Lemon Buttermilk Blueberry Bundt Cake

The real name for this wonderful cake is Lemon Buttermilk Rhubarb Bundt Cake but since it's still too early for one of my most favorite fruits to bake with...that would be rhubarb...I used the next best fruit that goes so beautifully with lemons, and that would be blueberries!

I saw some fabulous looking and sounding recipes that came out of this book, "Rustic Fruit Desserts" and I just had to order it. I'm always a little "late to the party" when it comes to noticing a great new cookbook... this one's been out since 2009. But I usually gravitate towards vintage books, so... 2009? That's pretty much like yesterday for me!

I had planned to make the Lemon Blueberry Buckle but decided I was kind of in the mood for a bundt cake. I can tell you this, after flipping through this book, I can't wait to try more recipes. It's filled with delicious sounding rustic desserts for buckles, cobblers, grunts, crumbles, and lots more...all my favorites!

This cake came out so beautifully, very intense lemony flavor and so moist. I'm sure tomorrow it will be even better...if that's possible!

The only change I would make is in the glaze. I really thought the glaze was a little too thick and sweet, so, as you might be able to see from the photo above, I glazed only half the cake! I put a little of the glaze into another small bowl and added some more lemon juice to make a thin glaze that  I drizzled over the other half. I kind of prefered this...but it's really up to you how you want it.

So to begin, sift the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar and lemon zest til light and fluffy.
Add the eggs. one at a time, then stir in lemon oil ( which I didn't have so I used lemon extract).
Stir in the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk.

Toss the blueberries with the 2 tablespoons of flour and stir half of them into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan, then sprinkle the remaining berries on top.

Bake a little over an hour or til tester comes out clean and the top feels springy.

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze, then after you pop the cake out of the pan, spread the glaze over the cake.

Lemon Buttermilk Blueberry Bundt Cake ( from "Rustic Fruit Desserts", by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson)

1 tbsp. unsalted butter at room temp. for pan

Cake:
2 1/2 cups ( 12.5 ozs.) plus 2 tbsp.(for berries) AP flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 cup ( 8 oz.) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
Zest of one lemon
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. lemon oil (I used 1/2 tsp. lemon extract)
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Lemon Glaze recipe below
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Preheat oven to 350. Generously butter a 10 cup bundt pan.
 
Cake:
1.  Sift the 2 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with the sugar and lemon zest til light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping bottom and sides of bowl after each addition.
4. Add in the lemon oil (or lemon extract)
5. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. The batter will be very thick.
6. Toss the blueberries with the 2 tablespoons of flour and fold in half the berries into the batter.
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle the remaining berries on top.
8. Bake an hour, rotating the pan halfway through. Test the cake using a toothpick. It should feel springy on top when pressed lightly.
9. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. 
10. While the cake is cooling, make the glaze.
Glaze:
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp. soft unsalted butter
Whisk confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and butter together. The mixture should be thick. If not, add another tablespoon or two of confectioners' sugar.
Spread the glaze over the warm cake as soon as you remove it from the pan.