Grain-Free Lemon Blueberry Cake

For the last few weeks, I had been wanting to bake a cake but I didn't really have a specific reason to make one. I knew if I made one just for the two of us, I would end up eating most of it. I realized our one year anniversary of moving into our house was coming up, so I decided to invite our wonderful neighbors over to celebrate with cake on our back deck!

Normally I like to make everything from scratch but I decided to doctor up Simple Mills Vanilla Cake Mix this time. I like Simple Mills products and this one is naturally gluten-free and made with 6 simple ingredients - almond flour, coconut sugar, arrowroot, coconut flour, baking soda and sea salt. I wanted a summery flavor so I decided on lemon blueberry.

I made two layers and kept them in the fridge covered in saran wrap for a day until I was ready to assemble. An hour before the celebration, I made the frosting and put it all together. I would not recommend frosting the cake with this frosting any earlier than an hour before serving as it slowly starts to soak into the cake (which actually makes it even more moist but will not look as pretty). I honestly threw together the frosting with several random ingredients I had in the fridge but it turned out great...kind of like a semi-tart yogurt frosting.

​I also think this cake would taste amazing with a lemon curd filling and whipped coconut cream frosting. I can't wait to make another one and try that out. I like this mix better than any other cake mix because it is simple, not too sweet and made with real ingredients. Although it looked a little dense (from the frosting soaking through), it felt and tasted light and I would describe the texture as something between a sponge cake and regular cake. I will definitely use this mix again. 

Servings: 16 skinny 2 layer slices or 8 large slices
​Prep/Total Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

Cake

• 2 boxes Simple Mills Vanilla Cupcake & Cake Mix
• 3 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 egg whites (whipped)
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup Ripple unsweetened vanilla pea milk (or your favorite milk/milk alternative)
• 1 Tbsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups blueberries

Frosting

• 4 oz Kite Hill Cream Cheese Style Spread, Plain
• 1/3 cup Ripple unsweetened vanilla pea milk (or your favorite milk/milk alternative)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 avocado
• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 Tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Cake

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Grease 2 8-inch round cake pans and dust with a tsp of the cake mix in each pan; set aside. 
2. Using a high-speed mixer, mix the egg whites on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, oil, milk, vanilla extract and lemon extract until well blended and then add in the cake mix. Fold in the egg whites until thoroughly incorporated. 
4. Pour mixture into both prepared pans and slowly drop one cup of blueberries evenly into each pan.
5. Bake for 35 minutes and test for doneness by sticking a toothpick in the center. If it still comes out moist, cover tops with aluminum foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
6. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Loosen sides and invert onto wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.​
7. Frost the top of one cake and place the other cake gently on top. Using a sharp knife, cut around the cake to make sure all sides line up evenly. Frost the sides of the cake and then the top, making sure to keep it smooth. Thinly slice a lemon if you would like to for decoration.
8. Store in the fridge until ready to serve and enjoy!

Frosting

1. Add all ingredients into either a blender or bowl with an emulsion blender. 
2. Blend until extremely smooth.
3. If you would like your frosting to be a little sweeter, add honey.

Unfrosted Grain-Free Lemon Blueberry Cake

Frosted and Sliced Grain-Free Lemon Blueberry Cake