Blueberry buckle is a classic summertime dessert and one of my favorite ways to use the summer season’s bounty of fresh blueberries. I also love a dessert that doubles as a sweet breakfast treat the next day!
Growing up, I remember venturing out into the backyard with my mom to pick wild blueberries that (luckily) grew in abundance around my childhood home. That fresh-out-of-the-oven piece of blueberry buckle always seemed to make the mosquito bites and inevitable sunburn so worth it!
WHAT IS A BUCKLE?
A buckle is an old-fashioned type of coffee cake that consists of a single-layer cake, filled with fresh fruit (typically, blueberries) and topped with a crisp streusel topping. The cake rises while baking, but then “buckles” under the weight of the streusel and sinks slightly when removed from the oven, hence the name. So don’t panic if your cake ends up slightly sunken in the middle — it’s supposed to!
WHAT PAN IS BEST FOR MAKING BLUEBERRY BUCKLE?
Typically, buckles are made in a springform pan. This allows you to remove the cake from the pan without having to turn it upside down and ruin the streusel topping. I also sometimes make mine in a tube pan with a removable bottom, which I have found to be an excellent alternative!
CAN YOU USE FROZEN BLUEBERRIES IN A BUCKLE?
Yes, you can use frozen blueberries to make blueberry buckle. Just be sure to fold in the frozen blueberries straight out of the freezer, without allowing them to thaw. This will help prevent them (as much as possible) from breaking up and bleeding. Your batter may turn slightly purple, but the final product will otherwise turn out just fine!
Due to the amount of blueberries in this recipe, using frozen berries will likely increase the baking time by about 15 to 30 minutes. After the initial 60 minutes of baking time, keep checking on the buckle every 5 to 10 minutes until it is fully baked. If at any point the streusel begins to become too dark, I recommend gently placing a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the buckle until it has finished baking.
Start by preheating your oven to 350℉.
Using a pastry brush (or your fingers), grease the inside of a 10” springform pan (or tube pan with a removable bottom) with about 1 Tablespoon of softened or melted butter. Sprinkle 1 to 2 Tablespoons of flour into the pan and rotate to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Tap out and discard any excess flour.
PREPARING THE STREUSEL TOPPING
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, kosher salt, and brown sugar until well combined.
Add in the cubed butter. Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry mixture until it becomes the consistency of wet sand and forms large crumbles. It may seem too dry at first, but keep working at it!
Once the mixture forms crumbles, add in the chopped walnuts and continue to mix until well combined. Place the streusel in the fridge to chill while preparing the cake batter.
PREPARING THE CAKE BATTER
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until well combined. Set aside.
In a second large bowl, mix the butter using an electric hand mixer (you could also use a stand mixer), until the butter is smooth and creamy.
Add in the sugar and continue to mix until the mixture appears light and fluffy.
Add in the eggs (one at a time) and continue to mix until well combined. Next, add in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Continue to mix on a high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is thick, creamy, and very pale yellow.
With your mixer on a low speed, add in half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Next, add in the buttermilk and continue to mix on low. Then, add in the remaining half of the dry ingredients and continue to mix until just combined. Be careful no to overmix! The batter will be quite thick — that’s okay!
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the blueberries until well distributed throughout the batter.
ASSEMBLING AND BAKING THE BLUEBERRY BUCKLE
Spoon the batter into your prepared pan and spread it out evenly into the bottom and edges, being careful not to form any air pockets.
Remove the streusel from the fridge and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the cake batter.
Place the pan into the center of the oven and bake for about 60 minutes, or until the top is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Note that the center may sink or “buckle” slightly, even though it has finished baking.
Pro tip: The baking time can vary greatly for this recipe depending on your blueberries. If the berries are cold (or frozen) going into the batter you will likely need to add an additional 10 to 30 minutes to the baking time. (Just keep checking every 5 to 10 minutes.) If at any point the streusel begins to become too dark, you can place a piece of aluminum foil gently over the top of the buckle until it is finished baking.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove it from the pan. You can serve it warm or allow it to cool fully to room temperature. Once cooled, store in an airtight container (or cover with plastic wrap) at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Blueberry Buckle
Ingredients
For the Streusel
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
- 7 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½" cubes (plus 1 Tbsp for greasing the pan)
- ⅓ cup walnuts, chopped
For the Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
- ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 pints (4 cups) fresh blueberries, at room temperature (if frozen, see Notes)
Equipment
- 10" Springform Pan (or 10" Tube Pan with Removable Bottom)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Using a pastry brush (or your fingers), grease the inside of a 10” springform pan (or tube pan with a removable bottom) with 1 Tbsp softened or melted butter. Sprinkle 1 to 2 Tbsp of flour into the pan and rotate to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Tap out and discard any excess flour.
Preparing the Streusel Topping
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar until well combined.1 cup all-purpose flour¼ tsp ground cinnamon¼ tsp kosher salt⅓ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
- Add in cubed butter. Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry mixture until it becomes the consistency of wet sand and forms large crumbles. (It may seem too dry at first, but keep working at it!)7 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½" cubes
- Add in chopped walnuts. Using your fingers, continue to mix until well combined. Set the streusel in the refrigerator to chill while preparing the cake.⅓ cup walnuts, chopped
Preparing the Batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour1 ½ tsp baking powder½ tsp baking soda1 tsp kosher salt
- In a second large bowl, using an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer), beat butter on high speed until it is smooth and creamy.½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Add in sugar. Continue to beat until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.1 cup granulated sugar
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, and continue to mix until well combined.2 large eggs, at room temperature
- Add in vanilla extract and lemon zest. Continue to mix on high speed until the mixture is thick, creamy, and very pale yellow (about 2 to 3 minutes).1 tsp pure vanilla extract2 tsp lemon zest
- Reduce mixing speed to low. Into the butter/sugar/eggs mixture, add in half of the flour mixture and continue to mix until just combined. Add in buttermilk and continue to mix until just combined. Add in the remaining half of the flour mixture and continue to mix until just combined. (Be careful not to overmix!) Note: the batter will be quite thick (this is okay).½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in blueberries until well distributed throughout the batter.2 pints (4 cups) fresh blueberries, at room temperature
Assembling and Baking the Blueberry Buckle
- Spoon the batter into your prepared pan and spread it out evenly into the bottom and edges of the pan, ensuring that no air pockets form in the batter.
- Remove the streusel from the refrigerator and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the batter.
- Set the pan into the center of the oven and bake until the top is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 60 minutes). Note: the center may sink or “buckle” slightly, even though it has finished baking.Pro tip: Depending on the temperature of the blueberries, the baking time can vary greatly for this recipe. If the berries are cold (or frozen) going into the batter, the cake will likely need an additional 10 to 30 minutes of baking time (I recommend checking every 5 to 10 minutes). If at any point the streusel begins to become too dark, gently set a piece of aluminum foil over the top until it is finished baking.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove it from the pan. Serve warm, or allow to cool to room temperature. Once fully cooled, store in an airtight container (or cover with plastic wrap) at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Using Frozen Blueberries: You can use frozen blueberries for this recipe. Just be sure to fold in them into the batter straight from the freezer (do not allow them to thaw) to help prevent them from breaking and bleeding. While this may still occur (and the batter may turn slightly purple), the final result will still be delicious! Also, allow for slightly longer baking time (an extra 10 to 30 minutes).
