(mini!) Blueberry Almond Cake with Cardamom Sugar Crunch

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Plus weeknight/last-minute baking tips!

I love weekend baking – leisurely perusing my cookbook library with my morning coffee, planning multi-step (or day) projects, carefully mixing and buttery dough, the zen meditation of stirring up a lemon curd or berry gelee. But most weeks, the urge for something homemade strikes mid-week, usually around 9pm. That’s when I dig out my 6×3 loaf pans and whip up a mini cake (+ one to pop in the freezer – for, you know, for cake emergencies).

One of my favorite summer loaf cakes is the NY Times Blueberry, Almond, and Lemon cake. Since the blueberries have been out in full force at the local farmer’s markets, I have been working on a mini-loaf version to satisfy my weekday baking urges. The first batch overflowed and ended up on the bottom of my oven (which then briefly caught fire – exciting!!!), but after a few more (pyrotechnic-free) tries I landed on this absolute gem of a recipe that you can easily whip up on a random Wednesday. It’s made with a mix of both almond and all-purpose flour, which maintains a moist and buttery crumb even after a few days on the counter. And because blueberries, almonds and cardamom are a trio made in heaven, I’ve added a crackly, sweet demarara sugar & cardamom topping.

You’ll see that my pan is technically 5.75 x 3 inches, but if you have a more standard 6×3, this shouldn’t be any problem at all, your cake may not peak as high and the baking time may be a tad shorter. The only fussy part that should not skip is sifting the flour and almond flour. Almond flour especially can clump during storage and you don’t want to find gummy lumps of almond in your cake. There’s a reason you see everyone on the British Baking Show sifting – it really does make a difference in lightness and texture! You can use a plastic spatula to help your almond flour through your sifter if its on the coarser side.

One common issue with last minute baking is not having/allowing time for the cold ingredients (milk, butter, eggs) to come to room temperature on their own. But its still worth it to take an extra five minutes to do these shortcuts – your cake will thank you in height!

Butter: Microwave an empty microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute until hot. Cut butter into small cubes and place the hot bowl on top, upside down. Wait ~4 minutes and check if butter has softened, repeat if necessary.

Eggs: Fill a large glass halfway with warm (just shy of hot) water. Place egg(s) in water and leave for 5 minutes until room temperature. Check and add more warm water + 5 more minutes if needed.

Milk (not used in this recipe, but good for future reference): Put milk in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 15-second intervals on 50% (or lower) power, stop when it is no longer cold to the touch.