Mini Blueberry Poppy Seed Loaves + Video
First blueberry recipe of the season! AW YEAH.
Guys, summer officially starts in a week. A WEEK! I cannot flipping wait.
But you know what you don't have to wait for? This super-summery recipe. This recipe for mini blueberry poppy seed loaf cakes.
And you know what else you don't have to wait for? The video tutorial I made for these mini blueberry loaves. You know what to do - press play:
Or, watch it on YouTube.
Okay, so first off, I find these miniature loaf cakes adorable. Probably because I’m obsessed with anything mini.
These blueberry poppy seed cakes are definitely cuter as mini loaves than as one large loaf cake. So, if you've got yourself a nifty mini loaf pan/tray thingy, don't even think about baking this batter in a large loaf pan.
And if you don't own a mini loaf pan, get one? But if you reallllllly don't want to purchase one, fiiiiiiiine. Bake the batter in a larger loaf pan. Or maybe two larger loaf pans? I actually don't know, because I honestly never tried this recipe as a large loaf cake.
I also think mini loaf cakes make such an endearing gift. Especially when those loaves are bursting with fresh, tart blueberries. And are studded with crunchy poppy seeds. And are drizzled with a glossy vanilla glaze. And are then placed in a small brown box. Which is then wrapped with a strand of twine. SO cute!
But anyway. Shall we move on from the cuteness of it all and discuss the other merits of these mini blueberry loaf cakes?
These mini loaf cakes are soft, tender, fluffy, and light. There's no heftiness or denseness involved here. So, if you enjoy cakes that are light and fluffy as a cloud, you'll most probably enjoy these poppy seed loaves.
These loaf cakes are also bursting with fresh, juicy, tart + sweet blueberries. You'll be getting a generous amount in every bite. We don't skimp. Not when it comes to blueberries in cakes.
And then there are the poppy seeds. The poppy seeds add a lovely texture to the loaves by providing a delicate crunch. And they impart a deep, almost nutty and woodsy flavor. And they make the mini loaves look that much more beautiful, with those little seeds dispersed throughout the cake like tiny, delightful polka dots.
Oh, and allow me to just state the obvious by saying that the blueberries help beautify these mini loaf cakes as well.
And then there's the glossy, sweet vanilla glaze. Which, need I even say it, also obviously makes these blueberry poppy seed loaves that much more gorgeous and delicious. The glaze also provides a necessary addition of sweetness to the loaves, as without the glaze, you may find the cakes lacking some sugar.
Soft and fluffy. Tender and light. Delicate and moist. Filled with crunchy, woodsy poppy seeds. Bursting with juicy, fresh blueberries. Enhanced with a glossy, sweet vanilla glaze.
Mini blueberry poppy seed loaves - you're one of the reasons I love summer so much.
Mini Blueberry Poppy Seed Loaves
Yield: 15-16 mini loaves
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 cup oil
½ cup milk (or non-dairy milk)
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 ½ cups packed flour
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
Vanilla Glaze:
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Pinch salt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons oil
3-4 tablespoons milk (or non-dairy milk)
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 16 mini loaf tins well.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, milk, eggs, and extracts until smooth.
3. Add in the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined. Gently stir in blueberries.
4. Using a large cookie scoop, drop the batter evenly into prepared loaf tins. Sprinkle a few more blueberries over each loaf if desired.
5. Bake loaves for 17-20 minutes, until the cakes spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
6. Let cakes cool in tins for a few minutes before running a knife along the edges of the cakes to ease them out of their molds. Let cool completely before glazing.
7. Vanilla Glaze: Whisk together all glaze ingredients. Pour glaze over the center of each cooled loaf, allowing glaze to drip down sides of cake.
