My sister discovered this amazing gluten-free creation at the Nordstrom café, shared it with my mom, and then my mom found the recipe HERE and made it while I was in town recently. Although my mom thought it was better baked in individual portions because the edges were able to get more of a crunch to them, this is the only version I have tried and I thought it was heavenly!!!
Blueberry Almond Cake
From our Nordstrom Bistro, Grill, Blue Stove, Ruscello, Bazille and Bar Verde locations
(Serves 12)
Blueberry Almond Cake
1 1/2 cups almond flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 cups finely ground polenta (cornmeal)
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 pounds fresh blueberries
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 10-by-3-inch springform pan and dust it with a few tablespoons of almond flour. Shake the pan until the flour is distributed evenly across the bottom and sides. Or, for individual portions, lightly butter 8-ounce crème brûlée dishes.
2. In a stand mixer, add almond flour, polenta, baking powder, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Mix on low speed to combine.
3. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, to form a smooth batter. Once eggs are incorporated, add butter and continue mixing until combined; do not overwork.
4. Remove bowl from stand mixer and fold in blueberries, trying not to break them, until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
5. With a spatula, transfer batter to prepared baking dishes (about 6 ounces for each individual baking dish, if using). Set aside to make the buckle topping.
Buckle Topping
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1. In a stand mixer, add the almond flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Mix on low speed and add butter, mixing until the topping resembles wet sand.
2. Top the cake(s) with an even coating of the buckle topping (about 2 tablespoons each for the individual portions).
3. Transfer to oven and bake until golden on top and the center is set, about 50 minutes (or 20 minutes for the individual portions.
4. Transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool at least 1o minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature after dusting with confectioner’s sugar and placing a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top.
