Blueberry Loaf Cake

I know it's hardly the time of year for blueberries, but I've wanted to make this ever since I saw one like it in Tesco during the summer. Having just been on a three and a half week Eurotrip, I was not really 'in the money' and couldn't justify buying it. So, what do I do when there's something in a shop that looks good but unaffordable? I bake it myself!

I realised after writing my post on the Pina Colada cake (which was, by the way, divine) that I hadn't even mentioned my birthday! I turned 21 a couple of weeks ago: it was a lovely sunny day (cold, of course, being mid January in the North East), and I spent the majority of it shopping thanks to birthday money, which was nice because I normally deliberate for a week or two about buying £5 earrings, let alone go on a massive spree. In the evening we went to a restaurant called Big Mussel, where we got amazing food and some great service, including  being sung happy birthday by the live act and getting free shots and ice cream! To top it off, my housemates baked me a cake which was extremely tasty - a big feat considering that none of them bake. All in all, a very good day.

We're more than a decade into the 21st Century now, so things like fruit being out of season phases us no longer: I got the blueberries from the frozen section (for cheaper than fresh!). The topping is very simple and is made by mixing cream cheese with blueberry jam. The cake is delicious, and would be perfect on a morning or afternoon break with some coffee.

(The cake is pictured with a couple of Blueberry Muffins.)

Ingredients

• 150g Blueberries
• 200g Caster Sugar
• 200g Butter
• 200g Plain Flour
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 3 Eggs
• 50mL Milk
• 250g Cream Cheese
• 2 Tbsp Blueberry Jam

Recipe

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Line a loaf tin with baking parchment.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well incorporated.
• Stir in the blueberries.
• Sieve the flour and baking powder into the batter and fold in.
• Add enough milk to give the cake mixture a soft dropping consistency.
• Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and put into the oven for 1hr 15 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean (though remember the blueberries will leave marks on it.
• Let the cake cool in the tin, then turn out onto a plate.
• Make the icing by beating the jam until smooth, then beating it into the cream cheese, ensuring that there aren't any lumps.  

If you 're not sure what something in the recipe means, go to The Basics for tips for beginners. 

Last week I made a page on how to bake (sort-of) healthily, which is great if you want to scratch your baking itch without looking like a cake yourself.

[The photographs and contents of this post were updated on 13/02/2015]