This is a bit of a late post but behold my first bake of the year! Melissa Clark's blueberry bundt cake from the New York times. The cake was pretty dense but moist and the glaze was awesome. I felt like I was glazing a donut/doughnut (not that I've done that before).
It's a great cake if you have blueberries that are just getting a little too ripe because you cook them down for the glaze. In a pinch, you can always use frozen berries. And it's a huge cake so it'll last you the entire week! Make sure you use a bundt pan that's large enough, or use two loaf pans.
Blueberry Bundt Cake
From Melissa Clark
Serves 10-12
3 1/2 cups (450g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract or bourbon or brandy
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
1/2 cup (120mil) sour cream
1/2 cup (120 mil) whole milk
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup blueberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cups (245g) confectioners/powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly brush the bundt pan with butter and then sprinkle sugar throughout, tapping out the access.
In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing between eggs. Beat in the extracts/alcohol/nutmeg/zest in whatever increments you are using them in.
Add half the flour mixture, then the sour cream, then half the flour mixture and then the milk. Make sure you don't over beat. Remove bowl and use a spatula to fold in blueberries. Scrape into pan(s).
Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging - just make sure it's not wet. Take care not to overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then unmold carefully and cool completely.
In the meantime, cook berries with lemon juice until berries burst. Use a fork to smush into a jam. At this point, you can strain it for a perfectly smooth glaze but I like it "rustic" with some of the skin. Stir in the sugar to make a thick but pour-able glaze. If it seems too thick, stir in a bit more lemon juice or some milk.
Pour glaze over cake and let set 30 minutes before serving.
Optional replacements: any increment of vanilla extract, almond extract, bourbon and brandy to make 2.5 tsp total. Yogurt or buttermilk to replace sour cream or whole milk.
