Easy & Healthy Blueberry Cake

We literally got home on Saturday, got out of the car from our road trip, dumped our bags and headed straight for the pool. This is not like me. Normally I’d be doing laundry, grocery shopping, prepping food and catching up on work emails. But I felt so happy and carefree to pack up some snacks and go to our neighborhood pool for the night instead.

Today, though, it’s back to the real world. So, to combat the post-vacation blues, I’ve got a delicious cake for you! Here’s how this came about…

I was reaching for the bowl of blueberries when it happened.

I spied the small white pitcher in the fridge. It was covered in plastic wrap and at an angle so I couldn’t see the contents, but I knew what it was.

Chocolate sauce. Homemade chocolate sauce leftover from M’s birthday weekend.

I wanted it. And I wanted those blueberries. So I drizzled chocolate sauce all over my blueberries in a bowl, took a spoon to it and happily called it my morning treat. For three days in a row…

Then I had to buy more blueberries. But I had plenty of chocolate sauce left. I decided it wasn’t a good idea to basically eat chocolate sauce on a spoon in the morning, so I decided to make a blueberry cake.

THE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

For the blueberry cake

2 cups whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat flour)
2 cups oats (I use old fashioned)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups plain yogurt (low-fat or fat-free)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups blueberries (slightly less than a pint)

For the lemon glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
3-5 teaspoons lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease a 9-inch round springform pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, add the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well to combine.
In a separate medium bowl, add the yogurt, applesauce, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice. Stir well to combine, breaking up any lumps from the yogurt.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix. Gently fold in blueberries.
Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the lemon glaze, if using. Add powdered sugar to a small bowl and add the lemon juice, starting with just 2 teaspoons. Add an extra teaspoon as needed, stirring constantly, until you get a good drizzling consistency.
Once the cake is cooled, drizzle it with the lemon glaze. (And top with chocolate sauce, if desired - see notes below.)

Source: familyfoodonthetable.com