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!

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.

Blueberry Buckle - On a Plate with Remaining Cake in Background

I originally adapted this recipe from Alton Brown, but over time have changed things a bit.

His version calls for cake flour, but truthfully I don’t really keep cake flour in my pantry. So my updated version uses all-purpose (and a little bit less, to keep it lighter), among other changes.

It’s still plenty moist and light, but more accessible.

Blueberry Buckle Cake - on a Wooden Board with Crumb Topping

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 works for the rest of the year!

How to Make a Blueberry Buckle:

To get started, mix together the dry ingredients, which are all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt:

Flour, Leavener, and Spices in a bowl with Whisk

In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar, then add an egg:

Butter and Sugar Creamed Together with Egg

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

Creamed Butter and Sugar in Bowl with Dry Ingredients Added

Mix until incorporated, then add some buttermilk:

Pouring Buttermilk Into buckle Cake Batter

Got leftover buttermilk?

Since buttermilk usually comes in quarts, you’ll have leftovers here. I recommend using it up by making Lemon Buttermilk Pie, Buttermilk Pancakes, Chocolate Muffins, or Homemade Cornbread.

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

Buckle Cake Batter In a Bowl with Beaters

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

Frozen Blueberries Added to Batter in 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 batter evenly into a greased 8×8 pan:

Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake Batter Spread Into 8x8 Pan

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

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter:

Flour, Cinnamon, and Melted Butter Pouring Into Bowl

Stir with a fork until it gets clumpy:

Streusel Crumb Topping Mixed In a bowl

Scatter the clumps evenly on top of the cake batter:

Crumbled Streusel Topping On Unbaked Blueberry Buckle Recipe in 8x8 Pan

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).

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

View of Bottom of Cake with Lots of Blueberries

Turn it rightside up, and cut into squares:

Fully Baked Blueberry Buckle on Wooden Board Cut Into Squares

The top is wonderfully crunchy and sweet, the cake is soft and moist, and the blueberries burst with sweet jamminess in every bite.

A close up of a piece of blueberry buckle cake on a wooden board

If you want to make this in muffin form, I recommend these Blueberry Streusel Muffins.

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!

Squares of Blueberry Buckle Cake on a Wooden Board

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]