Fluffy and Moist Blueberry Buckle
My ultimate summer brunch cake. Moist, soft and made with a gorgeous cinnamon crumble topping.
Blueberry Buckle is something my mom used to make every summer for our family when the weather became warmer and blueberries came into season.
This tradition has stuck for me and my husband, we love this soft, moist blueberry cake to kick off our weekend together. Over the years I have made this cake a couple different ways. For instance, I used to make it with milk, I have made it with sour cream and now I am sold that Greek yogurt is and was the missing secret ingredient!
This blueberry buckle is reminiscent of a coffee cake, the way the texture is crumbly yet cake-y, the cinnamon sugar crumble on top that makes each bite crunchy with hidden cinnamon, brown sugar nuggets sprinkled throughout.
When to Serve This Buckle
I recommend making this cake the night before a big brunch or on a Friday before the weekend begins. It is the most comforting baked good to have with a side of sliced fruit, a glass of orange juice or a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee.
Tips for Making Your Buckle
ROOM TEMP INGREDIENTS: Make sure you use room temp eggs and butter for this recipe. You don't want your cold butter or eggs congealing and making the creaming process with your sugars difficult. The colder the eggs and butter, the harder it will be to get your sugars, butter and eggs to cohesively come together for a smooth batter.
WHAT BAKING DISH TO USE : I personally LOVE metal baking dishes for cakes like this one. I like a crispy edge to my blueberry buckle. The metal 8x8 baking dish I used helped achieve that perfectly crisp edge that everyone seems to fight over. You can use ceramic instead, but I truly love the result of a metal baking pan much more. This article from Taste of Home has helpful facts about the differences between glass, ceramic and metal bakeware.
Credit: Sydney Watson from Taste of Home
WHY LEMON ZEST?:
Lemon zest add a brightness to the heavy batter and gives a very subtle yet noticeable citrus kiss to your cake. Don't leave this part out!
COAT YOUR BLUEBERRIES BEFORE FOLDING IN: I do this with about a teaspoon of cornstarch or flour before folding in my berries. This helps the berries from sticking to one another or becoming too mushy in the batter. Skipping this step isn’t the end of the world though.
Ingredients for Blueberry Buckle
For the Cake
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 unsalted room temp butter
1 egg room temperature
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsps baking powder
1 and 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons milk of choice
1 cup blueberries
For the Topping
1/4 cup cubed up cold unsalted butter or 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsps cinnamon
1/4 cup flour
Icing Drizzle
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon milk or water
What I Did
1. Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare an 8x8 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper.
2. Combine your dry ingredients and put them aside.
3. Cream your butter, sugars, lemon zest, egg and vanilla extract until fluffy (3 minutes on medium speed).
4. Add in half your dry ingredient mixture and then mix. Stop when mostly mixed and add in 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt and then the rest of your dry mix.
5. Once your batter in combined nicely, add in your blueberries. Make sure you toss your blueberries with a teaspoon of cornstarch or flour before folding them gently into your batter. This will help them from getting mushy and sticking to one another.
6. Spoon the batter into your prepped baking dish and use your clean hands to spread it out evenly over the bottom of the pan, the batter will be on the thicker side.
7. Top with your cinnamon sugar butter mix. To assemble, simply take your cubes of butter and add them to a small bowl with your cinnamon, flour and brown sugar. Use your hand to work the butter into the mixture and give it a good stir. If you are using coconut oil, same steps apply.
8. Sprinkle your topping evenly on the surface of the batter and gently press it down on top.
9. Bake for 40 minutes and allow to cool before digging in. You can optionally top with your icing mixture if desired but it is great as is with just the crumble topping! Enjoy!
