BLUEBERRY LEMON BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE

Did I tell you how much I love baking with buttermilk? Similar to yogurt and sour cream, buttermilk is acidic which helps to tenderise gluten, giving baked goods a softer texture and more body. It also help with the rise of your baked goods. The best part of it is, it gives a slight tang to the cake without adding additional fat.

One of my favourite summer combination is lemon and blueberries. This screams summer! It’s very light and refreshing. Now imagine, a moist and juicy cake with a tangy lemon and blueberry combination. My oh my, it will be easily become your new favourite summer cakes. Not to mention, it is so easy to make! I don’t want to brag but it’s my colleague’s favourite cake recipe.

I hope you enjoy!

-Ari Yori

BLUEBERRY LEMON BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE RECIPE

prep time: 15 minutes

bake time: 50-60 minutes

portion: 8-10 servings

---

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (225g) softened butter

1 cup (215g) granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

zest of 2 lemons 

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups (300g) all purpose flour (550 flour), spooned and levelled

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup (195ml) buttermilk

1 1/2 - 2 cups (150-190g) of fresh blueberries

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

LEMON GLAZE:

1 cup (160g) powder sugar, packed

2 tbsp milk

2-3 tbsp lemon juice

zest of half of lemon 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 30cm loaf pan and set it aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside. Remove 1 tablespoon of flour from this mixing bowl and set it aside into another medium sized bowl.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter and sugar and mix well using a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy. Make sure you take time for this part until you reach the consistency.

4. Add lemon zest, vanilla and the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture and beat until it’s well combined.

5. Add the dry ingredients into the batter and gently fold using a spatula until most of the dry flour is mixed together.

6. Pour in the buttermilk and lemon juice and gently fold until you cannot see any dry specs of flour and buttermilk has well incorporated into the batter. The batter should have a thick and slightly fluffy consistency.

7. Add the blueberries into the medium sized bowl with 1 tbsp of flour that you set aside. Toss the blueberries so that the flour lightly dusts around each blueberry.

8. Pour the batter into the buttered loaf pan. Add the blueberries on top. As the cake bakes in the oven, the blueberries will fall down into the cake.

9. Place the cake into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes - until your toothpick comes out clean or with few crumbs.

10. Remove the cake from the oven and let sit and cool down for about 45 minutes in the loaf pan. After, remove the cake from the baking form and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.

11. In a separate medium sized bowl, combine powder sugar, milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix until you reach a thick paste-like consistency. Pour this glaze over the cooled cake and serve.

PRO TIPS

• Make sure you pour the lemon glaze when the cake has completely cooled down. If not, then the glaze will become more liquid and will just drip down.