Blueberry Dream Cake

Light and airy vanilla sponge with a bottom layer of blueberries, topped with a caramelised oat crumble and served with hot custard or cream. Blueberry Dream Cake literally tastes like a dream!

This recipe is inspired by one of the most traditional and famous Danish cakes Drømmekage, which translates into English as “dream cake”. I’ve kept the sponge ingredients and method the same but added blueberries for a fruity twist. The topping is traditionally made with coconut, but I chose to make it with oats instead (I’ll admit it’s what I had in the cupboard!) and added a teaspoon of cinnamon to compliment the blueberries.

The method for a Drømmekage sponge is so different from any other cake I’ve made before. For starters, you whisk the eggs and sugar first, rather than creaming the butter and sugar. I know, I was confused too, but trust me it works! Then you add melted butter, vanilla and milk. At this point, I was thinking this can’t be right but stay with. Finally, you add the dry ingredients and fold everything together.

I put the cake in the oven, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Well, the result was amazing! The sponge is moist but light, sweet but not too sweet, and the caramelised topping just takes it to a whole other level. I served mine warm with custard, and after the first bite, I totally understood why it’s called a dream cake.

Ingredients (makes an 8inch cake / 8 slices)

For the cake:
200g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
200g caster sugar
60g unsalted butter
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
130ml whole milk
150g fresh blueberries

For the caramel oat crumble:
90g unsalted butter
30ml whole milk
150g soft brown sugar
100g porridge oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon

To serve:
Custard or cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line the base of an 8inch deep loose-bottom round baking tin and grease the sides with a little butter.

Start by making the cake. Combine the flour and baking powder together in a bowl, stir through and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together for about 5 minutes until pale and frothy.

Melt the butter in the microwave in 20 second blasts or on the hob. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract and milk to the whisked eggs and mix through. Add the dry ingredients and fold the mixture together until you have a smooth mixture (don’t worry if it looks runny, it’s meant to be like that). Finally fold in the blueberries.

Transfer the mixture to the baking tin, spreading it out into an even layer. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and the middle is firm to the touch.

10 minutes before the cake is ready, make the caramel oat crumble. Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and stir together on a medium-low heat until the butter and sugar have melted and you have a thick oat mixture.

Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and pour the caramel crumble on top. Return to the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the topping has set and has browned around the edge. Leave to completely cool in the baking tin.

Best served warm with either a dollop of custard or a drizzle of cream. Store the cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days.