Summer Berry Buckle

Name: Summer Berry Buckle
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 1/2 cup/114 grams (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pan; 1/2 cup/100 grams granulated sugar, more for sprinkling; 1/4 cup/55 grams light brown sugar; 3 large eggs, at room temperature; 1 tablespoon/5 grams finely grated lemon zest; 1 teaspoon/5 milliliters vanilla extract; 1 1/4 cups/156 grams all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon baking powder; 4 1/2 cups summer berries (a mix of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or use any one kind); Cinnamon, for dusting (optional); Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

By Melissa Clark

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 5(2,849)
Notes: Read community notes

Softer and more fruit-filled than a coffeecake, but with a higher percentage of buttery batter than a cobbler, buckles are harder to classify than they are to make. This one is tender, moist and filled with sweet summer berries. But feel free to substitute any other juicy fruit that you like: peaches, nectarines, figs, plums or pineapple. If your fruit is very sweet (figs, pineapple), reduce the sugar by a couple of tablespoons, while tart fruit (plums or tart blackberries) may need an extra tablespoon. Buckles are best eaten on the same day they are baked. But since they come together so quickly, you don’t have to plan ahead.

Featured in: The Buckle Makes Great Use of Summer Fruit

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

½cup/114 grams (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pan
½cup/100 grams granulated sugar, more for sprinkling
¼cup/55 grams light brown sugar
3large eggs, at room temperature
1tablespoon/5 grams finely grated lemon zest
1teaspoon/5 milliliters vanilla extract
1¼cups/156 grams all-purpose flour
½teaspoon fine sea salt
½teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼teaspoon baking powder
4½cups summer berries (a mix of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or use any one kind)
Cinnamon, for dusting (optional)
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.
Step 2
In the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then add lemon zest and vanilla and mix until combined.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg and baking powder, and whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and mix until just combined.
Step 4
Gently fold berries into the batter, then spread batter in pan and sprinkle lightly with more granulated sugar. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until top is golden and cake is cooked through.
Step 5
Allow cake to cool, then sprinkle with cinnamon, if using, and confectioners’ sugar.

Ratings

5 out of 5

2,849 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Margo6 years ago

If using frozen fruit, do not thaw.

Kathy6 years ago

Cut out a circle of parchment paper for the bottom of your pan - no issues with sticking

trbledog6 years ago

I used an 8" pan, 4 cups of diced nectarines and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries and it came out delicious (I added a few extra mins. cooking time.) This recipe is very forgiving.

Patricia6 years ago

This has become my "go to" summer dessert. I have now made versions of it with berries, peaches and pears. The pear version is heavenly, and it helps you get rid of those ripe pears that just don't look beautiful enough to serve to guests. The leftovers make a great breakfast.
Clafloutis, move over.

LH6 years ago

I wish the New York Times would start to give ALL measurements in both cups and in weight.

It would be good to know the total weight of fruit called for in this versatile buckle recipe. One cup of raspberries, for example, weighs much less than one cup of blueberries or of chopped solid fruit.

Renee6 years ago

Yum. Doubled the recipe and baked in a 9 x 13 Pyrex to bring to an office party. If at home, I would have removed the buckle from the pan to serve, but in the pan is easier for travel. Not a crumb left, and everyone raved. Used mostly blueberries, but also added 3 diced peaches (skin on).
I was surprised the larger pan did not need much extra baking time. At 50 minutes it seemed about ready. I like the glass baking pan because you can see the color of the bottom to gauge doneness.

Sally6 years ago

I chopped Jonagold apples (I left the peel on), and added raisins and toasted walnuts, plus a generous amount of cinnamon. Delicious -- not just a berry recipe (although it was really good with berries frozen from this past summer).

Pat O6 years ago

Served this last nite -- 4 large peaches thinly sliced, 3/4 C blueberries. I too like that it did not have as much sugar as others of its kind, which allowed the flavor to be "fruit forward".

