Why is this called a “buckle?” When you put the sugar on top of the cake batter, it causes the surface of the batter to rise and fall as it bakes, creating a buckled appearance. Also, it is an actual cake, filled with fruit. It is not a crisp or a crumble, because it doesn’t have a streusel topping over fruit.

You can make it out of any fruit or berry that you like. Fresh, ripe peaches make a delicious buckle. Cherries are also quite tasty when added to the cake batter. In the winter, a buckle of cranberries and orange zest makes an amazing holiday breakfast.

 

INGREDIENTS

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Zest from 1 large lemon

3/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour (set aside ¼ cup of this to toss with the blueberries)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over and cleaned

½ cup buttermilk (see Quick Tip)

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Using a stand mixer or hand-mixer, cream the butter with the lemon zest and the ¾ cup, plus 2 tablespoons, sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula. (Leave excess flour from the blueberry bowl behind.)

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. If you have parchment paper on hand, line the pan with parchment on top of the butter. Spread the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining tablespoon (or two — I like a sugary top, so I use closer to 2 Tbsp.) of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary, especially if you’re using a smaller pan such as an 8×8-inch.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

USE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW

NEXT

Quick Tip:  If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use whole or 2% milk to make your own buttermilk. It’s easy! Just add 2 teaspoons of vinegar (lemon juice will work, too) to a liquid measuring cup. Then fill the cup with milk to the ½-cup mark. Stir and then let it stand for five minutes. Now it is ready to be used as directed in this recipe.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Alexandra at Alexandra’s Kitchen