Blueberry Lemon Drizzle Cake

Lemon drizzle cake is an iconic British favorite. To put it plainly, it’s an ordinary pound cake with a not-so-ordinary mouth-crackling sugary topping that dries into a crunchy crust. It’s dense just like any pound cake, but the drizzle part of this dish adds extra moisture. The lemony syrup reaches down into the loaf and adds a tart sweetness. How brilliant! I wonder why all pound cakes aren’t prepared this way. To make this cake even more sensational, fresh blueberries are folded into the batter. They truly make a delicious team. This Blueberry Lemon Drizzle Cake is wonderful for a breakfast picnic, afternoon tea, and makes a lovely homemade gift to take to your family and friends.

SERVINGS: 1 loaf cake

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:

• Nonstick spray, for pan
• 1 3/4 cup / 225 g flour
• 8 oz fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon / 15 g baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup / 225 g granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract

Drizzle:

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 85 g sugar (1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
• More lemon zest, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper so there is overhang on two sides.

Add the flour to a large bowl.

Transfer 1 tablespoon of the flour to a separate bowl with the blueberries and toss to combine. This will help keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf pan.

Add the baking powder and salt to the bowl with the flour and whisk to combine. Set aside.

With a stand mixer and the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla. This may look curdled, but don’t worry!

With the mixer on the lowest speed, gradually add in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the blueberries by hand. Transfer to the loaf pan and smooth the top.

Bake for about 1 hr 10 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. If the cake is getting too brown, lay a loose piece of foil over top during the last 20 or 30 minutes of baking.

Remove the loaf pan to a cooling rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice and sugar for the drizzle in a small bowl.

Poke the cake all over with a skewer and pour the drizzle over the cake. Immediately zest a lemon over top.

Let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing.

NOTES:

I always spoon and level my dry ingredients.

For a plain lemon drizzle cake, just leave out the blueberries![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]