A fruit cake that has some nutty crunch to it has been my recent cake obsession. Specially with summer days that are coming to an end, and cold days slowly crawling in, let the festive baking begin. My freezer is full of summer’s fruit pick and delicious fruit preserves, that are waiting to be used up into some baked goodness to warm up the day. Fruit cakes are so versatile that you can bake them anytime of the year and you can still feel the wonderful freshness that reminds us of the warm sunny days.

This year after my annual Blueberry farm visit, I saved some of the berries by freezing some for later use. I was patiently(not really) waiting for a perfect opportunity to use up some of the frozen berries and decided to experiment a little today.

I wanted a light cake with some texture and crunch to it. By now you know my obsession with Cashew nuts and how they are so dear to me in my cooking. (Check out my creamy Cashew Nut Curry for a protein infused vegan meal.) Today, I am using some Cashews in this cake that is not only going to give a buttery taste but, also will give a nutty crunch to the palates.

Lets not forget, this cake is going to be super soft with the Blueberry Reduction / Sauce that we are going to be incorporating into the cake batter.

You can buy roasted Cashew nuts from the store to be used in this recipe. I only had raw Cashew nuts at hand, so I roasted them in a saucepan until they turn light golden brown. You can microwave them too, but it might get burnt easily. Keep an eye and only cook them in 30-second intervals.

This cake will be perfect on its own, without any extra frosting added to it. But I wanted to show you how simple it is to create a naked cake with very minimal cake decorating skills. I never learnt cooking or cake decorating professionally. But practice and experimenting will get you the confidence to try amazing things.

Did I tell you how much I adore the natural coloring this cake and frosting yields. All thanks to the Blueberry Reduction / Sauce that we used to achieve this beautiful purple hue. Do give it a try and enjoy it with your loved ones.

Blueberry Cashew Nut Cake

Serves 6 – 8 | Prep-time 20 mins | Cook-time 35-40 mins

Blueberry Sauce/ Reduction Ingredients :

• 3 Cups of Fresh Blueberries.
• 2-3 tablespoons of Water.

Directions :

• In a Sauce Pan add the Blueberries to the water.
• Cook for 15 – 20 minutes for the Blueberries to boil down, and till most of the liquid evaporates.
• Keep stirring until you reach chunky sauce like thickness.
• Store the Blueberry Sauce in a jar / air tight container in the refrigerator for later use.

Notes :

• You can add Sugar to this sauce if you want them to be on the sweeter side. I personally like sourness in the sauce; hence I am avoiding the sugar.
• This recipe will yield 1 cup of Blueberry sauce.

Cake Ingredients :

• 2 cups of Margarine / Vegan Butter.
• 1 1/2 cups of Light Brown Sugar.
• 2 cups of Unbleached Flour.
• 4 Eggs.
• 1/2 Cup of Blueberry Sauce.
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract.
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder.
• 1/2 cup of toasted Cashew nuts(divided).

Directions :

• Take the Margarine and Eggs out of the refrigerator and let it get to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F° or 170 C°.
• Grease two 9×2 round baking pans with margarine or non-stick baking spray, and line parchment sheet to the bottom.
• Sift the Flour and Baking powder together and keep aside.
• Take a large bowl and beat the Margarine well until it is soft, fluffy and turned into a pale color.
• Add the Sugar and beat them until Sugar is well combined.
• Add the Eggs one at a time to the mixture and beat well until the batter is creamy.
• Mix in the Vanilla extract into the batter and combine well.
• Combine flour in; 2 portions with the batter and beat well.
• Add in the Blueberry Sauce and roasted crushed Cashew nuts and mix well.
• Pour the batter into the two baking pans and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Notes :

• I have used Margarine in this recipe. But Butter / Vegan Butter can be substituted, and it will yield a delicious cake as well.
• I used Unbleached flour in this recipe as a personal choice, but all purpose, regular flour too will do the job.
• I have used Light Brown sugar in this recipe which is sweeter than the regular sugar. But regular sugar will work fine.
• You can combine all the roasted Cashew nuts into the cake batter at once or add half and keep the rest to add in between the two layers of the cake(while frosting it).

Vegan Blueberry Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients :

• 1/2 cup of Margarine / Vegan Butter.
• 2 cups of Icing sugar.
• 1/2 cup of Blueberry Sauce.

Directions :

• In a medium bowl, beat margarine well until it is fluffy and turns pale in color.
• Add icing sugar one cup at a time and beat well, while scrapping down the sides of the bowl to mix everything well.
• Finally add the Blueberry Sauce: one table spoon at a time and beat well until you reach your desired consistency.

Notes :

• Butter can be substituted in this recipe to make Buttercream frosting. Make sure to take the butter out of the refrigerator and let it get to room temperature before making the frosting.
• I wanted this particular cake to be more on the naked styled cake, meaning less frosting is required to cover the cake. If you are looking to frost the cake fully, double the Margarine and Icing sugar quantity from the frosting recipe.
• I have used Wilton Tip – 32 / Open Star tip to pipe the top of the cake.