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Whole golden blueberry cream cheese loaf with a cracked top on a white platter

Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Swirl Loaf

A tender lemon blueberry quick bread with a creamy cheesecake-style swirl through the center.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 10 slices

Equipment

  • 9×5-inch loaf pan
  • Parchment paper
  • Mixing bowls, whisk, and spatula
  • Cooling rack

Ingredients
  

Lemon Blueberry Batter

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon for the blueberries
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups blueberries fresh or frozen

Cream Cheese Swirl

  • 6 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line the long sides with parchment paper. Toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and set aside.
  • Beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
    Pale cream cheese filling beaten smooth in an oatmeal mixing bowl
  • Whisk 1¾ cups flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar until combined. Whisk in the eggs, then add the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
  • Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until no large streaks of flour remain. Gently fold in the flour-coated blueberries.
    Fresh blueberries folded into thick lemon loaf batter in a mixing bowl
  • Spread a little more than half of the blueberry batter in the pan. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the center, keeping it slightly away from the sides. Add the remaining batter on top.
    Cream cheese filling spooned along the center of the blueberry batter
  • Run a thin knife through the batter two or three times to create a gentle swirl.
    Top layer of blueberry batter with a gentle cream cheese swirl before baking
  • Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the top is golden and a tester inserted into the cake portion comes out without wet batter. Avoid the cream cheese ribbon or a large berry when testing. If the top browns before the center is done, loosely cover with foil and continue baking.
    Golden blueberry cream cheese loaf cooling in its parchment-lined pan
  • Cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Lift the loaf out with the parchment and transfer to a rack. Let it cool completely before slicing into 10 slices. Allow about an hour of cooling for planning, including the pan time; the loaf may need longer.
    Slices of blueberry loaf showing berries and an irregular baked cream cheese swirl

Notes

Use brick-style full-fat cream cheese. If using frozen blueberries, add them straight from the freezer and fold gently.
The 60-minute cooling time is a planning estimate, including 20 minutes in the pan. Cool completely before slicing; the loaf may need longer. Baking takes 55–65 minutes.