Vanilla Poundcake with Blueberries and a Lemon Vanilla Icing

1 bundt cake and 1 loaf cake for a friend

Cakes:

• 1 cup dried blueberries, soaked overnight in water and lemon juice

• 2 lemons

• 12 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature

• 3 cups white sugar

• 6 large eggs, room temperature

• 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 Tbsp baking powder

• 1 Tbsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp Chinese Five-Spice Powder

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 ½ cups buttermilk

• 1 Tbsp vanilla paste

Lemon Vanilla Icing:

• 1 ½ cup confection sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla paste

• Juice of 1 lemon

• Water at needed

 1)     Soak the dried blueberries overnight in the juice of one lemon and enough water to cover.

2)     The next day, preheat the oven to 325 degrees

3)     Prep a 10-cup bundt pan by brushing it with melted butter and then sift 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour over to cover the interior and then tap to remove the excess. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and then insert a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom and up and over the sides.

4)     Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, five-spice powder and the zest of one of the lemons.

5)     Stir the 1 Tbsp vanilla paste into the buttermilk.

6)     Cream the butter and sugar in a standing mixer 1-2 minutes until butter is light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, 1 egg at a time.

7)     On low, add 1/3 of the dry mix, then half of the buttermilk, 1/3 of the dry mix, remaining buttermilk and finish with the final 1/3 of the dry mix.

8)     Drain the hydrated blueberries and gently hand fold into the batter with a spatula

9)     Divide the batter into the pans – 2/3 into the bundt pan and 1/3 into the loaf pan.

10)  Bake the cakes until a wooden skewer comes out clean – roughly 50 minutes for the loaf and 65 minutes for the bundt.

11)  Cool both cakes in their pans on a wire rack.  After 15 minutes, turn the bundt cake out onto a serving plate.

12)  To make the icing, whisk the juice of one lemon and the vanilla into the confection sugar, adding tiny bits of water until the mix resembles wet glue. Spoon the icing over the bundt letting it drip down the sides.  If desired, drizzle a bit of the icing over the loaf cake.