Blueberry Buckle

This Blueberry Buckle Recipe is the perfect way to enjoy seasonal berries. This moist blueberry cake is topped with a sugary, buttery crumble that “buckles” as it bakes!

  • Prep10 min
  • Cook45 min
  • Total1 hr 25 min
  • Yield9 people
  • Calories377

Ingredients Steps Notes

Blueberry Buckle
A spatula lifting a slice of blueberry buckle out of the pan.

An Old Fashioned Dessert

This old fashioned recipe is something any home cook can make at it will taste like it came from a high end bakery! Blueberry Buckle is basically a cross between Coffee Cake and Blueberry Cake. It’s a blueberry cake that’s finished with a streusel topping, which is made with butter, sugar, flour, and spices.

It’s blueberry season, and one of my favorite ways to enjoy the fresh (or frozen!) berries is by making Blueberry Buckle Cake.

This easy recipe is always a crowd favorite! Try making this summery dessert to share at cookouts, barbecues, or with the family after a day of berry picking!

Overhead photo of a blueberry buckle in a baking dish.

Why Is It Called A Buckle?

Buckles are fruit cakes with streusel toppings, and they get their name from the way the top “buckles” as it’s cooked. That’s because as the crust rises, the fruit on top weighs it down, which causes it to crack. It’s very similar to coffee cake in this way.

Overhead photo of ingredients prepped to make a blueberry buckle.

Ingredients For Blueberry Buckle

This Blueberry Buckle recipe is made with simple ingredients, most of which you should already have in your refrigerator or pantry!

Topping: This streusel topping is pretty traditional, made with sugar, flour, unsalted butter, and a dash of nutmeg.

Cake: This recipe calls for cake flour (as opposed to all-purpose) to achieve a light and fluffy texture. Whole milk adds fat to keep it moist, as does butter, which should be soft and cool instead of melted.

The rest of the ingredients are pretty standard and include: baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and an egg.

And don’t forget the blueberries! Either fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries can be used in this recipe. You can add up to an extra half cup of blueberries if you can’t get enough of that juicy flavor!

Blueberry buckle in a baking dish where one slice has been removed.

How To Make Blueberry Buckle

  1. Add in cold cubes of butter to the flour, sugar, and nutmeg, then mash everything together with a pastry blender or fork. Even your hand will work.
  2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a separate bowl or a stand mixer.
  4. Add the flour mixture, eggs, and milk and fold in the flour-coated blueberries (so they don’t sink to the bottom).
  5. Transfer the batter to a 9×9-inch baking dish and bake!
Slice of blueberry buckle on a white plate.

More Blueberry Recipes!

Steps

Topping

  1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and nutmeg. Then work in the butter using a fork or pastry cutter. Keep mixing until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Set aside.

Cake

  1. Heat the oven to 375°F and spray a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. A glass dish is preferred for this recipe, but nonstick will still work.

  2. Whisk the flour (reserve 1 tablespoon), baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside.

  3. Cream together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Reduce the speed and thoroughly incorporate the egg and vanilla. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting and add one-third of the flour mixture. Once incorporated, add one-third of the milk then repeat alternating until all ingredients are combined.

  4. Toss the blueberries in the reserved tablespoon of cake flour then gently stir them into the batter and pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle on the topping mixture.

  5. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden and a cake tester or toothpick comes clean from the center. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

  1. Feel free to add up to an extra 1/2 cup of blueberries if you really want an intense blueberry flavor!
  2. 1 to 2 additional tablespoons of milk may be added to combine the mixture if it seems dry.

Nutrition

  • Calories377
  • Carbs63g
  • Protein6g
  • Fat12g
  • Saturated fat7g
  • Fiber2g
  • Sugar32g
  • Sodium145mg

Estimates per serving, when a serving size is listed.