Blueberry Orange Sour Cream Bread

Sweet breads are a great way to enjoy the goodness of a cake-like dessert which can be relished by itself, or even be paired with tea or coffee. Fruit breads are not only easy to make, they can be really versatile to incorporate seasonal ingredients. This week we enjoyed baking this Blueberry Bread, made even more delicious by addition of citrusy Orange flavor, and made soft by using Sour Cream. The bread not only smells great, it can fill your kitchen with a refreshing aroma that lingers long after you've finished your delicious loaf of Blueberry Orange Bread.

Ingredients
1 cup whole grain flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sour cream
1 stick butter - at room temp
1 1/2 cup cane sugar
4 large eggs
Zest of 2 large oranges
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tsp vanilla
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries

Method
Spray 2 bread pans generously and keep aside. Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

Cream butter and sugar in large bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time, then orange zest, orange juice and vanilla.

Thoroughly combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl and add to creamed butter mixture. Slowly add the sour cream and mix everything well to form an even blend.

Fold in the blueberries, taking care not to mix too hard so s to break them.

Bake in the middle rack for 45-50 minutes at 350 F, until the loaves swell up and pass the toothpick test. When done, let them rest on the wire rack till they cool to room temp. Only then attempt to cut the loaf into slices.

Store in a cool, dry container and you can relish this bread for up to a week. It tastes great 2-3 hours after baking, as the orange and blueberry juices slowly sink in to make a moist flavorful bread!

This has now become one of our cherished breakfast recipes. Enjoy it yourself either with your morning tea, or serve them as a sweet treat at your next Tea party!

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Cherry & Peach Upside Down Cake

Though fall and baking go hand in hand, sometimes, its more comforting to bake whenever you want to, using whatever ingredients you have at hand. Just like this Upside down Peach and Cherry cake which was a great way to use the bag of stone fruits lying on my kitchen counter. Foodblogga's story behind his cake is much more interesting though, as its an adapted version of her grandma's 70-year old recipe! It's a fresh and colorful cake that will fill your house with a scintillating aroma, as the beautiful cake bakes in the oven. The peach and cherry compote that covers the cake will linger on your tastebuds long after the piece of cake is gone!


Fresh Cherry and Peach Upside-Down Cake
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter (8 tablespoons)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup fresh cherries, pitted and halved
3-4 small, ripe peaches, pitted and halved
1 cup flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method
Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Place butter in a 9-inch-round baking pan, and place inside of a warm oven until melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the butter. Add the peach halves, cut side down, then add the cherry halves, filling in all of the nooks and crannies.

In a medium bowl, combine sifted flour, baking powder and salt, and stir.

Using a hand mixer, in a metal or glass bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until fluffy. Set aside.

In a separate bowl beat egg yolks with sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract, and beat well. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, and beat until well combined. Fold in the egg whites with a rubber spatula. Pour cake mixture evenly over the fruit, and smooth with the spatula.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a blunt knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert carefully onto a plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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