Blueberries are the “All-American” berry and there are so many great ways to incorporate them into desserts. One of the more traditional, and most delicious, ways is to bake them into a buckle.
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, “A buckle consists of fruit and cake baked together, with a streusel topping. As it bakes the fruit and streusel topping makes the cake “buckle.” It very much resembles a coffee cake.”
We think it combines all of the best parts of baking with berries; the juicy pops of flavor, the texture of cake, and the spiced sweet crunch on top.
For a blueberry buckle, you’ll need:
Batter:
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups blueberries - fresh is best
- Optional: 2 tsp lemon zest
Topping:
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup cold butter, cubed
Instructions:
- Preheat oven at 375°F
- In a small bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Once light and fluffy, beat in the egg. In another bowl, combine the dry batter ingredients. Slowly add in dry ingredients alternating with milk as you mix. Once combined, fold in blueberries and optional lemon zest. Pour batter into a greased 9 in square baking pan.
- In a separate bowl combine topping ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle topping on top of batter.
- Bake at 375°F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or on its own!
