Blueberry tea cake and cookbooks that make me cry

Something I’d never imagined possible has happened to me – and twice so far: I cried reading cookbooks.

Reading about Barbara Lynch’s childhood years brought tears to my eyes; I became a huge fan of hers even before trying her recipes. But it all started with John Barricelli’s beautiful book: a couple of lines about him growing up without his parents and I was crying like a baby – maybe because I know the feeling so well.

After wiping out the tears I went to the kitchen and baked this cake.

Blueberry tea cake
from The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook

Cake:
2 ½ cups (350g) all purpose flour + 1 teaspoon for blueberries and zest
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (175g) firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
2 cups blueberries – I used frozen, unthawed
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

Glaze:
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups (280g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Generously butter a 12-cup Bundt pan. Set aside.
Make the cake: in a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 ½ cups flour and the baking powder. Set aside.
In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk, and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat just until the flour is absorbed.
In a bowl, toss the blueberries and lemon zest with the remaining 1 teaspoon flour, and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert the pan on the rack to turn the cake out. Let cool completely on the rack.
Make the glaze: in a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice into the confectioners’ sugar, adding the second tablespoon gradually, so that the glaze is just liquid enough to pour easily but still opaque. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake, then allow it to firm completely, about 30 minutes, before serving.

Serves 12 – I halved the recipe above and used a regular 6-cup capacity ring pan