Can you say weekend plans?
The first recipe of the year has to be good, I mean they all have to be good, but this one has to be really kick-ass. I feel like it sets the tone for the year, you know what I mean? And I like it to be a recipe you’ll use throughout the year. One you’ll make regularly, can easily adapt and can always count on.
Whether it’s to brighten a cold winter day, or totally up the brunch game, we can definitely count on this lemon blueberry loaf. Plus, this little loaf is one of those baked goods that just keeps getting better the longer it sits – how is that even possible?
It’s packed with blueberries and a good dose of meyer lemon zest, which adds an unbelievable brightness to it. If you’ve been a reader for a while, or follow along on Instagram, you already know I have a major thing for meyer lemon everything, and I don’t see that ending anytime soon.
Do you remember the Meyer Lemon Blackberry Layer Cake? Let’s all take a moment for those layers!
The one thing I do a little differently when making this loaf is mix the sugar and lemon zest together in the mixer for about 5 minutes before inviting the other ingredients to join the party. I find it really allows the sugar to absorb all that citrus flavor, making the final product even better. It’s kind of like getting more bang for your buck in the flavor department, and I’m all about that.
That citrusy spiked glaze isn’t too shabby either. The Grand Marnier adds a pop to the loaf, cuts the sweetness of the glaze, and really enhance the citrus notes. I love how it fills all the little nooks in the loaf and some extra zest sprinkled on top seals the deal!
If you don’t have meyer lemons, you can always use regular, and you can also use oranges if you prefer. There’s just something about the lemon blueberry combo that I love, especially this time of year. It’s like a little dose of sunshine in the middle of January.
I hope you guys love this one as much as we did! I also want to thank you for all your feedback on what desserts you would like to see on Buttercream Blondie this year, and if you missed it, make sure to leave me a comment, or post on Facebook. I’ve got quite the list going and I hear ya on the videos, they’re coming very soon!
But seriously, this loaf. That purple drip from the blueberry that burst while I was slicing it. I can’t even!
Happy baking!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 meyer lemons
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
- Zest of 1 meyer lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9x5" loaf pan.
- In medium bowl, whisk flour (reserving 1 Tablespoon to toss with blueberries), baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and lemon zest on medium-low speed for about 5 minutes so the sugar can absorb all that citrus flavor.
- Add cream cheese and butter, and cream on medium speed until light and smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add eggs followed by vanilla extract, and mix until incorporated.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients with milk into batter, starting and ending with dries.
- In a separate bowl, toss blueberries with remaining Tablespoon of flour and then stir into batter.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes (mine usually takes exactly 65 minutes) rotating once halfway through.
- Whisk powdered sugar, Grand Marnier and zest together until smooth.
- Spoon over cooled loaf and serve.
- Garnish with additional meyer lemon zest if desired.
Notes
Mixing the sugar with zest in the beginning allows the sugar to take on all that citrus flavor and gives you a lot more flavor in the final product.
Bread is good the day you make it, but even better the next day. My advice is to wrap it well in plastic wrap once it has completely cooled and dive in the next day!
Katrina says
This looks like such a delicious loaf! I love lemon and blueberry together!
bblondie says
Me too! Thanks, Katrina!
Karen says
Great recipe! Love your posts!
I didn’t have a loaf pan, so I made 10 muffins and they were perfect at 40 minutes. Taste amazing and everyone enjoyed them. Thanks!
bblondie says
Thanks, Karen! So happy you all enjoyed them and thanks for the feedback!
Liz says
My aqua pots and pans arrived last week! So fun!!! Thank you.
bblondie says
Yay! So happy you received them! I accidentally unsubscribed to your mailing list a few weeks back and when I re-subscribed, I received your fab ebook! it looks so great, and I’m happy for my mishap now 🙂
Lori says
Can the cream cheese be substituted ? And still not lose the flavor in the lemon blueberry loaf
Beverley Press says
those are perfect ingredient so make a delicious loaf…yummy as always, you are a baking genius xoxo
bblondie says
You are far too kind! Thanks so much, Beverley! xo
SHERRY L MILLER says
Thank you. We needed something sweet to cheer us up. Stuck in the house in East Texas.
bblondie says
Thank you, Sherry! Hope you enjoy it!
Megan says
Hi! Looks delish! I don’t have cream cheese, can I omit and add more butter? Thanks
bblondie says
Hey Megan,
I wouldn’t substitute butter for the cream cheese. A few readers have used plain Greek yogurt and had great results. Hope that helps!
Renu Shukla says
Will also b trying it in a day or 2. But no cream cheese so wat 2 do.
bblondie says
A few readers have used plain Greek yogurt and had great results. Hope that helps!
Elizabeth says
Do you think you could sub plain yogurt for the cream cheese? I didn’t think to get cream cheese when I stocked up, which was a dreadful oversight, clearly.
bblondie says
Hey Elizabeth,
A few readers have used plain Greek yogurt and had great results. Hope you enjoy it!
Suzi Froehlich says
Can you substitute fruit with peaches or oranges?
bblondie says
Hi Suzi. I wouldn’t suggest oranges, but you can use peaches. Just make sure to dice them first. Enjoy!
Anne Marlow says
Sounds a lovely recipe but looks as if “cream” was left off the ingredients list. Could you let me know what kind
D of cream and how much please.
Thanks
Anne
bblondie says
Hi Anne, There is no cream in this recipe. There’s only cream cheese.
Lauren says
can I use lemon juice instead of zest?
bblondie says
Hi Lauren, I wouldn’t suggest using lemon juice instead of zest. You can use it in the glaze in place of the Grand Marnier if you’d like. Enjoy!
Tamasha says
Perfect recipe, perfect timing
bblondie says
Thanks, Tamasha! Happy baking!
Angie says
Hi you said you could make this with substitutions. Can you substitute the cream cheese with Greek yogurt?
bblondie says
Hey Angie,
A few readers have used plain Greek yogurt and had great results. Enjoy!
Cindy Henson says
What is Grand Marnier?
bblondie says
Hi Cindy. It’s an orange flavored liqueur. You can substitute lemon juice if you’d like. Enjoy!
Kitty says
This looks so good! Curious about the oven temp at 325 though. Most recipes I’ve used for sweet loafs bake at 350. Just checking before I jump in and bake this! 🙂
bblondie says
Hi Kitty,
Yes, this loaf is baked at 325. Enjoy!
Michelle says
Made this this week, I used frozen blueberries from last year’s harvest and left them in the freezer until the last moment. I also used lemon juice in place of the Grand Mariner because, LEMON. This was so good! Thank you for the recipe!
bblondie says
Hey Michelle, So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for your positive feedback!
Annie Anderson says
So am I reading the recipe right that you just use the lemon zest and not the juice? That seems odd but I don’t see where it says to add the lemon juice.
bblondie says
Hey Annie, Yes, that’s correct. I only use lemon zest in this recipe. Happy baking!