Blueberry Pound Cake

For the last two days I have been cooking myself into a frenzy, it's so nice to be home and in my own kitchen cooking again!  Neil has been reminiscing about a blueberry pound cake I made last year and I have a freezer filled with the most amazing organic blueberry's from my friends farm Intervale so as a welcome home after a month of being on the road I decided blueberry pound cake would be the first thing I'd make, and boy was this the right decision!  This can be eaten plain as a snack with tea/coffee or can be dressed up for dessert by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a simple blueberry sauce. However you choose to serve it this is a very versatile, easy and delicious cake.

 Blueberry Pound Cake

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Generously butter a 10" tube pan then equally generously coat it with sugar.

You can use fresh blueberries, but given it's the middle of winter here in the Northeast I think frozen seasonal berries would be the way to go.  Lay out a few sheets of paper towel and place 2 1/2 cups of frozen blueberries on top, cover with another layer of paper towels and let sit while you make the cake.  This helps soak up the extra water that the frozen berries have.

In a medium bowl add  2 3/4 cups organic cake flour, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Stir to combine.

In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment add 1 cup of unsalted butter and process until soft, with the mixer on low slowly add 2 cups of sugar, when all the sugar has been added turn the mixer up to medium high and one at a time add 4 large room temperature eggs when the eggs have all been added pour in 1 teaspoon of cognac, brandy, or vanilla (I actually used a teaspoon each of cognac and vanilla) and 1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind.

Return the mixer to slow speed and add the flour mixture a little at a time.

Making sure you have gotten as much excess moisture off your frozen blueberries as you can  and toss them in a bowl with 1/4 cup of cake flour.  

With a spatula fold the flour covered blueberries into the batter and pour into the prepared pan, bake in the center of the preheated oven for about an hour and 15 minutes.  The cake will be nicely browned and a tester should come out clean when it is done.

Cool on a wrack for a least 15 minutes before removing it from the pan.