Blackberry and Lemon Cake

I find something calming in the structure of baking. I’ve baked blackberry and lemon mini-loaves for a family party this weekend.

I’m now the mother of a 4 year old, and a very opinionated one at that.  He knows what he likes.

One of the things he loves is to go out to the back field.  It’s very secure, and bounded to the East by the railway line, which means there are blackberry brambles galore to pick from.  Even better, they are never sprayed so we know that the brambles are untouched apart from hungry birds and small animals.

While he runs amuck up and down the field, hiding in the long grass and shouting at the seagulls, I get to pick as many blackberries as I like. However when we get back and there are a million and one things to do in the house, I wash the berries, dry them and stick them in the bottom of the fridge. Which is where I found them this morning, 2 days later.

It had been a stressful day but there is nothing I love more than the structure and order of baking to pull me back on track.  I’ve also got a Birthday Party to prepare for this weekend, but more of that in further blog posts I promise!

This blackberry and lemon cake recipe makes 12 muffins or 6 mini-loaves. I drizzled the top of the mini-loaves with a 50:50 mixture of lemon juice and caster sugar but you can leave that out if you like.

Ingredients

• 150g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 50ml full fat milk
• 150g caster sugar
• 200g plain flour
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 organic lemons
• 100g clean blackberries

Equipment

• large mixing bowl
• weighing scales
• stand mixer or handmixer
• large jug
• muffin tray/cupcake tray
• 12 muffin cases
• spatula
• large spoon
• sieve
• grater
• sharp knife
• fork
• Cocktail Stick

Method

1. Preheat your (fan) oven to 170 degrees Celcius.
2. Line your cupcake trays with the cases. If using a mini-loaf tray then grease and flour well.
3. Place the bowl from your stand mixer or large bowl onto the weighing scales and directly weigh the following ingredients into the bowl: Butter, caster sugar, flour, baking powder.
4. Using your beating paddle, mix these ingredients until they resemble breadcrumbs.
5. Place your jug onto the weighing scales and weigh the following directly into the jug: milk, eggs.
6. Stir with the fork until all the ingredients are mixed together.
7. Make a well in your dry ingredients and pour in the wet from the jug.
8. Beat until you get a loose batter.
9. Using the fine section of your grater, grate the rind of 1 lemon into the batter and then slice the lemon open and squeeze the juice in. Remember not to let any pips slip!
10. Using your large spoon fold in the blackberries. Don’t worry if they break up a bit, it adds to the colour of the cakes.
11. Portion out the mixture into the cases, taking care not to fill more than 3/4 (three quarters) of the way up the case.
12. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
13. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
14. If you want the sugary crackle on top then poke with a cocktail stick before pouring 2 teaspoons on each muffin/4 on each loaf of a 50:50 lemon juice and caster sugar mixture.
15. If making the mixture as loaves then leave to cool completely in the tin before gently lifting them out.