My mouth-watering blueberry buckle is an easy coffee cake bursting with fresh fruit that’s sure to become a family favorite.
the perfect breakfast cake for blueberry lovers
The texture of my blueberry buckle is soft and moist, there’s a subtle hint of spice in the crisp crumble topping, and the blueberry presence is huge, in fact there are so many blueberries that some of them caramelize against the side of the pan and become like chewy blueberry candy, yum!
This versatile little coffee cake is rich enough to serve after dinner, but chances are it won’t last that long 🙂
what’s a blueberry buckle?
A buckle is a classic American dessert ~ a type of baked dessert that’s similar to a coffee cake or a crumb cake. It’s made with a thick vanilla batter that’s mixed with fruit. The fruit is often sprinkled on top of the batter, and as the cake bakes, it rises up around the fruit, creating a “buckled” appearance. (In this case we’re folding our berries right into the batter.) It’s one of our Grandma Approved Summer Desserts and everybody adores it.
Buckles probably originated in New England during the 19th century, and they were traditionally made with wild blueberries. Buckles can be made with a variety of fruits, including peaches, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries (for an example of a different type of buckle check out my Easy Peach Buckle Recipe)
blueberry buckle ingredients
- butter
- flour
- sugar
- buttermilk
- blueberries
- this recipe calls for a whole dry pint of berries, or 2 cups.
- baking powder
- salt
- vanilla
- your favorite spice
- could be cinnamon, cardamom, ginger or nutmeg (I chose nutmeg)
how to make blueberry buckle, step by step
step 1. make the crumble topping
Use your fingers to mix cold butter with flour, sugar, and nutmeg. Keep mixing until it’s nice and evenly crumbly in texture. Set aside.
step 2. mix the batter
This is a standard batter: cream butter and sugar together, then beat in an egg, vanilla, and finally fold in the dry ingredients alternately with some nice thick buttermilk. Fold in the berries. (The batter will be thick, almost like a cookie dough.)
step 3. assemble your pan
Spread the better into a prepared cake pan. Top with the crumble mix.
step 4. bake
Bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter on it (moist crumbs are fine.)
storing blueberry buckle
Your cake will keep for several days, on the counter. Cover with foil, or put under a glass cake dome.
yes, blueberry buckle can be frozen
It will freeze nicely. Let the cake cool completely, then double wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
twists on a classic
- Lemon blueberry buckle: Add some fresh lemon zest to the batter and a drizzle of lemon glaze on top for a bright and tangy twist on the classic recipe.
- Mixed berry buckle: Use a combination of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
- Different fruit buckle: Try peaches, apples, even cranberries!
- Gluten-free blueberry buckle: Use a gluten-free baking blend to make your recipe gluten-free.
- Almond blueberry buckle: Add a nutty flavor and crunchy texture by swapping vanilla for almond extract, and adding some sliced almonds to the streusel.
- Vegan blueberry buckle: Use plant-based milk, vegan ‘butter’, and an egg substitute to make your recipe vegan-friendly.
- Maple blueberry buckle: Use maple sugar as a sweetener to give your blueberry buckle a cozy, comforting flavor.
- Cardamom blueberry buckle: Add ground cardamom to your batter for a warm, aromatic twist on the classic recipe.
of course I’ve got more desserts like this!
Blueberry Buckle
Equipment
- 9×9 baking pan
Ingredients
crumb topping
- 4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cake flour (you can also use regular flour)
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
for the cake
- 2 cups cake flour (you can also use regular flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cultured buttermilk
- 1 dry pint blueberries (about 2 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360F. Grease a 9×9 square baking pan and line with parchment paper 'sling' if you'd like to be able to lift the buckle out for easy slicing.
- First up, make the crumble topping. Mix the butter with the sugar, flour, and nutmeg. Use your fingers to rub the chunks of butter into the flour. Keep at it until you reach an even crumbly consistency. Set aside.
- For the cake, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl to combine. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. I do this in my stand mixer, but you can do it with electric beaters if you prefer.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to get everything incorporated.
- With the mixer on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture. When that has almost been incorporated, add half the buttermilk. When that's incorporated, add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the rest of the buttermilk, and finally the last of the flour. Scrape down the bowl so that everything is well combined.
- Fold in the blueberries (the batter will be very thick) and turn into your prepared pan. Spread out evenly, and then top with the crumble mixture.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven until golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter on it, about 40 minutes.
- Let the buckle cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
I really enjoyed this recipe and it was my first time having a crumble. Later in the day I found the cake a bit too dry (altho it hasn’t stopped me from going back for more), so next time I think I will increase the butter a bit. I added I tsp of almond extract instead of vanilla and sliced almonds in the it’s a keeper! Thank you!
I would also like to know if frozen blueberries could be used?
Yes, that will work fine!
Very good, particularly with vanilla ice cream! Replaced buttermilk with full fat Greek plain yogurt. Have you frozen blueberry buckle?
Love your recipes and stunning photos which make me want try everything!
Thanks so much Maggie, this will freeze well, no problem!
Can I use frozen blueberries? I’ve never seen fresh where I live.
Why is it called buckle? ?
Sue, I have a question on the Crumb Topping: it shows 1/3 cake flour — should that be 1/3 cup cake flour?
This Buckle looks delicious. Would like to make it the next time our family gets together.
Yes! Thanks for spotting 🙂
Sue, one other question: the baking temperature is correctly 360 degrees? That’s so unusual. Just wondering if it’s a typo and the temperature should be 350 degrees? Just want to make sure I’m baking it correctly.
I went with 360F as a compromise between 350 and 375. I sometimes find at 375F (depending on your oven) that cakes like this can cook too quickly on the edges. Every oven is different, so feel free to adjust one way or the other.