Blueberry Pound Cake

I should start by explaining that I am notorious for not following directions properly when baking. I try. Honestly. But for some reason I have a tendency to skip steps or make unnecessary adjustments. As most of us know, baking is not as forgiving as cooking, so my baking attempts are occasionally complete failures.

This recipe is a classic Larissa error. You’ve probably noticed that my dough is purple. This is an accident. Fortunately, I like purple a lot, so it was OK with me. This recipe does work well if followed correctly. (I know this because my mom used it a few days before me.)

This recipe is adapted from a Martha Stewart magazine my grandma gave me (she has Celiac disease and is the person I bake these treats for). Stewart had an entire section dedicated to pound cakes.

Blueberry Pound Cake

• 3 1/4 cups Pamela’s Ultimate Baking Mix, plus an additional 2 tbsp
• 1 tbsp salt
• 3/4 lb unsalted butter (3 sticks)
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen will work)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 9 eggs
• 2 tbsp sanding sugar

Let butter and eggs sit out until they reach room-temperature. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 large loaf pans. Mix the salt and Pamela’s mix together in a bowl. Place 9 eggs in a separate bowl and lightly beat.

Place softened butter and sugar in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer on high speed until creamed. You’ll want a light and fluffy cream; this will take around 8 minutes. Add vanilla and set mixer to a moderate speed.

The eggs should be added in next. Add 1/4th of the beaten eggs at a time. Allow to incorporate, scrape down sides of bowl, then repeat with each of the remaining 3/4ths.

Add the sour cream. One of my baking mishaps today was mixing the sour cream and blueberries, but that’s not what should be done. So add the sour cream now, but hold off on blueberries. Once everything is thoroughly mixed, decrease speed to low and add flour mixture in 4 additions.

Combine blueberries with 2 tbsp Pamela’s baking mix. Make sure you drain the blueberries if you’re using the frozen kind. However, after using the frozen kind I might suggest fresh just to avoid the blueberries sinking in the cake. Fold the blueberries into the batter just before baking. Pour into loaf pans.

My other big mistake was that I completely forgot to sprinkle the sanding sugar over the cake before baking. Remember to do that before placing the pans into the oven.

Place the cakes in the oven and bake for about 65 minutes. Cakes are ready when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

The original recipe makes 2 large cakes. I used mini loaf pans and had enough batter to fill four as well as half of a large bread pan. I think sticking to the large loaf pans might be your best bet. I had to cut a couple of the small cakes out of the pan.

I recommend serving the cake with whipped cream.

Using an electric mixer, combine 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream and 1-2 tbsp sugar more or less to taste. Whip until light and fluffy. Lemon zest or vanilla can be added to whipped cream for a little flavor.

Makes 2 large cakes or 6 mini loaves