Eureka!

I get overexcited over pretty simple things, maybe to the point of embarrassment to those around me. I often catch myself overly panting and awkwardly commenting to myself when these periods of overwhelming elation happen. Case in point, the blueberry sale at whole foods yesterday. It was a “EUREKA” highlight and apparently my subconscious decided she had to celebrate publicly.


Let me paint a picture for you. I had been aimlessly wandering around the store prior to the eureka occurrence, pondering what kind of birthday cake I was going to make for my neighbor, and dear friend. It had to be quick. It had to be delicious. And, it had to be gluten free. Does anybody else feel the desperation that manifested itself while I mulled over these monstrous demands?

Ok, maybe not monstrous, but last second miracles rarely turn out as well as this did. I fist pumped the gluten free gods after this one.

I digress. After grabbing Pamela’s gluten free cake mix (yes I had to cheat friends, don’t judge), I found myself trying to find solace in the produce section. And there they were. Carton after carton stacked delicately upon wooden crates and screaming, “Here I am! Use ME in you cake and all your troubles will melt away.” I may have hit the point of frantic delirious cook at this point. Blueberries. Bright, juicy, unbelievable plump blueberries. The saliva pooled in my anxious dry mouth, and I began to tremble with excitement. Lemon zest, blueberries, whipped vanilla icing… perfection. And to pack in a real punch, and feed the crowd, I decided it had to be two layers. Yes, I embraced insanity and it never tasted so good.

Lemon Blueberry Gluten Free Cake
I have always liked how moist Pamela’s gluten free cake mix turns out for me. I am excited to try this recipe subbing my own almond flour mix next time, but trust me don’t overlook this recipe. The cakes stacked with fluffy delight on top of one another and burst with sweet blueberry and fresh lemony flavor.

Ingredients
• 1 bag Pamela’s gluten free vanilla cake mix
• 1 pint blueberries
• Zest of one large lemon
• ½ large lemon, squeezed
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup water

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease two round cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients except blueberries and mix well. Do not over mix. Gently fold in your blueberries. Pour evenly into the 2 pans.

Bake for 20-23 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes at least before transferring to stack. I made the cakes at lunch and let them settle and cool in the pans for a couple hours.

To assemble, tip first cake onto serving dish. Gently pat a thin layer of vanilla, whipped with a little lemon zest, icing over the top. Place second cake on top, and gently press down to help it stick. Lightly cover the top of the cake with another layer of icing. Add blueberries for decoration if you wish.

I let mine sit in the fridge until it was time to serve which helped it not crumble, and keep moist.