Second, you don’t need to grease and flour the pan. Lastly, it makes cleanup a breeze. After folding the corners of the parchment into the pan, I use office binder clips to secure the sides of the parchment all around the pan so it doesn’t shift or fall into the pan while baking. You can most certainly use another sized pan and grease and flour if you prefer. Remember that if you use a smaller pan, it might take longer to bake. I hope you enjoy this family favorite as much as we do!
Iced Vegan Blueberry Cake
12
servings20
minutes40
minutesThis is a cherished family recipe for a delicious blueberry cake now made vegan!
Ingredients
- Cake
2 cups All purpose flour
1 1/2 cups vegan cane sugar
1 stick (or 1/2 cup) vegan butter, cold and cut or scooped into small pieces
1/4 cup warm water mixed with 2 tablespoons finely ground flaxmeal and 1 tablespoon plain vegetable oil
1/4 cup aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas), room temperature
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup vegan milk (I used soy)
2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed, picked over for stems and dried
- Lemon Glaze
1/2 cup organic confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
water as needed
Directions
- Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk flour and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold butter pieces into this mixture and cut it in with a pastry blender, two forks (or you could use a food processor) until they’re in small pieces around the size of small peas. Take away 3/4 of a cup of this mixture and set it aside for the topping.
- Whisk the flaxmeal and oil into the warm water until thickened. Add this to the flour mixture along with the salt, baking powder, lemon zest and milk. Mix until blended.
- Whip the room temperature aquafaba with a hand or stand mixer (or with a whisk) until soft peaks are formed. This will take a few minutes with a hand mixer and it’s important the aquafaba is at room temperature as that will help it gain volume.
- Fold the beaten aquafaba into the base mixture gently. I use a classic French technique of inserting a rubber spatula into the center of the bowl then turning it over from the bottom while turning the bowl a quarter turn with your other hand. I do this repeatedly until no streaks of white are left.
- Prepare a 9×13 baking pan by lining it with parchment paper and folding the corners in and then clipping the sides down with binder clips so they don’t move. You can also grease and flour the pan instead. Pour the batter into the pan and even out with a spatula. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the top then sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture evenly over the top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely then glaze if desired.
- Glaze
- Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest together in a small bowl. Add warm water a half teaspoon at a time until a smooth pourable glaze is formed. Drizzle with a spoon over the cooled cake then let it dry until cutting the cake into pieces.
Notes
- Using a stick of vegan butter is the easiest but you can measure out 1/2 cup then add them in small pieces to the flour and sugar.
- You can use whatever vegan milk you prefer.
- This should work with frozen blueberries but fresh is best.
- Always zest a lemon first (I use a micro plane zester) then juice it. If you do the opposite it will be harder to remove the zest. Also try not to get any of the white pith underneath the bright yellow zest as it’s bitter.
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