a winning combination.

here we go. we are in the home stretch of saying goodbye to summer having one last dose of sun and humidity and i had to do it. i had to make the cake that had been on my mind all summer, so come late fall when i probably would have done it i don't look like a complete fool. late fall is for cranberries, apples, cinnamon...you get it - not lemon and blueberries.

oh - lemon and blueberries is, i think, my new favorite combo.

the way they went together was amazing. i'm still scratching my head as to why i have never gone this route before. it. worked. perfect.

i really feel like this has been my summer for lemons. all season you would be able to find lemons in decorative containers adorning my counters as i was wanting them at my fingertips as much as possible. wanting to remember them and use them. to take full advantage of their brightness and taste of summer. constantly juicing them and rasping them for their fragrant zest. savoring them.

baking is where i find my calm. the research, the reading, the planning, the hoping it will turn out. i love to create something and watch it be enjoyed for a grand celebration, a special tea party treat or just because. this was a just because kind of day. this was a friday that was like any other. a friday that marked the end of a long week, the first real week of school as well as it was gordon's birthday (our big hairy companion) and that in it's self was cause for a little celebration.

i used the strawberry cake i had told you about at the beginning of the summer as a jumping off point then i tweaked. and i tweaked. and then it was perfect. what an amazing base this is and so easy to work with. the ratio between lemon and berry was perfect. keeping the berries whole allowed some to burst in your mouth when you bite down - which was both surprising and luscious. this is definitely a forever cake that will be going into my rotation and i'm eager to tweak it to compliment the coming season.

lemon blueberry just because cake.
adapted from smitten kitchen.

now even though i call this a just because cake it can be enjoyed to mark then end of a fabulous meal as well. serve it at the end of a lovely steak, lamb or pork dinner when chocolate just might be a little too much and this will be a satisfying alternative completing the meal out perfectly. give it a light dusting of powdered sugar just before serving or if you want to go the extra mile, pair it with vanilla whip cream or homemade semifreddo. also served to a special guest or two at tea time would be a wonderful treat.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for dish.
1 and a half cups of all-purpose flour.
1 and a half teaspoons of baking powder.
half a teaspoon of salt
1 cup plus two tablespoons of sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
2 tablespoons lemon juice
zest of one lemon (at least two teaspoons) - toss in a tsp of flour to separate them.
1 pound of blueberries. if using frozen make sure they are thawed, rinsed and dried.

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. butter a 10 inch or 9 inch deep pie dish and set aside.

whisk together flour, powder, zest and salt. set aside. in a larger bowl beat together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy - about 2 to 3 minutes. add the egg and lemon juice. add 1 third of the flour mix and then the milk until just combined. add the rest of the flour mix gradually.

pour mix into the prepared pan and top with the blueberries covering the entire surface - i found not such a heavy concentration in the middle worked best. sprinkle the two tablespoons of sugar over top.

bake cake for ten minutes then reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake until golden brown and a tester comes out clean (some gooey fruit on the tester is okay), about 50 to 60 minutes. place on a wire rack to cool and cut into wedges and serve.

can be stored for two days, loosely wrapped at room temperature, if it survives the night.