Blackberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

It's Friday again, and we are looking forward to a very relaxing and quiet weekend.  The weather here is once again turning to Spring beginning tomorrow, or so the weather people say.  Pat is feeling better and is looking for something other than soup to eat and his sweet tooth is back!  I know he's feeling better when he starts looking for sweets.

I have been wanting to try some of the other Pound Cake recipes I found last month's issue of Southern Living.  The Lemon Coconut Pound Cake I posted in a previous post was delicious and I'm hoping this one is even better.  The recipe in the magazine is for a "Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake", but I happen to have some beautiful Blackberries in the freezer from last season that need to be used, so I am making a home made Blackberry Glaze.  Just for us and just for you!  Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients

1 1/2  cups  butter, softened
3  cups  sugar
1  (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
6  large eggs
3  cups  all-purpose flour
1  teaspoon  almond extract
1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
2/3  cup  blackberry glaze
1  (6-inch) wooden skewer

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsps. Luxardo or Apple Juice
1/4 tsp. corn starch

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese, beating until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
Gradually add flour to butter mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Stir in almond and vanilla extracts. Pour one-third of batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (14-cup) tube pan (about 2 2/3 cups batter). Dollop 8 rounded teaspoonfuls strawberry glaze over batter, and swirl with wooden skewer. Repeat procedure once, and top with remaining third of batter.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

To make Blackberry Glaze:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the blackberries, sugar, and salt. When the berries break down to mostly juice, strain the seeds out and return the strained juice back to the pan. Let it reduce over medium heat until it becomes a thick glaze. Stir together the Luxardo or Apple Juice and cornstarch and then add them to the juice. Simmer for about 20 minutes more, until the juice coats the back of a spoon; set it aside to cool.