I have a favorite strawberry bundt cake, that I thought would be perfect in a loaf pan. The texture of the cake is very much like a pound cake – so I knew this would be a ‘win”. I switched out the strawberries for blueberries, and this recipe made 2 loaves of amazing blueberry lemon breakfast bread! The blueberries are juicy, and brilliant in color when the bread is cut. This made for a beautiful presentation, and OK, a great photo opportunity as well! The lemon glaze ties this all together, and I have to say is just “to die for” good!
Recipe:
1 c unsalted butter, room temp
2 c sugar
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
2 1/2 c all purpose flour, divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz container lemon or key lime yogurt (NOOSA is amazing in this recipe)
1 1/2 c fresh blueberries
Icing:
1 1/2 c Powdered sugar
4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 loaf pans with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, covering bottom and 2 long sides only.
Zest your lemon, set the zest aside. Juice this lemon into a small bowl, and set aside. (don’t use bottled lemon juice – nothing replaces fresh, and you’ll be glad you did!).
Combine 2 1/4 c flour, baking soda and salt to a bowl, and stir to combine using a wire whisk. Set aside.
Add butter and sugar to a stand mixer, with a paddle attachment. Cream til light and fluffy – 3-4 min. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing between each addition. Add lemon juice, and blend.
Alternate adding 1/2 of the yogurt, and 1/2 of the flour mixture. Blend just til combined, between additions. Repeat til all ingredients combined. Don’t over-mix.
Add the blueberries to a bowl. Add about 1 tsp of water and toss, just to give the flour something to stick to. Then toss with 1/4 c flour.
Add blueberries to batter, and fold together gently.
Pour the batter evenly between the prepared pans. I used a 1 cup measure to ensure perfect division – but you can weigh the pans instead if you like. My pans ended up with 3 cups of batter each – perfect! Smooth the batter.
Place pans on a light colored cookie sheet, turn oven temp down to 325. Bake for 50 – 60 min, checking for doneness with a toothpick inserted in center of loaf. This should come out clean when done.
Remove from oven, and cool for 30 min before removing loaves from pans. run a knife down the short ends to loosen the cake, then simply lift the parchment paper and remove the loaves to a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing.
Combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice, and stir to combine. I like my icing a little thicker, so it doesn’t drip completely off the loaves. Adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar, or lemon juice. Place a piece of parchment paper on your counter, then place the 2 loaves on a cooling rack over the paper. Glaze each loaf, allowing the icing to drip down the sides. Let these dry at room temp for a few hours.
Refrigerate covered, for up to a week. This will freeze for 2-3 months as well, so you can eat 1, and freeze 1!
