This Blueberry Lemon Loaf is a slice of summer
This blueberry lemon loaf is a slice of summer! This was the first time my fiancé and I have ever argued over the last piece of anything! For real. This super light and moist loaf raised the bar for my newbie baking skills. The sweet and tangy combination is addicting and I would serve this recipe at a summer brunch or as a dessert.
MANGANESE, FOUND IN BLUEBERRIES HELP TURN CARBS, FATS AND PROTEINS INTO ENERGY.
I found some super sweet blueberries at the farmers market and bought a ridiculous amount. You would swear I was buying for a family of ten. Where to go from here? Sure, I can freeze them for smoothies later in the year but that doesn’t help me much right now, does it? Who else is all about the instant gratification?
Full disclosure: I’m pretty boring when it comes to enjoying blueberries. I normally just grab a handful in passing or sprinkle them overtop greek yogurt for breakie. What a bore right? I don’t really cook with blueberries and I can’t help but wonder if I suffer from post traumatic stress as a result of my childhood.
We spent a lot of time at our cottage in the summertime and my mom would make my brother and I go deep into the woods to pick blueberries. I hated doing this! We had to cover every inch of our bodies to avoid getting eaten alive by mosquitos and horseflies. For two kids, it felt like we were going to battle. I remember my brother tripping into poison ivy on one occasion and us running straight to our dad, conning him into taking us for ice cream. My mom called picking blueberries ‘fun’ and we called it ‘child labour’. You can be the judge.
A HANDFUL OF BLUEBERRIES WILL HELP WITH YOUR DAILY FIBER INTAKE.
Blueberries are one of the few fruits native to North America. They have the highest antioxidant capacity amongst all fruits and vegetables and freeze incredibly well. Why are antioxidants good for us? They go to battle with the free radicals in our body that damage our DNA and the structure of our cells. Unlike other foods, freezing your blueberries won’t do damage to the antioxidant nutrients. This is great news for those who freeze heaps of blueberries in peak season to use during the winter.
THE GREEK YOGURT IN THIS RECIPE ADDS THE PERFECT TOUCH OF CREAMINESS
The first time I made this Blueberry Lemon Loaf I went a little overboard with the blueberries. I added 2 heaping cups thinking ‘the more the merrier’ but it ended up being too moist and difficult to keep together. I can now attest that more isn’t always merrier, so keep your blueberries to 1 cup.
Remember to let the loaf cool for a good 20 minutes before trying to remove it from the pan. If you’re not in a rush I would suggest letting it cool for even longer. Because it is such a moist and light loaf, it can fall apart if it’s still warm.
I hope you like this Blueberry Lemon Loaf as much as I do!
Enjoy! xx
BLUEBERRIES ARE A GREAT SOURCE OF MANGANESE, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR BONE DEVELOPMENT
- 2 cups all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon, divided
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup. oil (coconut, vegetable, or canola)
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- Zest & juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup blueberries
- Lemon Glaze
- ¾ cup confectioners sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour and set aside (this helps to prevent the blueberries from sinking).
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, vanilla, eggs, sugar, greek yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients, just until smooth. Do not over mix or your bread will come out tough.
- Lightly fold the blueberries into the batter.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. The bread will be finished when a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once bread is finished, remove from oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes in the loaf pan. Remove from loaf pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once bread has cooled, whisk together the confectioners sugar and lemon juice. Start with one tablespoon of lemon juice and whisk well. If your mixture is too thick, slowly add up to one more tablespoon of lemon juice. You want the glaze to be thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to set up on the bread.
- Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze on top of the bread. The glaze should harden up a little more after about 15-20 minutes.
This is a super moist loaf so let it cool for longer than you usually would another loaf. I made the mistake of attempting to remove it from the pan too early and the cake partially fell apart.
Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to five days. Bread will freeze well for up to two months.
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