Your new favorite cake has arrived!
ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil (plus more for greasing)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup coconut milk (plus 2 tablespoons)
2 lemons (finely grated zest, plus 3 tablespoons of juice)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE COMPOTE:
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cold water (plus 1 and 1/2 teaspoons)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
FOR THE TOPPING:
1 cup plain coconut-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
directions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease the sides and line the base of your springform cake pan with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl large enough to take all the other ingredients later.
In a wide pitcher (or another bowl), whisk the oil, sugar, and coconut milk together, followed by the lemon zest and juice and the vanilla extract.
Pour the pitcher of liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, whisking to combine, then pour into a prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, by which time the top will be golden brown, the sides shrinking away from the pan and a cake tester should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and leave the cake to cool completely in it’s pan. It may sink slightly as it cools, but this need not concern you in the slightest. While you’re waiting, you can get on with making the blueberry compote.
Put the blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, and the 3 tablespoons of cold water into a saucepan and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer, stirring gently every now and again, for a couple of minutes until the blueberries have softened in the now garnet-glossy liquid.
Take the pan off the heat and, in a small cup, mix the cornstarch with the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cold water and stir this paste into the pan of blueberries, making sure you scrape every last bit out. Stir together, put the pan back over the heat, and stir gently for about 30 seconds, by which time the sauce will have started bubbling again and will have thickened. If you feel it has become too jam-like and thick, simply add a little more water and stir it in over the heat. Pour the compote into a small heatproof bowl or pitcher to let it cool. It will set once cold.
Do not assemble the cake until just before serving. So: unclip the completely cold cake from it’s pan, unmold it, and turn it over (so the underneath is now on top) onto a cake stand or plate.
Mix the coconut-milk yogurt and vanilla together, spoon the confectioners’ sugar into a tea-strainer, then sift it over the yogurt and stir it in, too, before spreading and swirling this soft mixture over the top of the cake. Thrash the blueberry compote a little with a fork to loosen it, and gently spoon it on top, leaving a gleaming white frame. Serve immediately.
Tip: For a tasty twist, try using strawberries or raspberries instead of blueberries in the compote!
