Ready for the Blues

By Tommy C. Simmons, an enthusiastic cook
Photograph courtesy of Tommy C. Simmons

The early varieties of blueberries are ready to pick in many areas. If they aren't ripe in your county, be patient, they soon will be. Now is the time to clean out your freezer and get ready to fill it again with bags of this year's crop.

One of my favorite ways of using fresh or frozen blueberries is to make a large Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake. The cake is sturdy and a good cake to bring to a church potluck. 

If you don't have a few blueberries left in the freezer, hold on to this recipe because the blues will be here soon.

A large Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake will use up the end of last year's blueberry harvest and whet your appetite for fresh berries.

Home kitchen-tested recipe

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

Serves 12 to 16. Adapted recipe is from realhousemoms.com.

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups cake flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed, rinsed and drained

1 tbl. lemon zest

Lemon Glaze:

3 tbls. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a large Bundt pan.
2. With a mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat in vanilla extract until batter is smooth and creamy.
4. Slowly add flour, salt and baking powder to the batter, beating until all is combined.
5. Mix drained blueberries with 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Then stir the blueberries into the batter. Use the mixer to do this even though it will break up a few of the blueberries.
6. Pour batter into the greased and floured Bundt pan and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
7. Make Lemon Glaze by combining lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and confectioner's sugar. Drizzle over cooled cake. Cover cake to store. 

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