Berry Buckle Is the Easy Retro Dessert I Make All Summer Long

Every summer, I look forward to the arrival of fresh berries at the farmers market. When the markets and stores are overflowing with berries, it's the perfect time to highlight the sweetness of the summer fruit in simple baking recipes. 

This berry buckle is tender and buttery and ideal for breakfast, dessert, or just for snacking on throughout the day. The best part of this simple cake is it's loaded with berries in every bite.

What Is a Buckle?

If you’ve never heard of a buckle before, it’s akin to a coffee cake filled with fruit. A buckle falls into a canon of classic American baked fruit desserts that include slumps, crisps, crumbles, grunts, and pandowdies, to name a few. Buckles are typically single-layer cakes made up of a dense batter and a generous percentage of fruit. 

Buckles are said to get their name from the way the cake batter “buckles” around the fruit as it bakes. Sweet berries burst through a soft and buttery cake in every bite. 

I like to serve this berry buckle simply with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, but it is also delicious with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Choose Your Pan

This recipe is highly adaptable. I call for an 8-inch square pan, but you can bake it in a 9-inch round cake pan or a 9-inch cast iron skillet for a rustic look. If you use a cast iron pan, don’t bother lining with parchment paper. A 9-inch square pan will also work, but the buckle will be more shallow and will require less baking time, so check it early.

Any Berry Will Do

Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are the most ideal for this recipe, but quartered strawberries or even pitted cherries will work nicely, as well as a mix. Regional berries shine here as well, like boysenberries, marionberries, black raspberries, and huckleberries.

This is a lovely recipe that happens to be a great way to use up fresh berries, so use fresh if you have it. However, frozen berries will work as well if you’re craving this dessert in the off-season. If using frozen berries, do not thaw. Use them straight from the freezer and fold in at the end when making the batter.

More Berry Desserts

• Raspberry Walnut Tart
• Blueberry Hand Pies
• Blackberry Cobbler
• Summer Berry Tart
• Blueberry Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Grease and line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper.

Make the batter:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in at medium-low speed and scraping the bowl in between additions. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients:

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Fold in the berries:

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the berries into the batter. Spread the batter into the lined pan and generously sprinkle turbinado sugar on top.

Bake:

Bake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean (minus any berry juice), about 45 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack. Allow to cool, then sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. 

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

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