Blueberry Cream Cheese Quick Bread

What? There's fruit in it.

The holidays are over, and all the Christmas treats have been devoured, mostly by me. The gingerbread, chocolates and shortbread cookies are now a sweet memory. Lately, I have been craving fresh fruit (but not mandarin oranges, haha). When I saw fresh blueberries on sale at the local grocery, I knew I wanted to bake them up into something non-holiday related. Result: Blueberry Cream Cheese Quick Bread!

Slice up something sweet for brunch.

This quick bread is moist and delicious. It goes perfectly with coffee or tea for an afternoon visit with friends. It makes a great second breakfast, too. I know this from experience. 

Don't the berries look like jewels?

Using fresh blueberries, as opposed to frozen, keeps them mostly whole. The cream cheese layer melts into the batter giving the quick bread a moist interior. All of this yumminess is topped with the slightest taste of sweet glaze. 

I couldn't wait until the loaf cooled enough to slice it. Oh well!

You could also make this recipe with fresh cranberries.




Blueberry Cream Cheese Quick Bread
Based on this recipe from:
http://thekeenancookbook.com/dessert/blueberry-cream-cheese-bread

Ingredients
Quick Bread:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar, divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1 pint container fresh blueberries (pat dry with towels if wet)
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Cream Cheese Layer:
1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
Zest from one medium-sized orange

Glaze:
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon water

Method: Cream Cheese layer

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, flour, sugar, egg and orange zest together until smooth. Transfer to another bowl and set aside. Wash out stand mixer bowl and paddle as you’ll be using them again. 

Method: Quick Bread

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour and baking powder together. Set aside. 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs yolks, salt and vanilla and mix until combined and smooth. Add flour and milk, alternating between the two until completely blended. Scrape mixture into a large bowl and set aside. Wash out stand mixer bowl completely to remove any traces of fat. 
3. In a large bowl, toss blueberries and 1 tablespoon of flour until coated. Set aside. 
4. In the bowl of the stand mixer using the whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer), beat egg whites until soft peaks form. With mixer running, slowly add 1/4 cup sugar until combined and stiff peaks form. 
5. Fold together egg whites and batter. Fold in blueberries carefully, to keep from breaking them. 
6. In a 5 x 9 loaf pan, spoon in half the batter and smooth out to the sides of the pan. Spoon in all of the cream cheese layer and smooth out. Spoon the rest of the batter into the pan. 
7. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. 
8. Allow to cool slightly. Remove quick bread from pan, and spoon glaze over top, allowing to run down the sides. 
9. Cool completely before slicing and serving. 
10. Makes 1 quick bread loaf. 

Method: Glaze

1. Mix together icing sugar, vanilla and water and stir until smooth.

This column first appeared in Stimuli Magazine. Check out my column

'Just Desserts' for more sweet and delicious recipes!