Cream Cheese & Cranberry Pound Cake

Cream Cheese & Cranberry Pound Cake:

The moist texture makes slicing easy. Don’t let frozen berries thaw or the juices will streak the batter. Yields one 8 x 5 inch loaf.

1-1/2 cups, 190 g all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 oz, 85 g cream cheese, at room temperature
4 oz, 114 g, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly soft (70°F)
1 1/2 cups, 300 g sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 cup cranberries (wild blueberries...)

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Spray an 8x5x3” loaf pan with a nonstick coating.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended.
3. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until very pale and little tails have formed.
4. Sprinkle in the sugar and beat until slightly fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl well.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until blended before adding the next. With the mixer on low, add the flour, vanilla, and lemon zest.
6. Switch from the mixer to a rubber spatula and mix just until the batter is well blended and smooth. Gently fold in the berries.
7. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan and bake in the middle of the oven until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it when inserted in the center (60-65 min if using fresh berries, 75-90 min if using frozen).
8. Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes and then invert the pan and lightly tap it to release the cake. Cool completely on a rack before serving.