If the warm aroma of butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and just a hint of cinnamon are intoxicating now, think about how good the real thing is! Blueberry buckle is the perfect excuse to have cake for breakfast, and it’s especially wonderful for breakfast in bed. But it’s so good, you’ll want to eat it for a blueberry dessert, too!

What’s a buckle?

A buckle is a streusel-topped cake with loads of fresh fruit stirred into the batter. It’s more caky than cobblers or crisps and more fruity than many coffee cakes.

How To Make Blueberry Buckle Cake

Ingredients

Cake Bottom Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• ¼ cup butter, softened (half stick)
• ¼ cup vegetable shortening
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping Ingredients

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup hard butter (1/2 stick)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For the cake bottom, blend flour, sugar, milk, softened butter, vegetable shortening, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and egg.
3. Spread evenly in an ungreased 8-inch square pan.
4. Sprinkle blueberries over the cake bottom.
5. For the topping, mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a deep bowl. Slice the butter into pats and add. Using a pastry blender, fork, or electric mixer, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
6. Sprinkle the topping over the blueberries.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean.

Tips and Questions about Blueberry Buckle

Can you use frozen berries in a buckle?

Fresh berries are generally best in this and most blueberry cake recipes because, even when thawed and patted dry, previously frozen fruit tends to release more moisture than fresh fruit which can impact the bake time and rising. Thawed frozen fruit can be used with more success in desserts like cobblers and crisps.

What other kinds of fruit can you use in a buckle?

Blueberries are delicious in late spring and early summer, but you can use any sort of fruit you’d like in equal amounts. Think blackberries, strawberries, diced peaches, plums, or nectarines. You can even try a combo of several different fruits!

Can blueberry buckle be made ahead?

Yep! It’s impossible to resist a fresh-baked buckle, but this recipe can be made up to three days in advance. Just store it at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped well in plastic wrap. This recipe is so simple, though, it’s easy to throw together in the morning for breakfast.