Blueberries & Cream Pound Cake

• Let’s face it- “everything in moderation” is a great philosophy when it comes to things like fiber and Facebook.  And being moderate.

  I am of the belief that More is Better (strange… that sounds an awful lot like the More Sweets, Please tagline), and when it comes to blueberries in a cream-cheese-rich pound cake, well, a little bit of a good thing means that More is clearly the only way to go.  This recipe is stuffed silly with blueberries.   Stuffed to the point where the cake takes a supporting role- and yet the cake itself is poised to be the star of the show.

  So go to town with the blueberries in this moist, hint-of-lemon-flavor pound cake- because there’s nothing to feel bad about living in the land of excess when it comes to overdoing it with an antioxidant-rich fruit.

  Recipe for Disaster Alert:  yes, I had a mishap while baking this cake.  In the spirit of shamelessness, check it out here: The Great Crust… Bust.  Don’t make the same mistake(s) I did.

  1 ½ cups all purpose flour

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon baking powder

  ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

  3 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

  1 ½ cups sugar

  4 eggs, room temperature

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

  1 ½ cups blueberries (heaping measuring cups)

  1. Preheat oven to 325 ° and grease an 8 x 5-inch loaf pan.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder, and set aside.  Toss blueberries with a tablespoon or two of flour mixture in a separate small bowl.
  3. Beat the butter and cream cheese together for 2 – 3 minutes (until pale in color).  Add sugar and beat an additional 3 minutes (until fluffy).  Add eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is incorporated, scraping the bowl between each egg.  With mixer on low speed, add vanilla, zest and flour mixture until ingredients just come together (do not over mix!).  Gently fold in blueberries with a spatula.
  4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 60 to 70 minutes (until golden brown; a cake tester should come out with a few small crumbs attached).  Remove the pan from the oven to cool on rack for 15 minutes, then remove cake from pan to finish cooling.

   Tips:

  • No fresh blueberries on hand?  Go ahead and throw in frozen ones (not thawed, unless you want a blue streaky batter).  Increase the baking time by about 10 minutes.  Make sure to toss your blueberries in a bit of the flour mixture before adding to the batter, to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake as it bakes.
  • Strawberries on your mind?  Switch the blueberries for diced strawberries… I dare you.
  • Want some frosting for the top?  I don’t blame you, friend- especially since you’ll have a lot of leftover cream cheese after making this cake.  Check out the simple steps in the Fudgy Orange Brownie Cake recipe, but substitute milk for the OJ and lemon zest for the orange zest.  (Frosting is a great cover up if you happen to mess up the crust of this cake in any way, like I might have done here.)
  • Want an even easier glaze for the top of the loaf?  Two options:  #1:  mix 3 ounces of (room temperature) cream cheese with a tablespoon of milk and 2/3 of a cup of confectioners’ sugar.  Add more or less sugar (or milk) to gain the consistency you’re looking for… depends if you want to pour the icing over the top (with the lovely overflow that is bound to happen) or if you want a thicker icing to spread on top.  #2: stir 2/3 of a cup of confectioners’ sugar with a splash of milk and a few drops of vanilla.  Totally easy.
  • Watching your waist?  Hm.  Skip the icing and sprinkle icing sugar on top of the cake… that’s about the only modification I’m prepared to give you for this one.  More low fat recipes to come in the future, but in the meantime- don’t mess with a good thing (!).

   

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  Related Recipes & Posts:

  • Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
  • Peach Caramel Cake
  • Pineapple Pomegranate Upside Down Cake
  • Cardamom Pear Bundt Cake
  • Pomegranate Orange Almond Cake

  
  
  February 18th, 2012 | More Sweets Please | 2 Comments | Tags: Cakes, Fruit