Ricotta Lemon Pound Cake with Blueberry Sauce

I took advantage of the two days of reasonable temperatures to bake.  Thank goodness for the reprieve...who in their right mind would turn on an oven when the temperatures are hitting 110° F!  I must admit that those temperatures make 102° F. look good!  It was really a no-brainer....get the cake baked for the Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge before it got hot again.

The two ingredients for the Dessert Challenge this month were lemons and blueberries. Additionally, it is also National Blueberry Month....I wonder if that had anything to do with the selection of blueberries as one of the ingredients.   To me, those are two reasons to pull out the blueberries that we picked on our trip to Oregon and brought home.  Mr T's purchase last summer was a gadget to vacuum seal food items making them easy to freeze and travel home...basically, it was for fish and berries.

There are quite a few lemon and blueberry recipes but having adoration for the pound cake and absolutely loving the Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries that I made a few years ago, I knew that I was going to be making a Ricotta Lemon Pound Cake with a Blueberry Sauce.  There couldn't be a better dessert.

Ricotta Lemon Pound Cake 

with Blueberry Sauce

1 1/2 cups cake flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature (additional to grease the pan)
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 Tbsp
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested
2 Tbsp Limoncello
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Blueberry Sauce (see recipe below)
Lemon Whipped Cream (see recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease a 9 X 5 X 3 inch loaf pan with butter.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time.  Add the vanilla, lemon zest, and Limoncello until combined.  Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a tooth pick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 50-60 minutes.  Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

Prepare the Blueberry Sauce.

Prepare whipping cream, flavoring it with grated lemon peel and lemon juice.

To serve, slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of blueberry sauce over the top of the cake.  Add a dollop of Lemon Whipped cream.

Blueberry Sauce

My Baking Addiction

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup sugar (The amount may be adjusted to suit your taste.)

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbsp lemon zest

2 Tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 Tbsp cold water

1/2 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, sugar, water and lemon juice.  Stir frequently but gently and bring to a low boil.

Mix the cornstarch with the water in a small  bowl.  Slowly and gently stir the cornstarch into the blueberries,  Simmer the mixture until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, approximately five minutes.

Remove the sauce from the heat and gently stir in the lemon zest and vanilla.

Lemon Whipped Cream

Epicurious

1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp lemon zest

2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing bowl.  Using an electric mixer, beat until soft peaks form.

This may be made two hours in advance, covered and stored in the refrigerator.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Mr. T wanted to use some of the blueberry sauce for pancakes....not a bad idea...

If you would like to join the fun and participate in the monthly Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge, you will find the information you need,  here.