Two weeks ago, I made a scrumptious orange and blueberry loaf cake. The loaf cake was perfect for Sunday brunch and the leftovers worked even better cut into slices and served for breakfast throughout the week. Last weekend, I made another version of my loaf cake using some leftover blueberries, fresh raspberries, and the zest of a whole lemon. The combination of berries and citrus works exceptionally well in desserts. I love using both lemon zest and orange zest in my desserts. If you’ve tried some of my desserts, you can see I like to add in orange zest or lemon zest whenever possible. Lemon zest adds a nice freshness and brightness to both sweet and savory dishes. I’ve added lemon zest to cakes, pasta, and even pizza. If I am unsure of what I want for brunch on Sundays, a loaf cake always works as a great addition to brunch. During brunch this past Sunday, I was craving a fresh, healthy breakfast after my morning run. I had a ripe avocado sitting on my kitchen counter and ended up making avocado toast topped with a fried egg, fresh salsa, and golden raisins. Of course, just avocado toast was not enough for Kevin and I, so I made a mixed berry and lemon loaf cake to serve alongside the avocado toast. The mixed berry loaf cake was tender, moist, sweet, and had a great citrus and berry flavor. Kevin and I each had a slice for brunch. I ended up cutting up the rest of the loaf cake into multiple slices, wrapping up the slices, and bringing one slice along with me to work each day. This was my way of having cake for breakfast. I love how simple this loaf cake is to make, and how many servings the loaf cake yields. I tend to bake loaf cakes, scones, and muffins whenever I want a quick, sweet treat to bring along to work for breakfast. Not only do the flavors in the cake complement one another, the loaf cake also feeds a small crowd for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Mixed Berry and Lemon Loaf Cake:
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 2 teaspoons baking powder
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
· ¾ cup granulated sugar
· 2 large eggs, room temperature
· ½ cup whole milk
· Zest of a whole lemon
· ¼ cup fresh raspberries
· ½ cup fresh blueberries
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour a loaf pan.
2) In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3) In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk. Stir to combine. Add the remaining flour mixture and milk. Stir all ingredients until you have a smooth batter.
4) Pour the batter into the loaf pan in layers. Start with half of the batter, add half of the lemon zest, toss in half of the raspberries and blueberries. Continue with the remaining batter, lemon zest, raspberries, and blueberries. Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes. Test doneness of cake by inserting a knife into the center of the cake and checking to see if the knife comes out clean. Let the cake cool before serving.
Takeaways: Instead of throwing away the butter wrapper, I often use the wrapper to butter loaf and cake pans. This loaf cake is very versatile. You can swap in any berries and any citrus zest you desire.
