Spending time in Maine while researching my Blueberry Cove books, it’s no surprise that I’ve become a big fan of baking with blueberries. One of my all time favorites is this blueberry crumb cake. It’s called a “buckle” because it is more cake like, and heavy on the blueberries. So much so, that as the crumb cake cools, it ‘buckles’ under the weight of all the blueberry goodness. You can use freshly picked or frozen blueberries, so it’s a great all year round, go-to recipe. Enjoy!
Blueberry Buckle
INGREDIENTS
STREUSEL TOPPING
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon (pinch) Kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
CAKE
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup (1 ¼ stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
3-4 cups blueberries, rinsed if fresh/if frozen, keep frozen until use
LEMON GLAZE (OPTIONAL)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
STREUSEL:
1. Combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt using a hand pastry blender. Mix until the brown sugar is broken down, no big chunks.
2. Add softened butter and use the pastry blender until butter lumps are gone and mix is an even, granulated texture. Set the bowl aside.
CAKE:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9” round pan (or 8×8 square pan) with non-stick spray. I used a stoneware pie dish here.
2. Whisk flour and baking powder in a small bowl to combine. Set aside.
3. Use a mixer and cream butter, sugar, and salt at medium/high speed until light and fluffy, scraping bowl as needed. Mix approximately 2 to 2 ½ minutes.
4. Add vanilla and blend until combined, about 15 seconds.
5. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined and scraping bowl between additions. Then beat until fully combined.
6. Gradually add the flour/baking powder mix and beat until just combined. 15 to 20 seconds.
7. Scrape bowl, blending in any remaining flour. Batter will be thick and heavy.
8. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the blueberries (if using frozen, keep them frozen until this stage – I used frozen in this instance) and carefully manipulate the berries and batter until the berries are somewhat evenly distributed. The batter will be blueberry heavy.
9. Use the rubber spatula to gently move the batter from the bowl to the pan and spread gently until the pan is full. Redistribute berries as needed.
10. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the surface of the batter.
11. Bake on a medium to low rack for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick test comes out clean. The deeper the dish, the longer the center will take to bake.
12. Cool on a wire rack 15 to 20 minutes. Cake should fall, or “buckle” as it cools.
13. Drizzle with lemon glaze if desired. (Combine listed ingredients to make the glaze while the cake is cooling.)
Then slice and enjoy! Great with a morning cup of coffee, or as a dessert with a scoop of freshly churned vanilla ice cream on the side.
“Charming characters, emotion galore, a small town—you’re going to love Donna Kauffman!” —Lori Foster
There’s no place like seaside Blueberry Cove, Maine, at Christmas—and there’s nothing like a wedding, the warmth of the holidays, and an old crush, to create the perfect new start…
Interior designer Fiona McCrae has left fast-paced Manhattan to move back home to peaceful Blueberry Cove. But she’s barely arrived before she’s hooked into planning her big sister Hannah’s Christmas wedding—in less than seven weeks. The last thing she needs is for her first love, Ben Campbell, to return to neighboring Snowflake Bay…
As kids, Fiona was the bratty little sister Ben mercilessly teased—while pining after Hannah. But Fi never once thought of Ben like a brother. And that hasn’t changed. Except Fi is all grown up. Will Ben notice her now? More importantly, with her life in a jumble, should he? Or might the romance of the occasion, the spirit of the season, and the gifts of time ignite a long-held flame for many Christmases to come…
Something old might just become something new…
Includes a DIY wedding project!
“Kauffman’s stories show that the bravery to reach for a connection is all we need to discover joy.” –Publishers Weekly on Sandpiper Island
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