Blueberry Pound Cake

INGREDIENTS

1 pound unsalted butter, soften to room temperature
2 1/2 cups fine granulated sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon extract OR grated peel from two lemons
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half, room temperature
2 cups blueberries, fresh (dusted lightly with flour) OR frozen
One bundt cake pan and one loaf pan OR three loaf pans

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together in separate bowl both flours, baking powder, salt and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together for approximately two minutes. Add one egg at a time to butter/sugar mixture and beat in thoroughly before you add the next egg. Creaming of butter, sugar and eggs can take up to ten minutes. This creaming process creates air in the batter (if done properly) and yields a lighter cake. Add extract or lemon rind and beat into mixture. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the half and half. Sequence should be: 1/3 of flour (incorporate thoroughly), 1/2 of half and half, 1/3 flour, 1/2 of half and half and final 1/3 of flour. Fold final flour in gently, being careful to thoroughly incorporate but not over beat the batter. Over mixing the final batter can result in a tough cake texture from developing the gluten's in the flour. Pour 1/3 of batter into a greased and floured cake pan. Top this layer with blueberries. Add second third of batter and top once again with blueberries. Repeat process with last third of batter and once again top with blueberries. As cake bakes, it will cover the berries. Adding your berries like this rather than stirring them in elimiates purple streaks you can get in cake from using frozen berries. Bake cake for 40-50 minutes with loaf pans and 50-60 minutes with bundt pan. Check cake for doneness by inserting toothpick or wooden skewer into center of cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool on cake rack for at least 10 minutes before unmolding cake onto the cake rack. Allow cake to cool completely before transferring to cake plate or platter. dust cake with powdered sugar.