Red, White, and Blueberry Philly Cheese Pound Cake
Since the Declaration of Independence was written in Philadelphia, I thought it was only fitting to make up a recipe that uses Philadelphia cream cheese. My family has been using this pound cake recipe for over 40 years, and it is a perfect base for adding extra flavors. You have the option of dividing the batter and making half of the cakes raspberry and the other half blueberry. Or, you can simply add both kinds of berries into the entire batter.
Since the Declaration of Independence was written in Philadelphia, I thought it was only fitting to make up a recipe that uses Philadelphia cream cheese. My family has been using this pound cake recipe for over 40 years, and it is a perfect base for adding extra flavors. You have the option of dividing the batter and making half of the cakes raspberry and the other half blueberry. Or, you can simply add both kinds of berries into the entire batter.
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 6 ounces raspberries
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened, but not quite room temperature
- 8 ounce cream cheese softened slightly
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 6 ounces fresh blueberries
- lemon glaze:
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
- Carbohydrate 152.18346069348 g
- Cholesterol 1258.00246993673 mg
- Fat 198.754212060116 g
- Fiber 30.4228435064913 g
- Protein 47.8682903248929 g
- Saturated Fat 113.001052901715 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (1361g)
- Sodium 86674.9332973394 mg
- Sugar 121.760617186989 g
- Trans Fat 22.6789257209144 g
- Calories 2502 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees (165 degrees celsius). Spray four mini loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray, and place on a cookie sheet.
- In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese. Pour in sugar and mix until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well until each is incorporated. Mix in vanilla.
- While ingredients are mixing, whisk together four, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly add flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
- Divided batter into two bowls. Fold raspberries into one, and the blueberries into the other. (Or you can skip dividing the batter and just fold both kinds of berries into one batter).
- Distribute batter evenly among the four pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-50 minutes. Drizzle with lemon glaze and let cool completely. Wrap any extras tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month.
Pan Preparation and Size Selection
Bakers frequently err by using standard loaf pans without adjusting baking times, which leads to raw centers while the edges over-bake. This specific formulation utilizes four mini loaf pans distributed across a cookie sheet to ensure even heat circulation in a 325-degree oven. Ensuring the pans are thoroughly coated with non-stick cooking spray prevents the dense, sugar-heavy batter from sticking to the corrugated corners. If mini pans are unavailable, a standard bundt pan can hold the entire volume, though monitoring the internal temperature with a digital thermometer will be necessary to account for the deeper well of batter.
Creaming Butter and Cheese Properly
Achieving the correct density relies entirely on starting with butter that is softened but not quite room temperature, alongside slightly softened cream cheese. Paddle attachments on stand mixers work best to aerate the fat slowly without melting it prematurely. Adding the four eggs one at a time ensures that the emulsion holds without breaking, which prevents a greasy, heavy crumb texture from forming once the flour hits the bowl. Incorporating the dry ingredients slowly prevents gluten over-development, keeping the final crumb tender despite the heavy weight of the dairy.
Managing Fruit Distribution
Folding fresh fruit directly into dense batters often results in berries sinking to the bottom during the 35 to 50 minute baking window. Tossing the six ounces of raspberries and six ounces of blueberries in a tablespoon of the dry flour mixture before folding them into the batter creates friction that suspends the fruit evenly throughout each mini loaf. Dividing the batter into two separate bowls allows for individual berry separation, but combining them creates a marbled effect that holds up equally well under the tart lemon glaze.
