Blueberry Lime Pound Cake

Monday already? How can that be? We actually had a really good weekend that included, among other things, a trip to Trader Joe’s, a wedding shower, and meeting up with friends at our local ice cream shop for a treat. Our weekends are packed solid for the remainder of the summer, that always seems to be the case come August, doesn’t it? As much as I enjoyed the weekend, the time flew by too fast, and we were so busy I didn’t have an opportunity to do any cooking or baking. I’ll be remedying that first thing this morning! There’s bread in the works, along with boozy cupcakes and a plan for dinner that’s actually coming together before 5 pm

Even though I haven’t baked in quite a few days, my backlog of draft posts is plenty long so I scanned through to find something to share today. I remembered I’d promised more blueberry lime recipes when I posted these cupcakes last week, so this pound cake was an obvious choice. It was part of my baking marathon last month when I spent the holiday weekend at Shane’s parents’ house.  I think it was actually the last thing I baked, meaning it was sitting on their counter waiting to be devoured when they arrived home from their trip.  I don’t make pound cakes much because often I find them too dry or bland, but I loved this spin with the sweet blueberries and tart lime.  There’s cream cheese in this version as well, which adds richness to the cake and keeps it incredibly moist for days after it’s baked.  I halved the recipe (sometimes I feel like a broken record, it seems I say that in every post) and baked in a 6-cup pan without any problems.  It’ll likely become a recipe I pull out every summer when blueberry season rolls around!

Blueberry Lime Pound Cake
from Fine Cooking

Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/3 cups (10 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking power
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons lime zest
6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
4 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups (about 13 oz) room-temperature blueberries

Glaze
1 cup (4 oz) confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray with flour.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and lime zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until fragrant.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar/zest mixture and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the egg yolk. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then beat the batter on medium speed for about 20 seconds, or until smooth and light. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the blueberries.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Tap the pan against the counter to eliminate air pockets. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes then turn the cake out and set on the rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and whisk in the lime juice, a few teaspoons at a time, until you have a thick, but pourable consistency for the glaze. Drizzle over the cake; let the glaze set before serving.