For the past week or so, waking up in the morning seems to take a bit less effort than usual. I first noticed it last week, the morning after I danced for an hour and a half in a basement hall in pitch black darkness (the dance night is put together by some friends who were inspired by a dance night in Melbourne called ‘No Lights, No Lycra‘ and it’s awesome. Like dancing in your kitchen, without any prying eyes, crossed with an intense workout and maybe a bit of goofy euphoria.) I woke up again, early, ready to face the day after a night of biking. Then, it happened again despite the fact that I had spent the previous night on the couch watching almost an entire season of Parks & Rec.
It hit me that there’s been a subtle shift in the morning light. Our bedroom and office face east and the light seems brighter and warmer. It hits the room differently and leaves beautiful patterns on the wall. I blame it on this gorgeous late summer we’re having and I want to wake up just a bit earlier to eat up as much as I can from these short but lovely mornings.
When I recently found myself in possession of a 5lb box of local, un-sprayed blueberries (thank you BC Blueberry Council!), I wanted to make something that would help the quiet mornings to linger a bit longer. This big, beautiful bundt cake is the answer.
This is a cake with a moist, tender crumb that goes perfectly with your first cup of coffee in the morning. A nice slice pairs equally well with obsessive bouts of 3-in-a-row episodes of Parks & Rec in the evenings (seriously, I’m not sure why I never watched this show until now and I apparently can’t get enough of it). The buckwheat lends a nutty tang and a comparison to pancakes isn’t far off at all.
elsewhere: Take a look at this rhubarb-raspberry crostata over at Poppytalk. It just bleeds deliciousness.
buckwheat bundt cake with blueberries
(adapted from Orangette)1 c buckwheat flour
1 c all-purpose flour
¾ c brown sugar
½ t kosher salt
4 t baking powder
zest from 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1 c plain yogurt
almond milk (soy or dairy is fine) with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to equal 1 cup
6 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¼ c honey
½ t vanilla extract
1 c fresh blueberriesPreheat oven to 375F. Butter & flour a standard size bundt pan & set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, salt, baking powder (yes, it really is 4 teaspoons) and lemon zest.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and yogurt together. Pour 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup and top with milk to equal 1 cup. Pour that in with the egg/yogurt mixture and whisk again. Add in melted butter, honey and vanilla and stir well. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry mixture and gently stir to just combine. Do not overmix.
Pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan and scatter half of the blueberries over the top. Add another 1/3 of the batter, and top with the remaining blueberries. Spoon remaining batter over top. Bake the cake for about 30 minutes (though I found 35 minutes to work well), until the cake pulls away from the edges of the pan and a poke with a cake skewer comes clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. This cake tastes even better the next day, ready for breakfast.
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It’s been staying darker here later so I’ve actually been having a much harder time than usual waking up! But if I knew this was waiting for me…I’d be up in a jiffy!
How mornings should be spent. I felt calm just reading your post.
Blueberries in cake and I am there. How many cups is your bundt pan? I have some smaller looking ones. How full should it be filled and could I put any left-over batter in cupcake pans? I haven’t actually ever made a bundt cake but recently bought two second hand ones.
I wish I could echo your sentiment but I have been finding it more challenging to get up in the mornings. Temperatures have been much cooler here, so I blame it on a desire to start hibernation early! Hooray for buckwheat (and squeezing the last out of summer)!
Joanne, maybe your new morning routine should involve bundt cake?
Aw, thank you Tracy! Agreed.
Catherine, this is a new bundt cake pan (well, I took it home with me after a visit with my dad) and I think it holds 10-12 cups or so. My older pan was much smaller, but I made do – I would just fill the pan 3/4 full and then if there was any leftover batter, I’d bake it up in a tiny skillet. Since you have 2 pans, just divide the batter between the 2 and maybe cut the baking time down a bit.
Amanda, yes, I’m trying to squeeze all I can out of summer since summer didn’t really take here – it was a slow starter. But I can understand the urge to hibernate. Definitely!
I need to have more positive thoughts like yours in my life. I just can’t seem to find the golden lining in anything these days. Maybe because I’ve been depriving myself of delicious desserts in an attempt to whittle those hips? Buckwheat and blueberries sounds incredible! I love baked goods with buckwheat flour in them. It’s a heartier flour to bake with but also very filling and good for you to boot. Bookmarking now!!
Actually I think the expression is “silver lining” …LOL! “Golden lining” works too, right? I think I just pulled an Archie Bunker 🙂
I just discovered “Parks and Rec” this summer, too, and have caught up through season 3. Awaiting season 4 on Netflix now. (I’m old school, I do DVDS.) Why has this show not won a pile of Emmy Awards??
And your cake looks absolutely delicious.
Joanne, I like golden lining myself 🙂
Laila, I feel so late to the P&R party, but it’s so good. We’re almost through s4 and while it started off not as good, it’s gotten better midway through.
I got really behind on my emails, and I just read about your lettuce bolting problem. Basically, lettuce doesn’t like too much sun or too much heat. So in the hottest part of the summer, give it some shade and pick your lettuce while it’s still small, then re-seed for another crop. Lettuce grows fast, and it doesn’t mind cool spring or fall. So you can easily get 3 or more crops in a season. It’s the closest you can get to instant gratification in gardening. You can probably squeeze another crop in, even at this late date.
Jeri, thank you!!! I’m curious about planting more lettuce and since it won’t get cold for a while, I’ve been toying with the idea of planting again. Thanks so much for the comment.
This is lovely! I’m especially enamored with that lights-out dance party idea. So great! ANd waking with more energy. I can’t figure out my own ebbs but I know exercise always affects my energy levels. Huzzah to fall, free blueberries (!!!) and baked goods.
Oooh that looks delicious! I love blueberries but they’re prohibitively expensive for most of the year in Australia. I might try it with frozen and see how I go.
I’ve heard of “No lights, no lycra” – sounds like fun! I always feel better the day after my hip hop class. More people should make time for dancing, and for cake in the mornings! 🙂
Kimberley, you’d love the lights out dance party!! It’s hella fun times 🙂 Hooray to fall, indeed!
Thanks Julia, we’re lucky that blueberries grow right here but I’m sure using frozen would do really well. Let me know how it goes.
A breakfast bundt! Of course! Eureka! I really am having a lovely epiphany right now. Thank you for this. I will be bundt-ing soon; in the morning; with BC blueberries (actually Chilliwack ones if we’re getting picky).
Hooray for eureka moments, Haley!! Get with the bundt-ing and the blueberries 🙂 Enjoy!
Is the almond milk with the vinegar a way to replicate buttermilk? Could a cup of buttermilk replace that? BTW… I was also watching 4 episodes in a row of Parks & Recreation each night. Love that show. Netflix is the enemy of sleep.
Mr Breakfast, yes, I rarely ever have buttermilk on hand so I sub with vinegar + milk 🙂 I know the marathon P&R runs all too well 🙂