Blueberry Lemon Crumble Loaf with Lemon Icing

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This recipe is brought to you by the start of Spring, plus husband repeatedly asking me to bake him something, and I love him for that. We were sitting on the couch one night, and he looks over at me and says, "hey, when are you baking again?" I laughed and asked what he wanted and he said blueberry bread (which is perfect for the season). So, on my next day off, I made it happen!

I enjoy regular blueberry bread, but I really feel as though it's so much better with lemon -- and this is coming from someone who hated any lemon-type dessert for a long time. But when balanced correctly, the lemon really elevates the blueberry, and the two create one harmonious flavor.

I searched specifically for Lemon Blueberry Bread (with a crumble, per my husband's request), and I came across this Lemon Blueberry Crumble Loaf from a website called Butternut Bakery. The ingredient list was simple, and I already had everything on hand. The instructions were also straight-forward and simple. Since the Spring Equinox was just around the corner too, I felt like this was a perfect recipe, so I decided to give it a go.

I had a lot of fun baking this recipe, and the end results were delish. The original recipe (as stated below) is for one standard size loaf, but I divided mine up into two smaller loaf pans. Either work just fine! Also, definitely don't skip the step about coating your blueberries in flour. That way, your blueberries won't sink down to the bottom of the bread.

This blueberry loaf is soft, moist, and loaded with blueberries. The icing on top is the perfect compliment, adding just the right amount of sweetness. This recipe would be great for a spring and/or summer gathering, or just to simply enjoy at home.

Magickal Ingredients Used:

Blueberries: Symbolizes protection, healing, and deep connection to the earth. Blueberries are strongly associated with calming moon energy, enhancing mental clarity, fostering wisdom, and providing emotional peace.

Butter: Smoothes and soothes energies and relationships. Increases tenacity and makes adjusting to change easier. Increases spirituality.

Total Recipe Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Yield: 10-12 slices

Here's What You Need:

Crumble

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3 tbsp granulated sugar

1/3 cup (43g) all purpose flour

Tiny pinch of kosher salt

Lemon Blueberry Loaf

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

2 tbsp fresh lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

1 1/2 cups (195g) all purpose flour, plus 1 tbsp for blueberries

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs, room temp

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1/4 cup (60g) milk, room temp

1 1/2 cups (215g) fresh blueberries, plus a handful for topping

Lemon Icing

1/2 cup (55g) powdered sugar

1/2 tbsp milk or cream

1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Here's What To Do:

Crumble

1. Mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Place in the refrigerator while we make the batter.

Lemon Blueberry Loaf

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease and line all sides of a 1lb loaf pan (8.5×4.5″).

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (a hand mixer can also be used), add the sugar and zest. Using your fingers, rub the two together to release even more lemon flavor.

3. Now add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine.

4. With the mixer running on medium low speed, drop in the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time.

5. Mix until it turns crumbly but you can no longer see any lumps of butter.

6. Scrape down the bowl and mix in the vanilla, followed by the eggs one at a time.

7. Then mix in the lemon juice followed by the milk.

8. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the bowl to make sure there’s no unmixed bits at the bottom.

9. For the blueberries, pick out any stems and rinse with water. Then toss with 1 tablespoon of flour. The flour should easily stick to the wet berries, creating a coating of flour around each berry.

10. Toss the berries into the batter and gently fold them in. Fold just enough to evenly distribute.

11. Pour the batter into the prepped loaf pan and spread even. Top with a handful of extra berries, followed by a layer of the chilled crumble.

12. Bake for 50 min – 1 hour or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. The loaf should also appear golden around the edges and puffed up in the center.

13. Allow the loaf to cool for about 45 minutes at room temperature.

Lemon Icing

1. Once the loaf has cooled, make the lemon icing.

2. Whisk together all of the ingredients until it turns into a glue-like consistency. If it’s too thick, mix in an extra bit of liquid. If it’s too fluid, mix in another spoonful of sugar.

3. Lift the loaf out of the pan and drizzle with the icing. Now slice and enjoy!

Notes

• Loaf will stay fresh at room temperature for a couple days or up to a week if refrigerated.

• The original recipe (the one listed above) is for one standard-size loaf. I used two smaller loaf pans (pictured here). But either will work just fine!

The original recipe can be found here.