Blueberry Loaf Cake with Lemon or Vanilla Icing

What's the Difference Between Blueberry Loaf Cake and Quick Bread?

You say "bread", I say "cake", let's call the whole thing off.

The terms quick bread and loaf cake are often used interchangeably to refer to a wide variety of baked goods that are baked in a loaf pan. The only real difference is that "quick bread" can include baked goods that are sweet OR savory, whereas, cake nearly always refers to something sweet.

The batter for quick breads is easy and fast to make and does not contain yeast. Quick breads can be sweet, like Banana Bread or Zucchini Bread, or savory, like cornbread or spoon bread.

Having made that distinction, nearly everything we like to call quick bread is actually cake.

I think sometimes the difference in name comes into play based on when we want to eat it. Blueberry bread feels more appropriate for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Blueberry cake is something you plan to serve for dessert.

So, call this recipe what you will. Make one loaf and eat blueberry bread for breakfast and blueberry cake for dessert later that night. 👏

Key Ingredients for a Tender Blueberry Loaf Cake that Stays Fresh for Days

The cake is extremely soft and tender, and stays fresh for days thanks to two key ingredients:

• Vegetable Oil
• Whipped Heavy Cream

There are as many reasons for using butter in cakes as there are for using oil. Both contribute different qualities to cakes. Because of that, many of the cake recipes you'll find on this site use both butter and oil.

But for this Blueberry Loaf Cake, I opted for all oil. Here's why:

#1. Because this cake includes fresh fruit, if you want it to stay fresh for a few days, it's best to refrigerate it. And oil is best for refrigerated cakes.

Butter based cakes will get quite firm when refrigerated, a result of butter's intrinsic characteristic to firm up when cold. Oil based cakes don't have this problem. Their texture is soft and delicious at room temperature AND straight out of the fridge.

#2. Whipped heavy cream gives this cake a buttery mouthfeel.

Whipped heavy cream that's folded into the batter right before baking adds additional air and gives this cake a soft, silky texture. The whipped cream also creates an almost buttery mouthfeel to the cake.

It's a genius trick that gives you the best of both worlds - the benefits of using oil and a buttery texture.

How to Make this Blueberry Loaf Cake

As I mentioned earlier, this Blueberry Loaf Cake Recipe is a simple variation of Vanilla Loaf Cake. As with the basic vanilla loaf, the process for making this cake is quite simple:

1. Stir the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) together in a small bowl.
2. Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and aerated. This will take 3-4 minutes. To know when you've beaten the eggs and sugar enough, lift the beater from the bowl. The mixture should look like a ribbon falling from the beater, folding over itself as it drops back into the bowl. (See the photo below.)
3. With the mixer running, pour the vegetable oil into the eggs and sugar in a thin, steady stream. You want to do this very slowly, so the oil is fully emulsified into the sugar and eggs. 
4. Beat in the yogurt and vanilla, then stir the dry ingredients into the batter by hand using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Stir just until the batter is smooth and lump free. 
5. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until medium peaks form. This means that if you lift the beater from the cream, peaks of whipped cream will form that gently fold back over themselves.
6. Fold the whipped cream into the batter very gently, mixing just until it's about 50% incorporated. Add the blueberries and continue to stir - very gently - until they are distributed throughout the batter.
7. Pour the batter into a loaf pan that's been greased and floured and bake.

What Kind of Blueberries Should You Use in this Cake?

You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries in this cake. Both options work equally well.

If using frozen blueberries, there is no need to thaw the berries before adding them to the batter. In fact, it's best that you add them to the batter while they are still frozen.

As frozen blueberries thaw, they release a lot of their juice. All that juice will distribute throughout the batter and give the cake a slightly grey color. The cake will still taste delicious, but it might look a bit off-putting

The only other thing to note about the blueberries you use in this cake is their size. Six ounces of blueberries can look quite a bit different depending on the size of the berries.

If the blueberries you are using are large 6 ounces will amount to about 1 ½ cups. If they are small, 6 ounces will amount to about 1 cup.

Cover the Cake with Either Lemon Icing or Vanilla Icing

In all honesty, this Blueberry Loaf Cake is delicious served plain, without any icing. But, I think it's even better with a layer of either vanilla icing or lemon icing.

Both icing options are delicious and super quick to make (about 5 minutes) so it really just depends on what you're in the mood for.

You can serve the cake right after covering it icing it for a more saucy flavor with each slice. Or, wait for the icing to firm up so it creates a crackly, sugary surface to the top of the cake.

How to Store this Blueberry Loaf Cake

This cake will stay fresh and moist for up to 4 days if kept in the refrigerator. Wrap it up with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container to prevent the cake from drying out.

If you are making the cake ahead of time, I'd suggest waiting to add the icing until the day you are planning to serve it. Iced Blueberry Loaf Cake will keep just as well in the refrigerator, but the icing won't look as pretty after it's been covered and refrigerated for a while.

You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months. After the cake is completely cool, wrap it in a couple layers of plastic wrap then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze the cake without any icing. 

Allow the cake to thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature. Top with icing after the cake has thawed.

More Loaf Cake Recipes:

• Simple Vanilla Loaf Cake
• Cinnamon Swirl Loaf Cake with Vanilla icing
• Raspberry Swirl Loaf Cake with Lemon Icing
• Chocolate Brownie Loaf Cake
• Lemon Loaf Cake
• Perfect Pound Cake
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddough on Instagram. Happy Baking!