by Anna Nelson – There’s something about spring that makes me want to bake.
Not in a big, ambitious way. More like opening the windows, letting the air in, and seeing what’s already sitting in the kitchen.
That’s how this lemon blueberry cake came together.
I didn’t plan it ahead of time. I just started pulling things out. Frozen blueberries from the back of the freezer. A couple of Meyer lemons. Eggs I had just picked up.
And somewhere in the middle of it, I realized almost everything I was using had come from OtterBee’s.
Not just this week either. Some of it had been sitting in my kitchen for months, waiting for exactly this kind of day.
The blueberries were from last fall. I had tucked them away at the end of the season, and they were still perfect. Deep color, full flavor, none of that dull, watery thing you sometimes get from out-of-season fruit.
The lemons were Meyer lemons that I bought in my last OtterBee’s order. Soft, bright, and just a little sweeter than the standard kind. When I zested them, the whole kitchen shifted. It’s hard to explain, but it felt like the season changed right there on the counter.
The eggs were fresh, too. You can tell when you crack them. The yolks sit higher, the whites hold together. It makes a difference, even in something simple like cake.
I followed a lemon blueberry bundt cake recipe pretty closely, but made a few small adjustments based on what I had. Swapped the oil. Made my own buttermilk. Used frozen berries instead of fresh.
Nothing complicated. Just working with what was already there.
And that’s the part that stuck with me.
After a while of shopping this way, your kitchen starts to build on itself. You’re not starting from scratch every time you cook. You’ve got ingredients that carry across seasons. Things you saved on purpose. Things you picked up because they looked good, and then figured out how to use later. And because so much of it comes from nearby, in season, it carries that extra layer of meaning. Lower food miles. A closer connection to the people growing it. It’s a little like how kitchens used to work, when putting food up for later was just part of the rhythm of the year. Not as a trend, just as a way of living.
It turns baking into something a little more intuitive.
And sometimes, that turns into cake.
Lemon Blueberry Cake (based on Bunsen Burner Bakery – https://www.bunsenburnerbakery.com/lemon-blueberry-bundt-cake/)
Ingredients
For the cake
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup hazelnut oil
- 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice (to make buttermilk)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 2 Meyer lemons
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups frozen blueberries (unthawed, tossed lightly in flour)
For the glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (from the 2 Meyer lemons zested above)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a bundt pan well. If your bundt always sticks, like mine does, check out some of this tips: https://www.bunsenburnerbakery.com/best-bundt-cakes-bundt-baking-tips/
Start by making your buttermilk. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the milk and let it sit for a few minutes while you prep everything else.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oils, buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Try not to overwork it.
Toss the frozen blueberries with a small amount of flour to prep for the baking.
Pour half the batter into your prepared pan, then slowly add half of your blueberries. Pour the other half of your cake mix on top and then add the reminder of your berries. Use a spatula to push the blueberries down slightly and smooth the top. While this process is more involved, it ensures the blueberries are suspended in the cake and do not just sink to the bottom of your bundt.
Bake for about 50–60+ minutes (my berries were frozen and it took closer to 90 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely.
For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled cake. Wait till the cake is fully cooled to add the glaze for optimal glazing results. 🙂
My husband and I shared a slice once it had cooled completely and it was like spring exploding in my mouth. The blueberries were soft, the lemon came through clean without being too sharp, and the crumb held together in that way you hope for but don’t always get.
But honestly, the bigger takeaway wasn’t the cake itself.
It was the fact that I didn’t have to go anywhere to make it.
Everything was already there. Local, seasonal, or saved from a season before. Just waiting to be used.
That’s what a year of shopping with OtterBee’s starts to look like. Not just better ingredients, but a kitchen that actually supports how you want to cook.
And on a spring afternoon, that turns into something pretty simple.
You feel like baking. And you can.
Anna Nelson is a writer and editor based in Smith River, CA. She writes about local food and seasonal shifts and is a proud OtterBee’s shopper and contributing author to the OtterBee’s Market blog.
