🍋 Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake with Lemon Glaze

This is the kind of lemon loaf that disappears so fast in my house. I love everything about this lemon loaf cake. The tang, the little blueberry hit and the soft, fluffy texture. I'll add a big tip in this recipe too, if you want that 'is this really homemade?' look from everyone who eats it! It tastes like it's from your favourite bakery - and honestly takes less than 10 minutes to whip up. TIP - give this cake a low, slow bake - you'll get a better overall texture, it's so worth it!

Let's get into it.

Ingredients For the Lemon, Blueberry Loaf:

• 200g unsalted butter, semi melted

• 200g caster sugar

• Zest of 2 lemons

• 3 extra-large eggs, 150g raw cracked weight

• 150g sour cream or Greek yogurt

• 60ml fresh lemon juice

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 250g self-raising flour

• 150g fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)

• 1 tbsp plain flour (to coat the berries)

  
  

For the glaze:

• 120g pure icing sugar, sifted

• 20 g very soft, unsalted butter

• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice

• 2-3 tbs boiling water, enough to create a glaze

• Optional: lemon zest for extra kick

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 150°C (fan) / 160°C. Grease and line the base only of a long loaf tin (or makes 1x 7" round cake)

2. The butter for this recipe should be very soft, if softening in a microwave, the butter should be semi-melted and semi-soft / spreadable in consistency.

3. In a large bowl, mix the butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest until pale and fluffy - this should only take 2-3 minutes, be mindful not to over beat. The mixture should look soft but not melted.

4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.

5. Combine Greek-style yoghurt and lemon juice

6. Add the dry and wet mixtures to the butter mixture in alternating batches, beginning and ending with dry. Mix gently until just combined.

7. Toss blueberries with 1 tbsp of flour, then fold them into the batter.

8. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the top.

9. Bake for 50–60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

10. Cool in tin for 20 mins, then transfer to a wire rack.

11. Once cooled, mix the ingredients for the icing together in a bowl to make a pourable glaze. Drizzle generously over the loaf, finally sprinkle over the grated zest.

Tips to take this loaf to the next level - - Prepare everything before hand and allow the eggs and yoghurt to come to room temperature before beginning. - On cold days the yoghurt can be heated gently in short bursts in the microwave to remove the chill - this will stop the butter from curdling when it is added into the batter - The flour that is used for this loaf matters - a high grade flour will provide a softer and fluffier result. Don't over-mix once it's added, fold just until all of the flour is absorbed.

- For that bakery style texture remove 20 - 30 g self raising flour and replace with a fine textured gluten free plain flour! - Allow this cake to bake low and slow, for the best texture and moisture, the loaf will take 50-60 minutes to bake. - Allow the loaf to cool in the tin. To remove, run a sharp paring knife around the edges of the pan to release the cake and turn out carefully onto a wire cooling rack. - Once completely cool, pour the glaze icing generously over the loaf and spread the icing all the way around the sides, this traps the moisture and keep the cake fresh!

This cake is best enjoyed over 2-3 days. Store in a sealed container, in a cool dry place, away from direct sunlight.

I hope you absolutely LOVE this recipe and I'd love to know if you give it a go!