This is a lovely summer cake and it is a delight to make when blueberries are in season and at the peak of flavor. This recipe pairs the berries with lemon and the tart-sweet combination is further enhanced with an intense lemon glaze that makes the cake truly memorable. This is really easy to make, but whenever I bake it, I end up with a flat-topped loaf that's lacks visual appeal. I like this cake well enough to work around its shortcomings, so, I perform a little plastic surgery before I serve it. My first incision splits the cake in half lengthwise. Then it's cut crosswise into serving size cubes. No one, save for those who read this post or watched the surgery being performed, is any the wiser. The rest of the world thinks this is the way the cake was meant to appear, and I'd like to keep my manipulation of it, our little secret. Mums the word, right? I hope you'll give this recipe a try. I know that once you taste it, the the cake will become a summer favorite that you'll bake year after year. Here's the recipe.

Lemon-Glazed Blueberry Bread

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter + more for pans

2 cups all-purpose flour + plus more for pans

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest + 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemons)

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Salt

2 large eggs

6 ounces blueberries (1-1/4 cups)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter one 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Dust with flour and tap out excess.

2) Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and syrup is thickened, about 4 minutes. Let stand while making cakes.

3) Meanwhile, combine heavy cream, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in another bowl.

4) Beat butter, lemon zest, and remaining cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Gently fold in blueberries using a rubber spatula.

5) Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of loaf comes out clean, about 55 minutes.

6) Transfer pan to awire rack, and brush tops of cake with lemon syrup. Let stand for 15 minutes. Turn out cake from pans, and brush all over with remaining syrup. Let cool completely on wire racks. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Milk Chocolate Bundt Cake

Two Years Ago Today: Watermelon Smoothie

Three Years Ago Today: Orange Phoenix Chicken with Grilled Bok Choy