Blackberry-Swirl Pound Cake

 This amazing concoction was a bit of a happy accident.  VERY happy.

Over spring break I cleaned out the fridge, freezer, and cupboards and made an effort to use up some older stuff.  I had four bags of frozen blackberries in the back of the freezer, that I'd gotten last summer on a BOGO deal, and forgotten about.  I knew had a couple of blackberry recipes in my files, so I went hunting.

SO GLAD I went with this one.  Because this pound cake is UH-MAZING.  Light, tender, buttery, and sweet.  Everything a pound cake should be.  And with a blackberry swirl?!  So delicious.

Blackberry-Swirl Pound Cake (print recipe)
Makes 9 servings
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
6 ounces blackberries (1 1/3 cups)
1 1/4 cups plus 2 T sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly butter a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan and line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang.  Butter parchment.  Good luck with this.  I just use my really good nonstick spray and skip the parchment.

2.  In a food processor, puree blackberries with 2 T sugar.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.

3.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 5 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping down bowl as needed.  With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

4.  Transfer half the batter to pan and dot with 1/2 cup blackberry puree.  Repeat with remaining batter and puree.  With a skewer or thin-bladed knife, swirl batter and puree together.  Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours.  Let cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes.  Lift cake out of pan and place on a serving plate.  Let cool completely before slicing.

Recipe from Everyday Food, July/Aug 2010

In fact, after making it with blackberries, I thought, this is so easy, I could make it with any fruit!  So the next week, I made it with strawberry swirl.  And with had it for strawberry shortcake.  Heaven.