Blueberry Almond Tea Cake
If last summer was all about the fresh tomatoes, this summer has been all about berries. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries – all of ’em. Today’s blueberry almond tea cake is my latest creation and it’s a good one!
If you can’t tell, I’m basically throwing berries into everything. I’ve even gone as far as buying them in bulk (just the other day, I hauled over five pounds of fresh blueberries home from the market) to freeze them for the months ahead. There are only a few short months to stock up on the best ones, and I’m not letting the opportunity pass me by.
In doing so, I’ve also discovered that freshly frozen blueberries make the best snack, particularly when paired with a heavy dose of Olympic watching. A slice of tea cake doesn’t hurt either. The more you know…
As much as this blueberry almond tea cake is for berry lovers, it is a true almond lover’s dream. The almond flavor comes through strongly with each bite, and is the true champion of this simple one layer cake.
There is no skimping of almonds in this cake! Almond meal, sliced almonds, pure almond extract – this cake has got all of it in there. The almond meal makes for a moist, tender crumb, the sliced almonds add texture, and the almond extract helps pull everything together.
The blueberries are the supporting act, if you will. You could certainly substitute the fresh blueberries with frozen blueberries during the winter months. Frozen raspberries would be another great option!
Perhaps the best part about this blueberry almond tea cake is just how simple it is to prepare and bake. Tea cakes are one of my favorite baked goods, because they are all about simplicity.
One layer, easy preparation, and simple garnishes. On that note, you will need a standard 8-inch cake pan (2-inches deep to be safe) to make this cake. I’ve acquired several good-quality cake pans over the years, and they are worth the investment!
The batter for this cake comes together very quickly and easily. The batter is thicker than most standard cake batters – think crumb cake batter consistency – so you will need to reserve about an hour for baking. If you’re dusting the cake with confectioner’s sugar, be sure to allow it to cool completely. Otherwise, this cake tastes fabulous slightly warm from the oven!
Oh, oh, oh! And this cake is made with 100% whole grain flour. You’ll be using equal proportions of almond meal (I use my favorite Bob’s Red Mill brand and swear by it!) and whole wheat pastry flour.
I can’t exactly call this cake health food since it calls for a stick and a half of butter, but this certainly makes me feel a little bit better about that second slice.
And yes, you’ll most definitely be going back for that second slice.
Accompanying cup of tea optional, but recommended.
Blueberry Almond Tea Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (100 g) whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (100 g) almond meal/flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¾ cup (50 g) sliced almonds
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- zest of one lemon
- ¾ cup (6 oz; 170 g) unsalted butter softened
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, lightly whisked room temperature
- 2 tablespoons whole or low-fat milk
- 1½ cups (8 oz) fresh blueberries
- powdered sugar (optional) for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) with a rack in the center position. Generously grease an 8-inch cake pan (at least 2-inches deep) with baking spray or butter and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper (here's an easy tutorial!), grease again, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. Reserve and set aside roughly one tablespoon of sliced almonds. Break the remaining almonds with your hands and stir them into the flour mixture.
- In a stand mixer bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingertips, rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar until fragrant and moist. Add the softened butter, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar mixture over medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl halfway through to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated evenly. Reduce the speed to medium and slowly add the eggs. Beat until incorporated (it may look slightly broken). Over low speed, slowly add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk. The batter will be relatively thick.
- Reserve a small handful (8 to 10 blueberries) of blueberries for later. Using a large spatula, gently fold the remaining blueberries into the cake batter. Transfer the batter into the greased cake pan, and smooth the top with a small offset spatula. Distribute the remaining blueberries on top, gently pressing them into the batter. Top with the remaining sliced almonds.
- Bake for 55 minutes to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Using a knife, run along the sides of the cake pan to release the sides of the cake and carefully invert onto a wire rack. Flip and allow the cake to cool right-side up.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, dusted lightly with confectioner’s sugar as desired.
46 Comments on “Blueberry Almond Tea Cake”
Great cake; will save this recipe to make again.. Delicious taste, crumby texture, rich in almond flavour, without the dryness that comes with an all-almond cake.
I had no fresh berries, so used thawed and drained frozen ones. Also had no milk and used lemon juice instead, which I think helped balance the sweetness. Will make with less sugar next time and hope it doesn’t affect the texture.
Hi Laura,
Just wondering you’ve mentioned flour, butter & sugar as 3/4 cups however the measurements in grams varies in all. Could you please confirm if they’re all slightly different? Cant wait to try thanks
You are confusing American volume measurements (like cups) and weight measurements. All of those ingredients vary tremendously in density, which is why the weights vary. You need a basic kitchen scale if you plan on using grams, which is always recommended because it is more accurate. Hope this helps!
Hi,
Is there a sugar substitute I can use? Maybe maple syrup or agave or honey?
I haven’t tested that substitute and don’t really recommend it because I don’t want it to not turn out well for you (and those two types of sugars aren’t directly interchangeable in baked goods) – however, generally, you should use about 3/4 cup maple syrup for every 1 cup granulated sugar.
Hey, thank you for such healthy recipe. Really loved it.
Please help how can I replace egg. As my daughter doesn’t like eggs.
Sorry, I have never tested any sort of egg substitution for this cake and baked goods are really sensitive to those types of changes. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help!
This recipe looks wonderful and I’m going to try it today. I like to bake with healthier ingredients and your thoughts on using avacado or canola oil instead of butter?
Hi! I tried this recipe last night – and it is delicious – albeit the blueberries generally migrated to the bottom which made for uneven baking and stuck to the bottom as it was too moist.
any suggestions? also – in general, is it ok to line the bottom with a parchment disk to guarantee it releases?
thank you!
