Lisa Prince
Lisa Prince, a marketing specialist and one-half of WRAL’s Got to Be Good Cookin’ weekly recipe segment, will join us on the blog each month with bonus recipes, cooking tips and a behind-the-scenes look at marketing N.C. agricultural products…everything and the kitchen sink.
North Carolina blueberries are in season and what an amazing little fruit! If you don’t know, they are one of the healthiest fruits you can eat because they are loaded with anti-oxidants that are thought to help protect the body against the damaging effects of chronic diseases associated with the aging process. I don’t know about you, but anything that can help with the aging process and tastes that good, I’m going to eat plenty!
I’ve made blueberry cobbler, blueberry pancakes, tossed berries on cereal, and packed them as a snack with some almonds for my husband. But the best thing I’ve made is a blueberry-lemon bundt cake from a recipe in the September 2003 issue of Everyday Food magazine. As far as I am concerned, the recipe is perfect the way it is, so I’m sharing it with you this month. Enjoy! – Lisa
Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups N.C. blueberries
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
- Nonstick cooking spray, for pan
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Reserve one teaspoon of flour and set aside. In a bowl, whisk the remaining flour with baking powder and salt and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated into the mixture. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of sour cream.
In a bowl, toss blueberries and zest with the reserved teaspoon of flour; gently fold into batter. Coat a 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with cooking spray. Spread batter in prepared pan.
Bake on bottom rack of oven until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 60 to 70 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes. Invert onto a rack; cool completely with the top side up. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving, if desired.
One more note: Now is a great time to stock up on blueberries since they are in season. You can buy a flat or pick your own at a farm and freeze them to enjoy for months to come. Freezing berries is easy. Rinse the blueberries with water and drain. Then place them on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze. Once frozen, put them into a freezer bag. This way they are frozen individually and are easier to work with when you just want to grab a handful.