Blueberry Buckle

This Blueberry Buckle is loaded with tons of blueberries and baked with a cinnamon streusel crumb topping. It’s a wonderful coffee cake for brunch, and is very easy to make!

If you’re not familiar with a buckle, it’s a coffee cake with a streusel crumb topping that gets it name from how it “buckles” and cracks as it bakes. It has a tender cakey texture to it and is loaded with blueberries.

The first time I made this, I originally used a recipe from Alton Brown, but over time have changed things a bit.

His version calls for cake flour, but like most people, I rarely keep cake flour in my pantry. So my updated version uses all-purpose flour (and a little bit less, to keep it lighter), among other changes.

It’s still a very moist cake, bursting with juicy blueberries and capped off with a delicious crumble topping, but a little more accessible for home cooks.

What’s nice too is you can use either fresh OR frozen blueberries.

If it’s the summer and fresh blueberries are pretty cheap, I’ll use those, but frozen is a great choice for the rest of the year when I want blueberry desserts like this one!

Step by Step Overview:

To get started, mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

The ingredients are all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and kosher salt:

I absolutely love the subtle ginger flavor here, but if there are any other spices you’d like to add, or even some fresh lemon zest or orange zest, add it to the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl using a handheld mixer, cream together unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute.

As noted in the recipe box further down, the butter should be at room temperature for the proper texture.

Then add a large egg:

Mix the egg in, then add half the dry ingredients:

Mix until incorporated, then add some buttermilk:

Please try to use true buttermilk here, and not whole milk mixed with vinegar. I have used the latter in a pinch but the real stuff is definitely better.

Repeat with the remaining flour mixture, and another batch of milk, until the cake batter is almost combined:

Add a 12-ounce bag or 3 cups of frozen blueberries to the bowl:

Fresh blueberries work too, but make sure they’re firm. I like using frozen blueberries because they don’t run the risk of getting mashed during the mixing process.

Well, and then I can make this cake in the middle of February, whenever the mood strikes me.

(Who else has bags of frozen berries in their freezer at all times?)

When the blueberries are mixed in, spread the blueberry buckle batter evenly into an 8×8 pan that has been greased with either butter or nonstick cooking spray:

As an alternative to greasing, you can also line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. But make sure to do something, otherwise you will have a hard time getting the cake out cleanly after baking.

Before popping this into the oven, we need to make the topping!

Combine flour, sugar, ground cinnamon, and melted butter (I simply microwaved it in a small bowl):

Stir with a fork until it gets clumpy:

Scatter the crumbly streusel evenly on top of the cake batter, in small pieces:

Bake the buckle for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake doesn’t come out with any raw batter (blueberry juice is fine).

While the cake bakes, it’s the perfect time to brew a cup of coffee!

Let the cake cool completely, then flip the cake out of the baking pan:

Turn it rightside up, and cut into squares. Make sure to use a sharp knife to get through the crunchy streusel.

The top is wonderfully crunchy and sweet, the cake is soft and moist, and the blueberries burst with sweet jamminess in every bite. It’s the perfect breakfast cake or afternoon snack, and a simple recipe for special occasions!

If you want to make this in muffin form, I recommend these Blueberry Streusel Muffins, which is another one of our family favorites.

Some of my other favorite breakfast recipes are Whole Wheat Pancakes and Potato Cheddar Frittata.

I also love these Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes and Blueberry Clementine Sauce. Enjoy!

Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.

Blueberry Buckle

Servings: 12 (one 8×8 pan)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 50 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

This Blueberry Buckle is loaded with tons of blueberries and baked with a cinnamon streusel crumb topping. It’s a wonderful coffee cake to serve at your next brunch!

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Ingredients

For the Cake:

• butter or oil for greasing the pan
• 7.5 oz all-purpose flour, by weight (1.5 cups, measured)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 12 oz frozen blueberries (3 cups*)

For the Topping:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 pan with butter or oil.
• In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground ginger. Set aside.
• In a bowl with a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the egg and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Turn the mixer down to low, and alternate adding 1/2 of the flour mixture and 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat until the flour and buttermilk have almost been completely incorporated, then stir in the blueberries. Pour this mixture into your 8×8 pan.
• To make the topping, use a fork to combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter. Stir until clumps form, then scatter the clumps on top of the cake. Bake the buckle for about 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without any raw batter (blueberry juice is fine). Let the cake cool completely, then enjoy!

Notes

*You may use fresh blueberries instead of frozen, but I like that the frozen blueberries don’t get smashed while mixing everything together.

Nutrition

Calories: 294kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 115mg, Potassium: 107mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 405IU, Vitamin C: 2.7mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 1.3mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Author: Joanne Ozug

[Post updated January 2017 with new photos, writing, and recipe. Originally posted May 2012]