Blueberry-Lime Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Have I told you guys how much I love summer berry season? It really is the best! At no other time of year do I get so excited to fill my cart with produce week after week at the grocery store.

There’s a definite hierarchy when it comes to the berries though. Do you play favorites too? Blackberries are down near the bottom of my list, I’m just not a fan of the huge seeds. Raspberries are delicious, but maybe a tad on the tart side for me to really enjoy eating too many of them as is. That leaves strawberries and blueberries, and I am equally enamored with both of them. I swear, I could live off of just those two things all summer long and be one very happy girl!

When it comes to baking, though, blueberries are where it’s at. They’re just so versatile – from muffins to pancakes, cupcakes to coffee cake, what don’t they make better?

So this week I’m going to celebrate my love of blueberries by bringing you five great recipes to take advantage of the wonderful summer bounty while we can! And don’t worry, it’s not all sweet – I’ve got a quick and easy savory idea coming your way too. I’ve been sitting on some of these recipes for a month or more and am so excited I finally get to share 🙂

First up for Blueberry Week, this glazed blueberry-lime cream cheese pound cake. Not exactly the shortest title, but I needed to be sure to convey every awesome thing about this recipe. The blueberries are suspended in a velvety pound cake which has just a little bit of tang thanks to the addition of cream cheese as well as lime zest (in the cake itself) and lime juice (in the glaze). Super flavorful and dense, but definitely not dry, it’s another pound cake I was surprised to enjoy as much as I did. And I wasn’t the only one who dug the cake; it went to work with Shane and was gone in a flash from what I hear! I love that his coworkers always thank me for sending in treats – little do they know they’re the ones doing me a favor by making sure things like this aren’t sitting around for days to tempt me…

What have you guys been making with blueberries this summer? Any new favorites? Feel free to leave links in the comments!

Blueberry-Lime Cream Cheese Pound Cake
pound cake adapted from Fine Cooking, glaze adapted from Glazed Grapefruit Cake

Cake
1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon lime zest
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries

Glaze
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lime juice

Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until very pale in color and well combined, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the sugar and lime zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the lime-sugar mixture to the mixer bowl and continue beating until fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the eggs, on at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients, and beat just until combined. Fold in the blueberries using a rubber spatula.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then turn it out of the pan and set on the rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze: In a medium bowl, stir the confectioners’ sugar and lime juice together until the glaze is smooth – it should be thick but with a pourable consistency. Drizzle over the cake allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. Let the glaze set before serving.