Healthier Lemon and Blueberry Cake (GF, low fat, reduced sugar)
Continuing my healthier baking stretch, this time we have a healthier lemon and blueberry cake. I love cakes that are better for you. So satisfying to make.
Not always the easiest though – there’s a reason why we often shove tons of sugar and butter in them.
The original is a tried, tested and very well loved orange drizzle loaf. This time, I’ve changed it up a little and this one is gluten free and has less sugar.
The blueberries were from my garden (I actually made this in the summer and just getting round to publishing it now). Blueberries go so well with any kind of citrus, and this was no exception.
Although it might seem obvious, it’s important to mention that the texture of a cake changes when it doesn’t have any gluten. Making a healthier lemon and blueberry cake using Greek yoghurt and reducing fat and sugar content also alters not only the texture but taste, too.
What I’m trying to get at is: don’t be expecting a regular cake. That said, the end result is fabulous; make no mistake about that.
Lemon and Blueberry Cake (GF, low fat, reduced sugar)
Ingredients
Cake:
- 50g (¼ cup) brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 60ml (¼ cup) Greek yoghurt
- 60ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
- 140g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) gluten free flour blend (see note 1)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (or essence)
- 75g (¾ cup) blueberries (I used frozen)
Glaze:
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 175°C (350ºF).
- Whisk the sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy. Add honey, lemon juice, yoghurt and oil, and beat until smooth.
- Sift the flour, vanilla sugar, baking soda and baking powder together and add to the wet ingredients, stirring well. Lastly, gently stir in the blueberries.
- Pour into a prepared loaf tin (mine was 25cm x 12cm) and bake for around 30-40 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for a while, then turn out onto a wire rack.
- While still warm, mix the sugar and lemon juice for the glaze. With a knife, gently poke holes in the top of the cake and pour the glaze over. Slice and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- The original recipe called for gluten free flour. However, if you'd like to use spelt or regular flour instead, just do a straight swap.
I don’t have vanilla sugar. Can I use vanilla extract, and if so, how much? Also, should I still add a teaspoon of regular sugar? Thank you!
Hi Tiffany! Just substitute the vanilla sugar for the same amount of extract/essence!
Hello Tracy
Your blueberry cake looks fabulous and i like it less sugar and using yoghurt. I have decided to give it a try. 1/4 vegetable oil, do you mean 1/4 cup? Can you please advise?
Many thanks !
Hi Nikki!
Sorry for the late response – I don’t come over very often!
Yes, it should be 1/4 cup of oil, sorry! Thanks for the heads up!
You don’t state SR or plain flour
Hi Christine!
I am in Sweden and all my recipes use plain flour (we can’t get SR flour).