Blueberry Thyme Poundcake with Lemon Glaze

What's Going Today: Hanging out in Cooperstown preparing for my friend's bridal shower, catching up with friends, trip to the farmer's market.

Naptime Goals: Make Homemade Snickers Bars for the bridal shower (it's a bit of an experiment, post to come next week), help Mom get out the china, silver, etc.

Tonight's Menu: Mom's making us all a quesadilla feast with fresh farmer's market vegetables!

Parenting Lesson of the Day: Once they learn how to ride their bikes they never want to stop. 

I have had a blueberry surplus in my house this month. This is one of those once-a-year problems I happily embrace. I've frozen a few bags full, preserved some in simple syrup and used the rest to make this cake, a Blueberry Thyme Poundcake with Lemon Glaze, that hits all the right notes with flavor and texture.

I whipped this up during naptime the day before my trip to Cooperstown. The batter came together easily and my kitchen smelled like lemon heaven for the remainder of the afternoon. Tempted though I was to dive right in with my fork, I decided to wait to share it with my parents before taking my first bite.

The following morning I placed the cooled cake in a round Tupperware, snapped on the lid and settled it into the front seat of the car for a trip to Cooperstown. When I arrived at my parent's house the cake was nice and cool (thank you air-conditioning vent), perfectly moist and ready for consumption. I don't usually do road tests with my food, but it is worth noting that this cake is a hearty traveler.

The citrusy herbal flavor paired beautifully with the blueberries, giving it an oddly refreshing quality not usually associated with dense cakes. My parents and I would've liked to have eaten the entire thing ourselves but, since we are being mindful of our waistlines in the midst of bathing suit season, we decided to take the opportunity to win over some neighbors. Half of the cake was wrapped up in aluminum foil and given to our friends Dotty and Hank, a quarter was served to our friends Geri and Cheryl and the remaining quarter we gobbled right up. Even my daughter liked it - she has become a recent blueberry fan - and was intrigued by it's lemony flavor. In the end this cake was gone far too quickly but that's fine with me. Now I have reason to head back to the blueberry bushes and pick more.

Blueberry Thyme Poundcake with Lemon Glaze

adapted from Luscious Berry Desserts by Lori Longbotham

1 c. whole milk

2 T. fresh thyme, chopped

3 1/2 c. sifted cake flour (NOT self-rising)

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/4 c. sugar

6 large eggs

4 t. finely grated lemon zest

1 t. vanilla extract

3 c. ripe blueberries, washed and dried

1/2 c. fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a 10" Bundt pan and set aside.

2. Over low heat bring milk and thyme to a boil. Remove from heat and cover the pot with a kitchen towel. Steep for 7 minutes, pour it through a fine mesh sieve and allow to cool to room temperature.

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

4. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed and pour in 1 3/4c. sugar until it is entirely incorporated. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture alternating with the milk in 3 batches, ending with the flour. Beat in 2 t. of the zest and vanilla. Stir in the berries with a spatula.

5. Bake for 1hr 30 minutes, or until cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then turn it onto the rack and set it right side up out of the pan.

6. In a saucepan bring the remaining 1/2 c. sugar, 2 t. zest and lemon juice to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Brush lemon mixture over the warm cake and let cool completely.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Recipe Serving Ideas: This would be a fantastic cake for a summer picnic or potluck. It holds up well traveling and will stay fresh for a few days. It also freezes well when wrapped in plastic and aluminum foil.

Naptime Stopwatch: Making this batter takes a full 20 minutes. The baking time is lengthy - 1hr 30minutes, but entirely worth it.

Naptime Reviews: This was a crowd-pleaser all around. Kid love it too, especially if you let them have a little nibble for breakfast with a dollop of yogurt.