This lemon-blueberry cottage cheese loaf is dense and moist in the best way

A loaf cake is my favourite kind of bake. There’s no fuss or fancy layers to worry about, just an easy and delicious recipe that you can keep coming back to. This version is bursting with lemon and blueberry, and gets an extra boost of protein from a cup of cottage cheese. It’s dense and moist in the best way — no dry, crumbly bites here.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• ½ cup thinly sliced almonds, to garnish

Blueberry glaze:

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 cup (130 g) powdered sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk

Preparation

Heat the oven to 350 F with a rack in the middle position. Lightly grease and flour a 9-by-4-inch loaf pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Place the sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl, and rub them together with fingers until the sugar is fragrant and turns light yellow.

Remove 2 tablespoons of flour from the measured 1½ cups and set aside. Combine the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Add the lemon juice, cottage cheese, eggs and olive oil to a blender, and blend until smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the sugar and lemon zest. Using a sifter, sift in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the reserved flour, then gently fold them into the batter.

Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until the loaf is golden, the edges are starting to pull away from the pan and a tester comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes. Let the loaf sit in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the loaf is cooling, make the glaze. Combine the blueberries and water in a small saucepan set over medium heat, and stir occasionally until the berries start to release their juices, about 3 to 4 minutes. Lightly mash the berries with a spatula to help break them down. 

Once the berries are soft and jammy, strain the berries into a heatproof bowl using a fine mesh sieve. Discard the solids and let the juice cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, combine the blueberry juice with the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk, and whisk until smooth and pourable. 

Once the loaf has fully cooled, drizzle the glaze over top. Garnish with sliced almonds, and refrigerate any remaining loaf for up to five days.

Serves 8 to 10

Produced in collaboration with CBC Creator Network.