Blueberry Buckle is a deliciously tender lemon kissed cake studded with fresh blueberries and topped with a sweet buttery streusel topping. This old fashioned recipe is a favorite to serve with coffee, tea or for dessert.
What is a buckle? A traditional buckle has a cake-like batter and is topped with fruit; as it cooks the cake rises around the fruit, or “buckles” around the fruit.
This delicious Blueberry Buckle is similar in texture to a coffee cake dessert my grandmother used to make; sweet, moist and delicious with a crumbly streusel topping. It’s pretty effortless and the end results are amazing! The simple from scratch base is made like most cake recipes, sugar, butter and egg are creamed together, then the remaining dry ingredients are added, alternating with the milk.
Blueberries make the most delicious addition to summer desserts and hold up well in baked goods like muffins and quick breads. The only thing better than a blueberry dessert is one that has been kissed with a bright lemony flavor. Zesting lemon is an easy way to add brightness to almost any dish, sweet or savory and if pairs perfectly with blueberries.
When zesting a lemon you want to be sure to only get the very outer edge of the skin, the yellow part because the white part (the pith) is bitter. I use either a microplane grater or a zester to get the most zest from each lemon.
Once zested, the lemon zest is added to the batter, fresh blueberries are gently folded in and it is spread into a prepared pan.
A couple of notes about the blueberries in this recipe:
- Fresh blueberries are best. Tossing them with a spoonful of flour keeps them evenly distributed throughout the cake.
- If using frozen berries, there is no need to defrost first but your buckle make need a few extra minutes to finish baking.
- Frozen blueberries may change the color of your batter but will still taste amazing.
- Any fruit can be used in place of blueberries such as rhubarb, strawberries or even apples. (I add an extra dash of cinnamon to my topping if using apples).
This cake is perfect as written but this recipe also makes amazing blueberry buckle muffins! Just divide the batter between your muffin cups and top with the streusel. Bake about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Blueberry buckle is amazing warm out of the oven but it also freezes beautifully. Simply bake as directed, cool completely and place in a very well sealed container. This will keep for a couple of months in the freezer and and still be wonderfully moist.
I love this recipe and my family cannot get enough of it! It the perfect way to enjoy fresh summer berries and our favorite alternative to a traditional cake.
Make it a la mode for a decadent dessert or serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream it with your afternoon coffee or tea. This Blueberry Buckle recipe perfect for any occasion so don’t be surprised if everyone asks for seconds (and the recipe)!
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
Topping
- ¼ cup butter + 1 tablespoon, cold
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 pan.
- In a large bowl, cream sugar, butter, egg & lemon zest until fluffy.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to sugar mixture, alternating with milk mixing just until combined.
- Toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour. Fold into batter and spread in prepared pan.
- Combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter and bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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I doubled the recipe – cooked in a glass pan for 50 minutes. I didn’t have a lemon but did have lemon yogurt so I used 1/4 cup less milk and used the lemon yogurt, also added a splash of vanilla. It’s a moist tender cake.
Mmm! Good idea Myra.
What size pan did you use when you doubled the recipe for blueberry buckler?
Love this!!! Quick and easy from start to finish.
So glad you liked the buckle KL!
The recipe was on spot except the ratio for the streusel was too mushy. Had to add atleast about 1/2 cup more flour to bake it crumbly. I would leave out the grated lemon rind next time and add vanilla extract instead.
I am glad you enjoyed the buckle Oma!
WOW! Easy AND delicious. 1st time my husband asked for 2nds. Will be making often, and will try w/other fruit. THNX!
That’s great Gene! This recipe freezes well too, so you can enjoy this dessert anytime!
I was looking for a quick yummy blueberry cake and found this. I had all ingredients and whipped it up in a snap. I made as is. Smelled so good as it was baking. Cake was moist and the topping was crunchy. Perfectly done at 40 minutes for my oven. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it as much as we do Andrea!
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The blueberry buckle cake was wonderful!
I did add 1 tablespoon more butter and a heaping 1/2 cup of plain yogurt to the cake mixture. I especially like that all ingredients one has on hand. An added plus, the house smelled terrific while baking and thereafter.
I’m so glad you loved it, it’s one of our favorites!
Just made this and it’s delicious! I made a mistake and only used 1/4 cup milk! I was wondering why the batter was so thick! It was still delicious. Will definitely make this again
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe Laurel!
This came out excellent but I will omit the cinamon next time. It steals the show from the blueberries.
Glad you enjoyed the blueberry buckle!
Is it really only 1 tablespoon floor in the main mixture? Sadly mine did not turn out. :(
It’s one tablespoon of flour for the streusel. The buckle cake called for 1 1/2 cups of flour.
This is absolutely delicious! Both of my daughters asked for seconds.
Happy to hear it is such a hit Heather!
I love this recipe. The cake is delicious. The secret is the lemon zest. It really makes a difference. I’ve made with frozen and with fresh blueberries. Great taste either way. I add amaretto also. Yummy!!!!
Thank you for sharing Linda. I always love this cake!
Question – How did you get the crumble consistency on top of the buckle? I followed the directions; however, the crumble kind of melted and wasn’t a cohesive layer. Instead the cake puffed up in some areas and the crumble was more consistent around the edges. Do you have any advice? Thank you!
Try using cold butter, and rather than mix it, use a fork or pastry cutter to make it crumbly by cutting the fork through the butter against the side of the bowl, which will make the ingredients mix in and be crumbly. It takes a bit of manual effort, and you don’t want to over mix it, but that may help.
You can also use frozen butter and use a cheese grater to add small pieces.
Yes, think pie crust. I used my kitchenaid mixer with the whip on 4 for about 6 or 7 minutes til it looked crumbly
This blueberry buckle cake was delicious! I did add 1 tablespoon more butter to the cake filling and also added heaping 1/2 cup plain yogurt to cake filling. So easy with ingredients one has on hand. Everyone enjoyed. I will definitely make this a standard. An added plus, the house smelled terrific while the cake was baking and thereafter.
My topping turned into a cream not crumble, what did I do wrong?
Hi Courtney, was your butter softened, or was it melted? To help with the consistency of the crumble you can also try cold butter and cut it in with a fork or pastry cutter, or other readers have used frozen butter and grated it into the recipe.
Is it easy to double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13” pan? It sounds delicious!
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work fine! You may need to bake it a tiny bit longer to make sure the center is cooked through. Let us know if you try it!
delicious and super easy to make!!!!!! thank you
You’re welcome! Glad you loved the recipe!
Hi, what could I use in place of the eggs please. I have an egg intolerance ?
I’ve only made this as written so I can’t say for sure.
Which cup should we use? I made a recepie but I think my cup was small and the paking powder according to it was more so after baking the cake got down.
Use one cup, which is equivalent to 236 ml. For the flour, you should spoon it into your measuring cup (and not scoop it) to make sure you have the correct amount of flour. Hope that helps Naila!
Can I use Frozen Blueberries?
You sure can.
Blueberry Buckle, what a nice item! Really all the items are good. Thanks!
OMG. Another amazing recipe. Thanks again. I will definitely be a follower. Flo
This is my dream recipe! The tender cake, full of blueberries, topped with streusel, and the ease of a pan-baked dessert rather than muffins…YES to all!
Mine to Averie! I’m so glad it’s blueberry season again!!