Fresh, sweet blueberries are a welcome addition in this brightly-flavored, tender lemon pound cake.  I like to use bleached all-purpose flour in this cake, as it yields a more delicate texture and crumb, but unbleached flour will also work. The icing on the cake, as they say, is the blueberry glaze, made from a blueberry syrup that comes together in under 5 minutes.

Makes one 8 ½- x 4 ½-inch loaf cake

Ingredients

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake:

• 1 cup (141 grams) fresh blueberries
• 1 1/2 cups (173 grams) bleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 large (150 grams) eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (20 grams) finely grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 grams) sour cream
• 7 tablespoons (99 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Blueberry Glaze:

• ½ cup (71 grams) fresh or frozen blueberries
• ¼ cup (59 grams) water
• 2 tablespoon (25 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (243 grams) confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

Make the cake:

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter the interior of an 8 ½ x 4 ½ -inch loaf pan with butter. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.

2. Place the blueberries in a colander and rinse well; allow to drain and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk gently to combine. Remove 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture to a small bowl and toss with the blueberries; set aside.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, begin beating the eggs at medium speed. Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, then add the lemon zest and beat at medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and thickened, about 3 minutes.

5. Add the sour cream to the egg mixture and mix at medium-low speed until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all the sour cream is blended in. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients to the batter one-third at a time, mixing just until blended and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary to make sure all the dry ingredients are mixed in. Mix in the melted butter at low speed, making sure it is completely blended into the batter. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and gently fold in half of the blueberries.

6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining blueberries over the top, distributing them evenly. Bake the cake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (assuming it doesn’t hit a blueberry!). Cool the cake in the pan, set on a wire rack, for 15 minutes, then unmold the cake, turn it upright, and allow to cool completely.

Make the glaze and glaze the cake:

7. In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, water and sugar and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the mixture comes to a full boil. Continue to boil for 1 minute, until the blueberries release their liquid and the mixture becomes syrupy. Remove the pan from the heat and pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into bowl (discard the berries or use as you wish).

8. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, 3 ½ tablespoons of the blueberry syrup and the lemon juice until smooth. The glaze should hold a thick drizzle – if it seems too thin, add a bit more confectioners’ sugar, and if it is too thick, add a little more blueberry syrup until it is just right.) Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Allow the glaze to set at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Recommended Equipment:

USA Pan Bakeware Aluminized Steel Loaf Pan, 1 Pound