Blueberry-ricotta loaf

Another delicious, not-too-sweet treat!

This loaf has an amazing texture and fantastic flavour. It’s super as a breakfast, brunch or teatime treat but would be equally lovely served for dessert. I like to use smooth, thick ricotta cheese for baking; if yours is a bit watery, drain off the excess liquid before adding it to the batter. This cake can be placed in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for 1 day, refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If you enjoy this recipe, you might also like my raspberry-ricotta muffins.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons (70 g) butter, at room temperature
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• Grated zest of one lemon
• 7 teaspoons (35 mL) lemon juice, divided
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (187 g) all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom or cinnamon
• 2 cups (300 g) frozen blueberries (not thawed)
• 2 tablespoons (15 g) confectioners’ sugar

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×5 inch (22.5×12.5 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• With a stand or electric hand mixer, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, until creamy and lightened in colour. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until well-incorporated.  
• Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and mix in ricotta, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the lemon juice and vanilla until just combined.
• Remove 2 tablespoons (16 g) of the flour and add to blueberries placed in a separate bowl. Toss to coat berries.
• Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom then add to butter mixture. Blend until just incorporated (i.e., no dry patches showing). Do not overmix. Add 2/3 of the floured blueberries and gently fold them into the batter. Transfer 2/3 of the batter to the prepared pan, then scatter remaining floured berries over top and add remaining batter to the pan.
• Bake the cake until starting to brown around the edges and a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 65-75 minutes (note: if you use a larger pan than what’s specified above, you may find the baking time is shorter).
• Let the loaf cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes then lift up on parchment paper to transfer loaf to the cooling rack. Remove parchment and let cool completely.
• While loaf is cooling, make glaze by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon (5 mL) lemon juice in a small bowl, until smooth.
• Drizzle the glaze onto the top of the loaf. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes one loaf.