And now for something different–both the treat and the title. Today’s recipe is brought to you from the Midnight Cafe. The denizens swear by this tasty loaf that is as much cake as it is bread.

LEMON BLUEBERRY CAKE LOAF
12 servings
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 35 Minutes
Total time: 45 min

Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
1 15.25 ounce Lemon Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Deliciously Moist Cake Mix)
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt full fat or 2% (not fat free)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries tossed with 1 T flour
Zest of 1 – 2 lemons depending on size of lemons (I used 1 extra large lemon)

Glaze Ingredients (I doubled recipe)
1 – 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions
1 – Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare pan(s) by spraying baking spray with flour or by lining pan(s) with parchment paper.
2 – Blend cake mix, yogurt, lemon juice and zest, oil and eggs in large bowl with mixer at low speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
3 – Gently fold in blueberries, pour batter into pan(s); bake immediately.
4 – Baking times will vary depending on pans and oven. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out batter free; stained from blueberries is OK. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes. 5 – Remove from pan and continue to cool on wire rack until completely cool before glazing.
6 – Baking times: (2) 9 inch pans and 9 x 13 pan: 21 – 27 minutes8 x 4 loaf pans: 30 – 35 minutes9 x 5 loaf pan: 55 – 65 minutes

To make glaze:
1 – Mix sugar with lemon juice, adding 1 tablespoon of juice at a time to desired consistency. Pour glaze over top of cooled cake. Double amount of glaze if desired.

Tips
1. Fill your pan only 3/4 full with your batter at least 1 1/2″ below the rim of the pan to prevent batter overflowing pan.

2. Loaf pan dimensions and batter capacity:
8 x 4 x 2 1/2 inch = 4 cups
8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch = 6 cups
9 x 5 x 3 inch = 8 cups

3. If using a 9 x 5 pan, baking time will be closer to an hour. Bake until loaf tests done with toothpick and shield top with foil to prevent overbrowning if needed during last 10 minutes of baking time.

4. Use whole-milk, full-fat Greek yogurt for the best flavor or 2% if you prefer. Avoid nonfat, as it can contain fillers and stabilizers that will change the taste and texture of your cake.

5. You can substitute sour cream or plain regular yogurt for Greek yogurt if you don’t have any. If using plain yogurt, strain some of the liquid first so it’s thicker like Greek yogurt. Do not use fat free sour cream.

6. You can substitute frozen berries for fresh, no need to thaw but baking time will need to be adjusted and color of batter will be altered but still taste great.

7. Know your oven or invest in an inexpensive oven thermometer. Oven temperatures vary widely, depending on brand, age, whether electric or gas and it’s not unusual for an oven to run 5 or 10 degrees hotter or colder. Preheat your oven at least 20 minutes.

True story. I stopped in a convenience store on my way to work one day to grab a cup of coffee. I normally brought a cup from home but on this day, I hadn’t and I knew I’d need the caffeine for rush hour. The coffee bar in the store had different blends and flavors and the one that caught my eye was named Cafe Midnight. I fixed a cup, paid, headed out. And by the time I got to work, I had this crazy story idea about a burnt-out cop and a spooky diner. I went home that night and wrote it. Originally published in an anthology called “Cop Tales,” I eventually published this short novella as a single. If you’re looking for something different and like a bit of supernatural humor, you might give CAFE MIDNIGHT a spin. Just click on the pics with the cover or the title. Here’s the blurb to tease you:

A burned-out homicide cop. A mysterious diner. A dead body. What could possibly go wrong?

When that cop is Joe McGwire? Everything. Back on duty after a shootout where his partner died, Joe and his best friend, Insomnia, hit the streets. Drawn to a diner called Cafe Midnight, Joe walks into trouble. Welcome to Cafe Midnight, where the coffee’s hot, you can still smoke, the payphone costs a nickel, and famous detectives hang out looking for a case. This short story is a fond homage to film noir and the detective novels of the last century. It’s a tongue-in-cheek tale about a hard-driven homicide detective and the denizens of the dark he meets while investigating his latest murder.