Lemon Blueberry Bread

This recipe for lemon blueberry bread isn't really bread. It's more like a dense cake in the shape of bread. I feel like when people make things like this, it's because they want to feel better about their diet. "It's not cake, it's bread. Bread is definitely more healthy than cake. God. Cake? For breakfast? What am I, in fifth grade? I'm having bread." Whatever. My lemon blueberry bread/cake in the shape of bread is delicious. It's great warm. It's great at room temperature. It's awesome reheated in a little frying pan with butter.

Ingredients [makes two 4.5" mini loaves or one 9" loaf]

1-1/2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 stick butter, softened at room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup blueberries

+ 1/4 cup powdered sugar

+ 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Start by combining the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Use a whisk to mix it all together. Oh, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In another small bowl, pour in blueberries and then take 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture (from above) and add it to the blueberries and toss to coat. This will help give the blueberries some buoyancy so they don't all sink to the bottom of the batter.

Also, this would be a great time to preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, take the wrapper from the stick of butter you will be using in the recipe and rub it all over the inside of your loaf pan(s). I used these mini loaf pans that I purchased from Christmas Tree Shops (which were $1 each - what a deal!).

Next, use an electric mixer (or a whisk if you are strong) and whip up the butter until it's light and fluffy. Then, add in sugar and cream together until the mixture is pale (and also light and fluffy). Then, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition. Lastly, add in the vanilla extract.

Now, switch from the electric mixer to a whisk. Add in the lemon juice and give it a quick stir. Then add in about 1/2 cup of the flour mixture and gently whisk to combine. Add in 1/4 cup of cream and again, whisk to combine. Repeat until all of the ingredients are used up. Make sure to just whisk until the ingredients are combined - this will help the bread to stay tender. The batter should be thick and gloppy - like tapioca pudding.

Switch from a whisk to a spatula and pour in the blueberries. Carefully fold the berries into the batter.

Spoon the batter into your loaf pan(s) and smooth down the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes for the mini loaf pans and up to 1 hour for a normal size loaf pan.

Remove from the oven when the bread is puffed up, golden, and lovely. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes on a wire rack.

Once the pans are cool enough to handle (but still warm), slide a knife around the edge of the pan and carefully slide the bread out.

Now, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice and whisk together to form a glaze. Make sure there are no lumps.

Drizzle the glaze over the still warm loaf (or loaves).

Be generous but not too generous with the glaze. Let it seep into the cracks and also let it drip down the sides.

Slice and serve while it's still warm. Or like I said before, serve at room temperature or even toasted in a bit of butter. This stuff is so good. It's a bit dense but still fluffy and the lemon zest adds a lovely smell (and flavor) while the blueberries burst with sweetness every time you bite into them. Oh, and of course the lemon glaze - adds a bit of super fresh citrus action.

And here's the recipe page: