Tag Archives: blueberries

Blueberry Almond Pound Cake

I found some blueberries at a really good price at my local market, so it was the perfect time to make this Blueberry Almond Pound Cake! If you like blueberries, you will need to try this–it’s so moist, dense, and rich! You can also use frozen blueberries in this cake, but the baking time will be slightly longer. I prefer using fresh blueberries because the frozen berries tend to give the batter a blue-ish color. The almonds and almond extract give this pound cake a really nice flavor and the glaze adds a little extra sweetness. Serve it for dessert at dinner or at a brunch with coffee or tea.

BLUEBERRY ALMOND POUND CAKE by NancyC

Makes one 10″ bundt cake

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 (8-ounce) block of cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup sliced or coarsely chopped almonds

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

ALMOND GLAZE

2 cups powdered sugar

3 to 4 Tablespoons Half & Half (light cream), depending on desired consistency

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 Tablespoons sliced or coarsely chopped almonds for garnish (you can lightly toast them if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10″ bundt pan; set aside.

In large bowl, blend butter, cream cheese, almond extract, and sugar until mixture is creamy and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and blend well after each addition.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to creamy mixture and mix well.

Stir in sliced almonds, mixing to evenly distribute in batter and then gently fold in the blueberries and blend evenly into the batter. Spoon batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake 50 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or almost clean (do not over bake, or cake will be dry).

Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan onto a serving plate (you may need to loosen the edges of the cake from the pan a little with a knife). Let cake cool completely.

While cake is cooling, mix the glaze ingredients and after cake cools, drizzle glaze over the cake. Sprinkle the almonds on top. Makes about 8-10 servings.

Have you been enjoying fresh blueberries this summer too? What kind of blueberry baked goods have you been making lately?

Sharing at Meal Plan Monday, Fiesta Friday, Weekend Potluck, Inspire Me Monday. What’s for Dinner Sunday, Happiness is Homemade.

Yogurt with Mixed Berries, Walnuts, and Dark Chocolate

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This is such an easy and healthy recipe for breakfast, a snack, or dessert! it’s from a new book called The SirtFood Diet. Before I received my review copy, I had never heart of “Sirtfoods.” In a nutshell, what I read in this book was that polyphenol nutrients from certain plants are good for us. And plants that have “noteworthy amounts” of sirtuin-activating polyphenols are called “Sirtfoods.” I know this sounds pretty technical, but the book gives a good explanation about all this. It also provides information about the top 20 Sirtfoods, along with other foods that are beneficial. I found that I actually like a lot of these foods, which include Arugula, Garlic, Green Tea, and even Cocoa!

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Blueberry and Buttermilk Scones

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Blueberry and Buttermilk Scones @ NancyC

Have you ever been to an afternoon tea? I’ve been to two–one was at a hotel and the other was at a bed and breakfast. They were both such a treat! Having tea with friends and tasting fancy little tea sandwiches, cakes, scones, and pastries was such a wonderful break in the day.

51AHe0DsRfL._SX416_BO1,204,203,200_ My tea time memories came to mind as I was looking through my review copy of Afternoon Tea at Home by Will Torrent. Just looking at the cover photo will make you want to treat yourself to a special tea time or host your own afternoon tea!

The book has a wide selection of recipes–scones, spreads, tarts, cakes, tea sandwiches, cookies–everything you could ever want for tea time. And there are beautiful full-color photos of the recipes.

I decided to try the Blueberry and Buttermilk Scones since I had already been thinking about making some scones. The book also includes instructions for making Honeycomb Butter to serve along with these scones, but I just made the scones. I really liked them–they’re slightly sweet and moist, with lots of blueberries. I’ve had scones before that were too dry, but I thought the texture of these was just right!

BLUEBERRY AND BUTTERMILK SCONES from Afternoon Tea at Home

Makes 16 small scones

2 3/4 cups (350 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out

3 teaspoons baking powder

a pinch of salt

1 stick butter (125 g), chilled and diced

generous 1/3 cup (75 g) granulated sugar (also called caster sugar)

2/3 to 3/4 cup (175-200 ml) buttermilk (I used 3/4 cup)

1 1/4 cup (150 g) fresh or frozen blueberries

2 Tablespoons whole milk

2 Tablespoons turbinado or demerara sugar (these are raw, unrefined sugars; you can substitute granulated sugar if you don’t have these)

Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Note: I also lined a baking sheet with parchment paper for the scones.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the chilled, diced butter and rub into the dry ingredients using your hands (I found it easier to use a pastry blender rather than my hands). When the mixture resembles sand and there are only very small pieces of butter remaining, add the granulated sugar and mix to combine.

Make a well in the middle of the mixture, add the buttermilk and blueberries and stir to combine using a rubber spatula. One the dough starts to come together, use your hands to form a rough ball.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Very lightly knead for about 30 seconds to bring the dough into an almost smooth ball but do not overwork the dough. Cut in half and flatten each half into a round disc each about 6 1/4 inches (16 cm) in diameter. Using a long, sharp knife cut each disc into 8 triangular wedge shapes.

Arrange the wedges on the prepared baking sheets and brush the tops with a little milk, scatter with turbinado sugar and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until well-risen and golden.

Cool on a wire rack and serve slightly warm with butter or honey butter.

These scones would be great not only for tea time but for breakfast or brunch, too!

Have you been to an afternoon tea? Or hosted one?

Linked to Fiesta Friday, Weekend Potluck, Inspire Me Monday. Show and Share, Create It Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

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If you’re a fan of both bananas and blueberries, these Blueberry Banana Muffins are for you! If you’re like me, you probably have ripe bananas on hand pretty often too, so this is a great recipe to use them in! The bananas and blueberries make these muffins really good and moist, and those flavors together are great!

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Blueberry Salsa

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If you’re wanting a summery snack and a change from your typical salsa, you’ll have to try out this Blueberry Salsa! I found the recipe at SouthernLiving.com. It’s a mildly spicy salsa, and it’s a great way to use fresh blueberries during blueberry season. It also has fresh cilantro and red bell pepper in it, which I love. You can serve it with your favorite tortilla chips—I like it with those blue corn tortilla chips.

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