Blueberry and Lemon Pound Cake

I’m beginning to think I should rename this website Chicken and Pound Cake.  This is definitely the basic pound cake recipe of choice now - previously seen dressed in carrots.  The sour cream is the way to go giving the cake moist, moist, moistness and the blueberries?  Well, you can’t really go wrong with these gorgeous plump berries this time of year.  Actually, when it comes down to it...I’ll take a blueberry over a raspberry any time.

  The blueberries hold up beautifully during baking.  These sneaky little blueberries release just enough of their tartness to entice you into another guilt free piece.  And I say guilt free since when you cut your third piece, you do so with a smile - realizing you are actually eating a ton of antioxidants.  Go for it! 

Ingredients

Makes 1 Bundt cake – serving 1 or 12- depending if you share

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

6 eggs

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

1 cup sour cream (only Daisy in this kitchen)

3 cups flour plus 2 tablespoons

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups sugar

Grated peel from 6 lemons

 3 cups blueberries, picked through

Pre-heat oven to 325°F.

Let butter, eggs, and sour cream stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Grease and lightly flour one Bundt cake pan.  In a medium bowl, whisk 3 cups of flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Set aside.  Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons of flour, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a flat paddle beat butter on high speed for one minute.  Reduce speed to medium, add lemon peel, and sugar ½ cup at a time.  Beat for 10 minutes until light and fluffy – don’t skimp on the time!

Reduce speed to low. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, beating until well incorporated.  Scrap the side of mixing bowl frequently.  Keeping the speed on low, alternate, adding the flour mixture and sour cream to bowl.  Mix until just combined and smooth.  Remove paddle and carefully fold in blueberries until distributed throughout the batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly.  Bake for 60-70 minutes until a tester inserted comes out clean.  Let cool for 10 minutes in pan on wire rack.  Remove and cool completely.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

It’s All Delicious notes:  Tossing the berries in flour will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cakes when baking.

 Also, with the juice from the leftover lemons – you could make a glaze with confectioner’s sugar and douse the cake in that – just a thought. 

Carrot Pound Cake

     I couldn’t resist buying these stunning Daucus Carotas.  For one thing they were just beauties, sitting there at Farmer Joe’s stand at the Food and Wine Fest a couple of weeks ago looking all orange and purple and happy.  Talk about delicious, slightly roasted with a touch of salt – that was it.

      I did have a few bunches leftover and they were not going to waste.  Enter the Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Desserts magazine – I need another cooking magazine like a fish needs a bicycle but I HAD to have this one and was inspired by pretty much every recipe - It’s not often you pick up a magazine and can say that. 

     I looked at those little stunners and thought –  hmmm, you all would be delish and look great in a carrot pound cake.  Not just any pound cake a sour cream pound cake. 

I decided to go all out for my little edible apiaceae and this is what I came up with.  Proceed with caution!

Ingredients

Makes 1 Bundt cake

1 cup butter

6 eggs

1 cup sour cream (only Daisy Brand in this kitchen)

3 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups sugar

3 cups shredded carrots

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 325°F

     Let butter, eggs, and sour cream stand at room temperature for 30 mins.  Grease and lightly flour one Bundt cake pan.  In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder and baking soda.  Set aside.

     In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a flat paddle beat butter on high speed for one minute.  Reduce speed to medium, add in sugar ½ cup at a time and beat for 10 minutes until light and fluffy – don’t skimp on the time!  Reduce speed to low.  Alternating, add shredded carrots ½ cup at a time and eggs one at a time, beating until well incorporated.  Scrap the side of mixing bowl frequently.  Keeping the speed on low, alternate, adding the flour mixture and sour cream to bowl.  Mix until just combined and smooth. 

     Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly.  Bake for 60-70 minutes until a tester inserted comes out clean.

  Let cool for 10 minutes in pan on wire rack.  Remove and cool completely. 

It’s All Delicious Notes:  I had an after thought...the grated peel from an orange would be delicious in this cake.  Also, inspiration thanks to Farmer Joe from Savannah, his carrots and that damn dessert magazine that keeps calling me.