Blueberry & Lemon Tea Cake

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

T, the boys and I spent a week in Tasmania visiting family over the holidays.  While it was great to see everyone it was also a little difficult to see both my Grandparents so unwell – my Grandmother is going through chemotherapy for breast cancer which she was diagnosed with 2 weeks after my Grandfather was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia.  My Grandmother, whom everyone who knows her calls her Nan, is a trooper and doesn’t let anything get her down and is focused on looking after my Grandfather.  So focused that immediately after finishing each chemo session she’s straight back home and looking after my Grandfather almost as if she isn’t undergoing treatment.  I really am amazed by her inner strength and determination and how nothing gets her down or stressed.

My New Year’s resolution is to take a leaf out of her book and take things in my stride and not get so stressed.   I’m not sure why, but if there is something to stress about I will do it.  I will stress about trying to make everyone happy, work, trying to be the perfect girlfriend and step-mother and anything else.  So, it came as no surprise that the first day of my month long holiday from work, just prior to Christmas, that I contracted Shingles.  It was a good thing though, as it’s the wake up call I needed to remind me that I need to learn to look after myself and handle stress better.

One of the things I find helps me relax is a cup of tea.  Old fashioned I know, but sipping a cup of green or herbal tea feels so relaxing.  There’s also science to it too in that tea contains Theanine, which is a chemical that has been found to reduce phyiscal and mental stress.  And what better to serve with that tea than a slice of Tea Cake.  Equally old fashioned but absolutely delicious.

This tea cake was inspired by a Tea Cake my Mum made during our visit to Tasmania.  She made the old fashioned cinnamon Tea Cake I remember from my childhood to which she added blueberries.  It was delicious and quickly devoured by all.  For my Tea Cake I decided to pair the blueberries with lemon, and the cake was equally as delicious as my Mums.

I also thought I would share some of the photos I took whilst in Tasmania.  I hope you enjoy.

Did you set yourself a New Years Resolution? How are you going with it so far?

Blueberry & Lemon Tea Cake Recipe

180g of butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup of raw caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
250g of blueberries
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 cup of buttermilk

Topping
1 tablespoon of melted butter
1 tablespoon of caster sugar
zest of half a lemon

1. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius 350 Farenheit and grease a cake tin or line with baking paper.

2. In a mixer with a paddle attachment fitted cream the butter, lemon zest and sugar until pale.

3. Reduce the mixer to a low speed and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition.

4. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture alternately with the buttermilk until just combined.

5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold through the blueberries before pouring the mixture into your prepared cake tin.

6. Bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean.

7. Cool the cake in the cake tin for 10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire cake rack.

8. Brush the top of the cake with the melted butter and mix together the caster sugar and lemon zest for the topping and sprinkle over the top of the cake.