Pound Cake with Blueberries and Cream Cheese Frosting

There's nothing like a great pound cake, and I have just the perfect enameled cast-iron bundt pan for that! The original recipe called for cherries, but they're not in season right now. Mind you, neither are blueberries, but somehow the Dutch seem to be able to grow them in greenhouses all year round! The cake came out great, dense and moist as it's supposed to. 

Cake 

1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature (I used 300 grams) 

3 cups granulated sugar 

5 large eggs at room temperature 

3 cups all-purpose flour 

½ teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt 

1 ¼ cups buttermilk at room temperature 

2 teaspoons almond extract 

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened 

2 cups powdered sugar 

5–6 teaspoons heavy whipping cream or milk 

1 large orange 

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160-170°C). Prepare a generously greased and floured bundt pan.

Cream the butter until smooth and then beat in sugar and continue beating it until it’s light and fluffy or for about 5 minutes.

Slowly add the eggs one at a time and make sure each one is well mixed before adding the next. Add the almond extract and beat until mixed.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour first and then measure out 3 cups. Then add the baking powder and salt.

Next, add half of the dry ingredients and then half of the buttermilk, beating just until the flour is partially combined. Then add the second half of the dry ingredients, followed by the remaining milk. Continue to beat until all ingredients are well combined.

Pour about 1/3 of the batter into the bottom of the batter into the bottom of the pan. Spoon 1/3 of the blueberries into the batter, spreading evenly. Repeat these steps 2 more times so that the blueberries are layered throughout the batter.

Bake at 325° for 65-70 minutes (mine took about 80 minutes). You may need to cover the bundt pan with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes to prevent the top from browning.

Check to see if your cake is done by inserting a toothpick into the middle. If it comes out clean, your cake is done. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edges of your bundt to help release it from the edge before flipping. Invert the cake onto a plate and allow it cool for 2-3 hours.

Make the frosting, In a medium-sized bowl, combine the cream cheese with the powdered sugar and continue to stir. Add the heavy cream, one teaspoon at a time until the frosting reaches the desired thickness. It should drip of the spoon, but not run off the spoon.While you’re adding the heavy cream, also add the orange zest, almond extract and the pinch of salt.

Once the glaze is nice and smooth, drizzle it over the cake (my frosting came out a bit thick so I used a piping bag to spread it over the pound cake). Decorate with extra blueberries.