Early blueberries have started coming into the markets and grocery stores and we brought a big bunch home last week, eager for a chance to enjoy some of the delicious fruits. We use them in pies, muffins, ice cream, cakes, tarts, on top of a bowl of oatmeal, or just to eat out of hand. The boys usually have their fingers in the bowl of blueberries when we make something with them.
Blueberry buckle is a classic coffee cake that is easy to prepare and always a pleaser, whether served for breakfast or brunch, or as a dessert with a scoop of ice cream on the side. The name “buckle” comes from the nooks and crannies that develop in the crumb topping during baking. King Arthur Flour created a whole grain version for their book Whole Grain Baking using whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour, making the cake slightly healthier, though still rich in butter and sugar.
The streusel makes a thick layer of crumbs, but you can adjust the ingredients to make a smaller batch if desired. The recipe allows for either fresh or frozen blueberries, but my boys were pretty happy that we used fresh.
WHOLE WHEAT BLUEBERRY BUCKLE
Equipment
- 2 medium mixing bowls
- stand mixer with paddle attachment (or hand mixer and large mixing bowl)
- 9-inch square baking pan, greased and floured
Ingredients
Streusel
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
Cake
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh blueberries (If using frozen, don’t thaw.)
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 375° F/190° C.
Streusel
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flours, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives (or your hands) until you have medium-size crumbs. Set aside.
Cake
- In a medium bowl, wish together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the between between.
- Stir in half the dry ingredient, then add all the milk and the vanilla, scraping down the sides as you mix. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the streusel mix evenly over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven about 45 to 50 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Rosa says
Oh, yummy! That buckle looks delicious and so moist!
Cheers,
Rosa
Susan at Sticky,Gooey,Creamy,Chewy says
Now, this is my kind of coffee cake! I wish I had a slice right now. It looks scrumptious!
Susan at Sticky,Gooey,Creamy,Chewys last blog post..Dinner and a Movie: Shirley Valentine Roundup
Christina@DeglazeMe says
Whose cute little hand is that!! Adorable!! I would be picking blueberries off, too!
Andrea says
That would be Monkey Boy, my 2 year old, whose little hands are into everything!
Kevin says
That looks really good! I like the use of the whole wheat flour!
Myrna says
I love anything called "buckle" or "crumble" - it's the topping that makes it yummy. Our blueberries (in SF) aren't quite sweet enough yet but that doesn't stop me from putting them in my steel-cut oats every morning! I'll save this recipe for summer for sure. thanks.
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Lynda says
This looks like a perfect buckle; wish I had some now to enjoy! Berry and fruit desserts are my favorite!
Lyndas last blog post..Chicken, Black Bean and Corn Burritos, and a Baby!
Alisa - Frugal Foodie says
That looks seriously delicious!
I made your chicken and broccoli stir-fry tonight with just a few modifications. It was delicious! Thanks for all of the yummy recipes 🙂
Alisa - Frugal Foodies last blog post..Coupon Quick List for Amazon Grocery - June 2009
Jen says
I adore the way the blueberries melt into gooey sweet goodness---must be amazing with your streusel.
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Nancy says
Just discovered your blog and already I'm going back to it everyday! I made the chicken bok choy last night and it was a BIG HIT at my house! It's wonderful to find a dish my whole family will actually eat and enjoy (my offspring are 11, 13 and 16).
Like you, I was skeptical about the cold wok method, but I tried it and was very impressed with the bright flavors in this dish. Definitely a keeper.
My only complaint is that I just learned my way around your site and then you changed it --- just like the grocery store! Well, I'm willing to relearn; it's really a great site, Andrea. Keep up the good work!
Farmgirl Susan says
This looks SO good. And I really should be using up the frozen bluberries in my freezer to make way for this year's crop—I'm thinking right now would be good. 🙂
P.S. The new design looks great!
Farmgirl Susans last blog post..Wednesday Dose of Cute: Steppin' Out
breadchick says
I love buckles. They are so New England and there isn't a time of the year that I don't think they are a fantastic dessert. Think I may try one of these with cherries this week.
sonya says
I just made this for the second time yesterday, and these were my thoughts. I LOVED the streusel topping and will definitely be keeping that part of the recipe to top muffins with. I love that it is mostly whole grains, too. WOW is it good!!!
The coffeecake itself was not my favorite. I have this wonderful cookbook and have made about 75% of the recipes in it. I've realized that I don't like to be able to taste the whole grains in my sweets (except oats). So I love whole grains in pancakes/waffles, most yeast breads, and chocolate desserts (where they can't be tasted)...but not most of their yellow/white cake bases, cobblers, or things like this. There are some exceptions, but I wouldn't make this coffeecake again because I didn't like that I could taste the whole grains. If this isn't a problem and you like blueberry coffee cake, I'd highly recommend this recipe to anyone, because otherwise it's very good. And I LOVE that this cookbook has introduced so many whole grains to me; I have so many delicious recipes from it that my husband and I love.