Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Loaf
By Melissa Pitts
For me, there is nothing better than a hot cup of coffee and a delicious slice of a chocolate or lemon loaf as an afternoon snack. I developed this recipe because the winter citrus looked beautiful in the store and I love the taste of blueberries and lemon together. The buttermilk makes the loaf moist and light while the lemon zest in the batter makes it slightly tangy. As a sweet bonus, the lemon syrup adds a nice citrus finish.
This loaf whips up easily and there’s no crazy ingredients. I used frozen blueberries but you can really use any berry, frozen or fresh. Furthermore, make sure everything, even the eggs, are room temperature, it ensures that your batter will be nice and smooth. Drink this with your coffee or tea in the afternoon and I promise you’ll be hooked.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minues
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 stick of unsalted butter- 8 tablespoons, room temperature
- 3 eggs
- zest of ½ lemon
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup lowfat buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
Lemon Syrup:
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar and cream until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and beat another minute.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- In another bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder. With the mixer on medium speed ,add the flour to the wet ingredient mixture, one third at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in the vanilla extract. Fold in the blueberries.
- Pour the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake bounces back. Let cool slightly in the pan then transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.
- While the loaf is baking, make the lemon syrup: in a small sauce pan add all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil until the mixture has reduced by half and is thickened.
- When the loaf is on the cooling rack, poke a few holes with a toothpick or knife into the loaf. Pour the syrup over the top of the loaf. Let the loaf cool completely- or if you’re like me and are impatient, slice that baby up when you’re ready to eat!
