Ottolenghi’s simply sweet: Blueberry, almond and lemon cake

For all the tins, trays and moulds that can be used to great effect in baking, there’s nothing quite like a simple loaf cake to reassure one that all is OK with the world. This is timeless, easy and also keeps well, for 3 days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

SERVES 8

150g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

190g caster sugar

2 lemons: finely grate the zest to get 2 tsp, then juice to get 2 tbsp

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs, beaten

90g self-raising flour, sifted

⅛ tsp salt

110g ground almonds

200g blueberries

70g icing sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 180C fan (200C/gas 6). Grease and line a loaf tin 11cm x 21cm, and set aside.

2 Place the butter, sugar, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and vanilla in the bowl of a free-standing food mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat on a high speed for 3-4 minutes, until light, then lower the speed to medium. Add the eggs, in small additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl. The mix may split a little, but don’t worry: it’ll come back together. Add the flour, salt and almonds in three additions. Finally, fold in 150g of blueberries, by hand, and pour into the prepared loaf tin.

3 Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining 50g of blueberries over the top of the cake. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes, until the cake is golden-brown but still uncooked. Cover loosely with tinfoil and continue to bake for 25-30 minutes, until risen and cooked. Test by inserting a knife into the middle: it’s ready if it comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside, in its tin, to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

4 Meanwhile, make the icing. Put the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice into a bowl with the icing sugar and whisk until smooth. Pour over the cake and gently spread out: the blueberries on the top of the cake will bleed into the icing a little, but don’t worry, this will add to the look.