Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

We have a million blueberries in our freezer left over from last summer.  With a new growing season rapidly approaching, we need to work on clearing some space for this season's crop of fruit and veggies.  This recipe is one way to enjoy them while making room in the freezer.  A double win!

The original recipe was from Sweet Pea's Kitchen and I found it on Pinterest (where else?).  I thought it looked interesting so pinned it to my For the Stomach - Recipes board so I would be able to find it again when I needed it.

I made a couple of tweaks/substitutions and doubled the recipe since I wanted to bring one loaf to work and have one for dessert.  I did find that I needed to bake the loaves a bit longer than the recipe called for, but that may be my oven, so if you may want to take that into consideration.  Also, even though I greased and floured the pan, one of the loaves did stick and came apart a bit when I tried to pop it out. Perhaps I needed to let it cool a bit longer.

This recipe was a HUGE hit and not a single piece was left at work.  Everyone wants to know when I will bring in another loaf.

Ingredients

The Loaf:

• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approx. 2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed

The Lemon Syrup:

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar

The Lemon Glaze:

• 1 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

The Loaf:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease bottom and sides of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil.
• Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
• In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
• Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.

The Lemon Syrup:

• While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes.
• Remove from the heat; set aside.
• Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf.
• Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup.
• Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again.
• Let the cake cool completely.

The Lemon Glaze:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice.
• The mixture should be thick but pourable.
• Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff.
• Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides.
• Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.