Blueberry and lemon curd crumble cake

Written By Adam Miller

With its moist cake, gooey lemon curd and crumbly top, this cake really does have it all. It’s a layered cake of the best kind – all in one tin, baked at the same time. It has a riot of textures and flavours that grow in intensity in the days after baking and keeps well in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

If you want to take the quickest path, use a jar of lemon curd from the shops. Though if you have the time, you can make the curd yourself – it’s honestly the work of moments and you’re rewarded with the zingiest homemade sunshine. The recipe below makes slightly more than you need for the cake, so you’ll have some left over to spread on toast or eat with a spoon when you’re craving some brightness in your day.

And a quick tip when lining your tin - make sure your baking paper is covering the entire base and sides – especially in the corners. The curd caramelises on the sides of the cake and can get stuck if it comes into contact with the tin. Also make sure there’s overhang so you can easily lift the cake out of the tin once its done.

This recipe is based on the Lemon Curd and Apricot Cake from A Cook’s Book by Nigel Slater.

Watch my how-to video on Instagram

INGREDIENTS

Lemon Curd

  • 2 eggs, 2 egg yolks, room temperature

  • Zest and juice of 3 lemons

  • 85g unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed

  • 150g sugar

  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Crumble

  • 80g butter, room temperature

  • 110g plain flour

  • 60g dark brown sugar (light brown sugar will work well, in a pinch)

  • 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

  • 2 tsp cold water

Cake

  • 75g self-raising flour

  • 75g almond meal/flour

  • 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

  • 125g unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 125g caster sugar

  • Zest of one lemon

  • 3 eggs, room temperature

  • 100g blueberries, sliced in half (if you can be bothered!)

  • Icing sugar, for dusting

Equipment

  • 20x7cm loaf tin (or similar size)

METHOD

Lemon Curd - if using store-bought lemon curd move swiftly to the next section

  • Crack 2 eggs into a medium bowl or jug. Separate the remaining 2 eggs and add the yolks to the jug. Add the vanilla bean paste and gently whisk until just combined, and set aside. (Reserve the egg whites for some meringue, or freeze for up to 2 months)

  • Zest and juice your lemons.

  • Place the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and butter in a large saucepan. Place the saucepan on the stove and turn the heat to medium/low and stir until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved.

  • Add the eggs to the saucepan and whisk, continuously over a medium/low heat until the mixture thickens, and coats the back of a spoon - about 10-15 minutes. Be sure to keep whisking so the egg doesn't scramble. Don't be tempted to turn the heat too high or boil the curd - the key to a good curd is cooking it low and slow. I like to alternate between a whisk and a spatula to ensure I scrape the corners of the pot the whisk can't get into.

  • Once the curd is at the desired thickness, remove from the heat and pour into a sieve over a large bowl. Use your whisk to push the curd through the sieve, leaving any zest and cooked egg caught in the sieve.

  • Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight, or for at least 4 hours, to fully chill and set. This will make slightly more curd than you need, which is never a bad thing.

Make the crumble

  • Cube the butter and place it in a small bowl with the flour. Rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips until you have a texture similar to coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and seas salt flakes and gently stir or use your fingers to mix through. Set aside

Make the cake

  • Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and grease and line the base and sides of a 20x7cm loaf tin with baking paper, ensuring there’s some overhang you can use to lift the cake out when it’s baked.

  • Combine the flours and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

  • Place the butter, lemon zest and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use hand beaters) and beat for 3 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl at least once.

  • With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl as needed, until all the eggs are added and the mixture is well combined.

  • Add the flour mix and mix on low until just combined.

  • Fold through the halved blueberries.

Prepare for baking

  • Gently spoon the cake batter into the base of the lined tin and spread evenly.

  • Spoon 250g of the lemon curd over the cake batter and spread evenly.

  • Sprinkle the 2 teaspoons of water over the bowl of prepared crumble and gently fold the mixture to create a mix of large and small clumps. Do no more than 7-8 folds.

  • Gently and evenly spoon the crumble over the lemon curd layer so the curd is completely covered.

  • Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the cake is firm to the touch, and doesn’t jiggle when you shake the tin. A cake tester should also come out relatively clean. There will be moisture from the curd on the tester, but no uncooked cake batter.

  • Once baked, leave the cake in the tin for 15-20 mins to set, then lift out of the tin to cool completely on a wire rack, and enjoy

This cake will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 5 days.

Adam Miller
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