white chocolate and blueberry loaf

This cake was the cover picture on the Sainsbury’s magazine and I knew I had to make it when I next got the opportunity – it just looked so cheery and spring-like. As it happened, I ended up making it on a wet grey day in Frankfurt but nevertheless, it helped me feel like spring is just around the corner.

The cake itself is flavoured by the blueberries and white chocolate; there is also some vanilla and this flavour follows through to the barely-sweetened cream cheese icing (the cake is more than sweet enough, so this works well). I added blackberries to the garnish, for some extra juicy fruitiness, and finished with a sprinkle of edible glitter.

The white chocolate flavour is subtle and I think the recipe as a whole works really well. I kept the final pieces of the cake in the fridge for a few days (I know, such willpower!) and it was absolutely fine, although I did like it best on the day I made it.  

You can make the fruit drizzle and icing a day ahead, although you do need to let the cake cool completely before decorating, so it’s really not necessary.

White Chocolate and Blueberry Loaf with Cheesecake Icing (makes 1 large loaf cake)
100g white chocolate, chopped
100g soft unsalted butter plus extra for greasing the cake tin
150g caster sugar
2 large eggs beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
200g plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
150ml sour cream (I used a mix of sour cream and crème fraiche as I was using things up, and it worked fine)
225g blueberries (plus an optional handful of blackberries)

For the icing:
18g full fat cream cheese
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons icing sugar

Melt the white chocolate in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water; remove the bowl from the pan and leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180c and grease and line a large loaf tin (8.5x18.5x7cm).

In a mixing bowl. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs a little at a time beating well in between and adding a little flour of the mixture curdles. Add the vanilla extract and cooled white chocolate.

Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt together. Stir half of this into the cake mixture, along with half of the sour cream. Beat until smooth and then add the remaining flour and sour cream then mix again.

Spoon the cake into the tin, scattering 100g of blueberries as you go (I had three layers of blueberries), level the top and bake for 60-75 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then on a wire rack.

Make the blueberry drizzle by putting 50g of blueberries in a small pan with 2 teaspoons of sugar and a teaspoon of water. Cover and gently cook for a few minutes, until the berries soften and start to burst. Press through a sieve to make a puree, discarding the skins/seeds; set aside.

For the icing, combine the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar; chill.

When the cake is cool, spread the icing on the cake, drizzle with the blueberry puree and add the remaining berries on top.