One of my favorite things about summertime is all the delicious, juicy, refreshing fruit! From berries to stone fruits, the selection is endless. And while fruit is delicious to eat all by itself (no sugar or cooking necessary)—oh, the baking options!Fruit is packed with vitamin C and Potassium, which both benefit the body. When I bake using fruit, I like to keep the sugar content down to help cut calories.Some great alternatives to granulated sugar are Swerve, made with two natural sweeteners (erythritol and oligosaccharides), Norbu (erythritol and monk fruit), Natvia (erythritol and stevia), and Zsweet (erythritol and stevia). You can also find Monk Fruit mixed with Stevia. All of these natural sweeteners are low on the Glycemic Index—meaning they won’t strongly impact blood sugar levels. Purchase these alternatives in powdered form for baking and substitute them 1:1 for sugar.

Ingredients

Crumb Topping
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar or natural sugar substitute such as Monk Fruit Blend
  • 1/8 tsp. fine sea saltZest of 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter,room temp., cubed
Cake
1½ cups plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. fine sea salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp.
¾ granulated sugar or natural sugar substitute such as Monk Fruit Blend
Zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (if using frozen do not thaw)
Lemon Syrup
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • Juice of 2 lemons

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.
Crumb Topping
Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest together in a bowl, then use a fork to cut in the butter until it’s about pea-sized. Pop the topping into the freezer while you mix the cake batter.
Cake
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light

and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Gently fold in 1 cup of the blueberries, spread the batter into the prepared pan, and distribute the remaining cup of blueberries on top. Sprinkle the chilled crumb topping over the berries, then bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm on top.

Glaze
Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and whisk until blended. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until syrupy. The glaze will bubble while cooking, so you may need to remove it from the heat to check that it is thick enough. Pour the glaze over the cake as soon as it is removed from the oven. Reheat the syrup briefly if it has become too thick to pour.

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