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    Home / Desserts / Cakes & Cupcakes

    4.9 from 10 reviews

    Lemon Huckleberry Tea Cake

    By Alanna Taylor-Tobin on Nov 2, 2010 (updated Nov 23, 2022) / 16 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    slices of lemon huckleberry tea cake on a plate

    To me, an ideal Bojon day consists of several components:

    1) Waking up after 9 am, naturally (i.e.,not to any of the following: alarm clock, barking dogs, squalling babies, or loud construction workers)
    2) A relaxed breakfast with a cup of Samovar tea
    3) Several hours spent in nature; preferably in a forest, though the beach will do in a pinch
    4) Some degree of physical activity, i.e., a hike or a walk
    5) A congratulatory post-physical-exertion glass of micro-brewed beer at a brewpub
    6) Pizza, french fries or ice cream to accompany or chase said beer, respectively
    7) A bath or soak in a hot tub, preferably with a trashy chick-lit novel, optionally about teen witches

    lemons and huckleberries

    During the fall, a favorite Bojon activity of ours has become huckleberry hunting. Last Tuesday, we packed up a couple of sandwiches, some triple chocolate chili cookies , and our hucklebuckets and headed to an undisclosed location for an afternoon of hanging out under the tan oaks and redwoods, breathing in the crisp, fall air. Though nearing the end of the season, we were pleasantly surprised to find loads of the little fruits still clinging to their bushes.

    huckleberries in a bowl

    After picking several pints (of huckles), we headed for a couple pints (of beer) at Mill Valley Beerworks, a groovy new brewpub specializing in Belgian ales and housemade pretzels slathered in tangy-sweet mustard. I sipped the eupohoric red ale on tap, which tasted of tart cherries; Jay had their rich and toasty house-brewed stout. We then hopped over to Small Shed Flatbreads for a spelt and cornmeal-crusted pizza (roasted eggplant), a salad (beets and Cypress Hill chevre), and a piece of pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust (not unlike this one). After dance rehearsal, I capped things off with a bath and a good book. (Not the Good Book; something a bit more juicy.)

    huckleberries being stirred into cake mix

    All in all, a perfect Bojon day, with enough huckles to last the winter to show for it.

    tea cake mix in a bread pan

    Blueberries seem like such a luxury around here. Come June and July, the organic ones are so expensive that baking them into a sweet seems like a crime. Instead, I hoard them to add to bowls of fruit with yogurt and granola for breakfasts, and they rarely make it into a baked good, despite the pie, tart and cheesecake recipes I bookmark all year long.

    drizzle poured onto tea cake

    Huckleberries, on the other hand, are free, if you know where to find them. Since Jay and I stumbled on a patch of them last fall, I've finally been living out my blueberry-baking dreams. Huckles have a stronger flavor than blueberries, they are smaller and more dense, similar to wild blueberries (or so I've heard; I think they're an East Coast thing) and therefore quite conducive to baking. They come into season September through November, whereas blues peter out around August, extending berry season into the crisp days of fall.They freeze very well, and throwing handfuls of them into apple and pear desserts during the dark, deprived days of January and February can help break up the monotony of winter cookery.

    This week, I baked some of them into a teacake loaded with lemon zest and brushed with a lemon glaze, adapted from a Fine Cooking recipe I clipped several years ago. The secret weapon here is cream cheese, which gets whipped with the butter and sugar, creating a dough sturdy enough to support the berries, but still rich and delicate. The moist cake keeps well for up to a week, and makes a lovely mid-day snack with a cup of tea.

    loaf of tea cake on a board

    This versatile cake would lend itself to myriad variations.Meyer lemons, with their softer flavor and floral notes, compliment the huckles, while regular lemons, with a more pronounced tang, work equally well. Orange, tangerine, or even lime would likely be delicious substitutions.You can substitute blueberries during the summer, and I won't tell if you use frozen ones in the winter. For a holiday variation, substitute orange zest and juice for the lemon and fresh or frozen cranberries for the huckles. Or omit the berries altogether for a classic lemon pound cake.

    slices of lemon huckleberry tea cake

    Regardless of which variation you try, I hope you manage to fit in a stroll in the woods as well. Or at least a nice glass of beer.

    top down shot of lemon tea cake

    For more berry recipes:

    • Maple Blueberry Buckwheat Scones
    • Berry Peach Oven Pancake
    • Huckleberry Chèvre Cheesecake Squares
    • Baked Raspberry Mascarpone Tart {gluten-free}

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this lemon huckleberry tea cake recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

    4.91 from 10 reviews

    Lemon Huckleberry Cream Cheese Tea Cake

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    You are going to love this easy, fruity snack cake!
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Total: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 to 10 servings (one 8x4 or 9x5" loaf).

    Ingredients

    • 4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus a bit for greasing the pan (1 stick, 1/2 cup)
    • 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
    • 1 1/4 cups sugar
    • zest of 2 lemons
    • 3 eggs, at room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 1/2 cups flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen huckles (if frozen, don't defrost first)

    Glaze:

    • 1/2 cup powdered sugar (sifted if clumpy)
    • juice of 1/2 a lemon, or enough to make a thin glaze

    Instructions

    • Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325º. Line an 8x4 or 9x5" loaf pan with a sling of parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment and exposed ends of the pan. (Lacking parchment, you can generously grease the pan and dust it with flour.)
    • Combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium until light and fluffy, 3 - 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle as needed. (The mixture may break, and that's ok.) Stir in the vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir into the batter on low speed until just combined. Fold the batter a few times with a rubber spatula, scraping the paddle and bottom of the bowl, to make sure the batter is thoroughly combined, and that any lemon zest clumps are distributed throughout the batter. Gently fold in the huckleberries. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth.
    • Bake the cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached, 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. Let the cake cool for 10 or 15 minutes, then remove from the pan.
    • While the cake is cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Brush all over the top and sides of the cake. Let cool completely, at least one hour.
    • The cake keeps well, wrapped, at room temperature or in the fridge, for up to a week.