Hi David! Yes, you can definitely line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper. I’m sorry the blueberries sunk! I haven’t experienced that issue with this cake at all because the batter is very thick and holds them up really nicely. My only thought is that maybe you were using extra large blueberries and they were heavier? I have a recipe video in this recipe post which you can watch if you need any additional clarification when making.
This cake was fabulous… made it for my book club and 5 people ate two thirds.. that’s how fabulous it was!
Thanks for sharing.
Hi there. Can I substitute almond milk for the regular milk in the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Alyson! That shouldn’t be a problem at all. Hope you like it! 🙂
Hi Laura the recipe looks delicious. Can I skip the almond meal and use all purpose flour entirely?
Yes! That should totally work. The flavor and moisture level will be a bit different, but structurally it should be fine. I haven’t personally tested this though, I’d love if you came back and left your feedback for others! Thanks!
Hi!,
This looks lovely! In case I am only using almond flour, what would the quantity for that be?
Hi Niti! Thanks for your question and sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I would definitely not substitute 100% almond flour, as the cake would have zero structure and it would fall apart and not turn out properly. Almond flour contains zero gluten and won’t behave similarly to regular flour in baked goods. If anything, I would recommend using a gluten free flour substitute for the regular flour as this *should* work. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Thank you so much for this Laura, was really helpful!
Could you suggest if oat flour would work? if yes, then how much? Could I use Bob Red Mills 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour and what quantity?
Oat flour also doesn’t contain the same type of protein that wheat flour does, so again, it wouldn’t behave properly from a structural standpoint as it doesn’t contain wheat gluten. I would suggest substituting gluten free all purpose flour on a 1:1 (3/4 cup) ratio as that’s how it’s designed to be used. Hope this helps! Again, I’ve never tried this particular recipe with a gluten free all purpose blend, but I think it should work.
Hello Laura, love your Blueberry Almond Tea Cake, can i use olive oil and how much do i use???
Thank you
I made 150 percent of recipe for a 10 inch pan, using excellent berries. Cooking time was a bit less. Cake was moist and delicious and crumbly all at once. Fabulous recipe. Thank you!
So thrilled to hear that it turned out well! Thanks for your feedback/adaptation notes!
This cake is amazing. I have never baked with almond flour before. Not only was this cake delicious but filling because of the protein. The only thing I changed was I used 3 oz of butter and 3 oz of coconut oil.
Hey Laura! Im back! Made the cake and everyone at the party absolutely loved it!! So tasty and the perfect amount of sweetness! Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave your feedback – I really appreciate it! 🙂
How many people does this serve ? On the pinterest title it says 1 , but i’m assuming that’s a mistake! Wanting to bake this for a party on sunday!
Sorry about that! Pinterest pins don’t always read properly. If you look at the header above each recipe box – it lists the time and serving amount. This makes one 8-inch cake, so the serving will really depend on how the size of your cake slices (but it should make roughly 8-10 servings!). Hope this helps!
I’d love for your feedback if you end of making it!
I made this a few days ago. I cant stop eating it.
I swapped in coconut oil (cause my butter was all cold) and i used frozen berries from this past summer. I tossed them in coconut flour before adding them to the mix. I also tossed in a splash of orange extract and 2 tbsp of lavender.
This cake is so delicious. thanks!!
Wow! That sounds fantastic. I never really bake with lavender, but really like it if its very delicate. And I love orange extract! I need to get my hands on more of it. So glad to hear that it works well with coconut oil too. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback Jennifer!
I have some pie cherries that need to be used and almond and cherry are wonderful together. I suspect I might need a bit more sugar with those sour cherries. I know baking is all about the chemistry, so not sure about that. How sweet is the cake? I could maybe get by with just shopping the cherries up a tad if the cake is moderately sweet. Either way, this looks like a winner.
Couple of quick questions. Would all purpose flour work just as well as whole wheat? And would frozen berries work just as well? Live in a very small town so whole wheat flour is not only hard to find but very expensive. But our little store has a very well stocked gluten free section that ironically has almond flour lol.
Hi Shannon! Great questions. You can absolutely substitute the whole wheat pastry flour with all-purpose. Frozen berries should work just as well too! There’s a chance they might bleed into the batter, but it wouldn’t affect the taste of the cake at all. Let me know how it turns out!!
Finally got to make it today and it is really delicious. Thanks!
Yay! So thrilled to hear that! Thanks for the feedback Salma!
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This is just a dream! I love an almond cake that really packs a nice punch of almond flavor and you sure delivered! I can’t imagine any fruit that wouldn’t go great with this cake.
Made this yesterday night as I had blueberries that needed to be used! I could not find where to add the vanilla and almond extract. So I mixed these with the milk and added them then.
The flavour is so much more almondy (is that a word ?…) than I expected. The hubby and both our colleagues really enjoyed it! Will definitely make this again!
So thrilled to hear that! The almonds are definitely the stand out flavor of the cake! Sorry for the confusion with when to add the extracts – I just clarified within the recipe, and really appreciate you pointing this out for others! 🙂
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brian would love this!
Mom and Dad liked it! 🙂
Um, if I go ahead and call it health food, can we each have 2 slices? Pretty please? I have been all up in the berries this summer too. What a beautiful way to use them!
Love the combo of almond and blueberries. It’s a match made in heaven. Looks delicious!
Thanks so much Karen!
3/4 cup of sugar, not teaspoon, yes? Sounds great, love recipes with almond flour.
Yikes! YES! 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 grams). Thank you so much for catching that! I just updated and double-checked the recipe.