Marbled Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake

One of the best things about living on the east coast is the plethora of pick-your-on farms.  After a super successful strawberry picking excursion when my little sister joined me for a week of baking, I couldn’t wait for blueberry season.

Picking them was not quite as fun as I imagined – recently cut grass and an afternoon rainstorm dampened the experience – but didn’t make this cake taste any less delicious.

Blueberries and lemons are made to go together; they are the perfect marriage of sweet and tart. This cake is proof of this.

Thanks to Cooks Illustrated, my favorite cooking magazine, the blueberries are marbled throughout, as opposed to the typical exploded blueberry clumps you typically find in cakes or muffins.  The use of fruit pectin, helps hold together the filling and allows it to be spread around the cake. This means you get a bite of blueberry and lemon in each bite. I’ve only slightly amended their recipe by subbing in apple sauce for 1/3 of the butter (I swear it still tastes amazing) and doubling the lemon zest (I’m serious about this blueberry lemon pairing).

For an extra lemony bite, you can whip up an easy glaze to drizzle over the cake – not necessary, but definitely delicious.  After I ate 1 slice of cake, I was bullied into adding this glaze (by someone with a serious sweet tooth).

Strawberry Lemon(ade) Cake

Although there is not actually any lemonade in this cake, I loved the way the title sounded. Thus my strawberry lemon cake became a strawberry lemon(ade) [sic] cake.

Despite its overwhelmingly commercial elements, I love Valentine’s day: making crafty cards, baking cute treats, having an excuse to use pink excessively. However no matter what I do, I can’t get hubby into it.  This year’s the year though -I’m sure 11th time’s  the charm!

If you want something special for your Valentine’s day, this cake is for you. It is a true labor of love, but it’s worth every minute.