    Notes

    Adapted from Fine Cooking.
    Nutritional values are based on one of eight servings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 416kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 210mgPotassium: 87mgSugar: 39gVitamin A: 620IUVitamin C: 3.6mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 1.5mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    Lemon Huckleberry Cream Cheese Tea Cake

    Adapted from Fine Cooking

    Makes one 8x4 or 9x5" loaf, 8-10 servings

    4 ounces (1 stick, 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus a bit for greasing the pan
    3 ounces (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) cream cheese, at room temperature
    1 1/4 cups sugar
    zest of 2 lemons
    3 eggs, at room temperature
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 1/2 cups flour
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen huckles (if frozen, don't defrost first)

    Glaze:
    1/2 cup powdered sugar (sifted if clumpy)
    juice of 1/2 a lemon, or enough to make a thin glaze

    Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325º. Line an 8x4 or 9x5" loaf pan with a sling of parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment and exposed ends of the pan. (Lacking parchment, you can generously grease the pan and dust it with flour.)

    Combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium until light and fluffy, 3 - 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle as needed. (The mixture may break, and that's ok.) Stir in the vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir into the batter on low speed until just combined. Fold the batter a few times with a rubber spatula, scraping the paddle and bottom of the bowl, to make sure the batter is thoroughly combined, and that any lemon zest clumps are distributed throughout the batter. Gently fold in the huckleberries. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth.

    Bake the cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached, 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. Let the cake cool for 10 or 15 minutes, then remove from the pan.

    While the cake is cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Brush all over the top and sides of the cake. Let cool completely, at least one hour.

    The cake keeps well, wrapped, at room temperature or in the fridge, for up to a week.

    slice of lemon tea cake with bite taken out

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jessa says

      November 02, 2010 at 8:19 pm

      I really want to get out a-huckling one more time this year, but it's seeming like we might not have the time.

      Good thing there's a gallon and a half of the little buggers in the freezer!

      This cake sounds delicious! Thanks again for your lovely recipes (and wonderful writing).

      Reply
    2. Matt says

      November 15, 2010 at 6:27 pm

      First up, this cake is amazing. My roommate and I ate half of it in one sitting. Second...YES! East coast blueberries (specifically Maine) are very small, and very, very sweet. They're the best!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 20, 2012 at 5:18 am

        Thanks, Matt! You're my hero.

        Reply
    3. Deanna says

      April 22, 2014 at 6:42 pm

      I made this cake last night. My boyfriend doesn't like cake (he says it is always too dry) and not only did he eat his whole piece, he asked for seconds. This is unheard of in my house. This recipe is perfection... Easy to make and delicious. I have added it to my binder of recipes and also forwarded the link to all my huckleberry loving family and friends. Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        April 23, 2014 at 12:16 am

        Yay! I'm so happy to hear that. I feel the same way about cake, and was equally happy to find one as moist and tender as this one. I just made a gluten-free version with rhubarb in place of the berries, and have been hard pressed not to eat it for every meal. :) Thank you for sharing it around, and for the lovely note!!

        Reply
    4. Penny says

      August 13, 2018 at 5:55 pm

      I have made this and it is the best ever. Thanks for this recipe! Everyone i share it with loves it.
      Penny

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        August 20, 2018 at 3:01 pm

        I'm so glad you like it!

        Reply
    5. Karen says

      September 01, 2018 at 7:47 am

      Love the recipe, haven’t made it yet. Trying to find more recipes that are sugar free, any ideas!?

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 04, 2018 at 9:44 pm

        Do you mean no refined sugar but maple, dates, honey, etc. are ok? Or like no sweetener at all?

        Reply
    6. Ellen McGrath says

      July 25, 2020 at 7:15 am

      I discovered a large patch of Huckleberries in the woods nearby my home in Massachusetts and made your tea cake yesterday. I enjoyed the cake with the lemon icing for breakfast this morning. The only thing is the berries seeds in the cake were a bit crunchy. Do you think straining the tiny seeds out and just make a slurry of the pulp would work with the recipe the next time?

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        July 28, 2020 at 1:42 pm

        That's so interesting, I've never had huckleberries with noticeable seeds in them! You could certainly try that method, and swirl the slurry into the batter? Let me know if you try! It could be really beautiful and marbled :)

        Reply
    7. Debbie says

      August 15, 2020 at 2:52 pm

      This tea cake is amazing 👍🏼👍🏼

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        August 17, 2020 at 9:42 pm

        Aw I'm so glad you liked it!

        Reply
    8. April Miklos says

      August 02, 2021 at 8:56 pm

      I’ve made this recipe twice now and both times it’s been delicious! I think I’ll try the cheesecake bars next :)

      Reply
    9. Yogagrill! says

      September 19, 2021 at 12:06 pm

      Sooooooo yummy! I'm very excited to have found this recipe!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 19, 2021 at 8:15 pm

        Aw I'm so glad you liked it! An oldie but goodie. :)

        Reply

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    Alanna Taylor-Tobin smiling and holding her cookbook, Alternative Baker

    I'm Alanna, a recovering pastry chef-turned food photographer, stylist, videographer, and award-winning cookbook author. The Bojon Gourmet is a celebration of the sweet, savory, and occasionally boozy recipes that I create in my San Francisco kitchen. About →

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    My cookbook, Alternative Baker, contains 100+ recipes featuring corn, oat, chestnut, almond, buckwheat, sorghum, and other gluten-free flours. Find out where to get your copy! →

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