We drizzled on a small container of Fage 0% plain yogurt mixed with 1 level tablesoon of light brown sugar rather than cream or ice cream. Super flavor!

Bayleef6 years ago

I have made this recipe several times using x-large muffin tins instead of a cake pan. I follow the recipe to the letter with the exception of the cooking time which is about 30 minutes. My 92 year-old father refers to these muffins as "criminal". The batter is perfectly flavored (oh, the lemon!) and just the perfect "glue" to hold the massive amount of fruit. Blueberries and raspberries are the best combo, IMO. Thank you, Melissa!

Attyiny6 years ago

Be cautious about adding too many strawberries, which are very juicy. Your addition of shredded coconut may have saved the day because it would tighten up the recipe.

Strawberries may not be the best choice for this recipe because they are so mild in flavor and are so moist. Raspberries, blackberries and blueberries (fresh, if you can, frozen if you have to) really make this recipe pop.

Linda6 years ago

A Buckle is one of the few recipes that works at 9200 feet without any adjustments. This is delightful with peaches or blueberries. I prefer a sprinkle of granulated sugar as it has more taste than the powdered sugar.

Maisie6 years ago

Really lovely. I made with frozen blueberries so the recipe was incredibly easy. The cake was packed with fruit.

I kept the leftover cake on a cooling rack, covered by a cloth towel, and the cake did not get at all wet. I bet it would also be possible to cut leftovers up and freeze individual portions.

I'd like a bit more lemon so next time I'll increase the zest.

seagazer1016 years ago

I would substitute either Arrowhead or King Arthur's all-purpose flour, both of which are rice and tapioca based. Some other gluten-free flour mixtures are bean based, and you can definitely tell the difference. We usually add extra leavening, too, since these flours don't rise as well as wheat.

Jaimie6 years ago

Huge success. Used 2 fresh peeled peaches (slices) and 1.5 cups of big fresh frozen raspberries (unthawed). Other than that followed the recipe to the letter. Served topped with powdered sugar and everyone loved it on it's own. Can't wait to make again!

Lucinda6 years ago

Waiting for it to cool-so hard! I used rhubarb & raspberries, both frozen (trying to clean out the freezer!). I used white whole wheat flour which made the batter a bit stiff, so I folded a little plain yogurt into it. Can't wait to cut into it.
PS I would probably use a removable bottom pan next time.

Ernie Chong2 weeks ago

Made this with frozen blueberries. One thing to note is that because the fruit to batter ratio is so high, once you add the frozen berries the batter gets so cold it stiffens up and becomes a little harder to work with, not a big deal BUT cooking time increased to just a bit over an hour. I omitted the brown sugar as I find American recipes are always too sweet for my Asian taste buds, and it still turned out great and sufficiently sweet for me.

Robyn Donati3 weeks ago

This is a great way to use some of my favorite summer berries. I used raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. We don’t much care for nutmeg, so I used cinnamon instead, it was a real crowd pleaser.

Park Slope3 weeks ago

Made this again last night. Tasty and easy. I used about three cups of berries, mix of fresh blueberries and frozen berry medley and the cake came out well - moist but not wet. Used the amounts of sugar specified in the recipe and it didn’t taste too sweet.

j4 weeks ago

Switched amounts of baking powder and nutmeg. Used mix of blueberries and peaches. 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup cornmeal.

Katie1 month ago

Delicious but quite wet due to the extreme quantity of berries. I realize this is kind of the point but next time I’ll do 3 cups and I think that will still be plenty. I also added 1/2 tsp of almond extract and upped the brown sugar to 1/2 a cup because my blackberries were pretty tart and thought that was the right level of sweetness.Good enough to tweak for my preferences!

Gonzaga Fan1 month ago

Really not understanding the five star rating. It was fine, good even. The berries were too tart for my family’s taste and would have benefit from a bit of sugar.

jewelryjeff1 month ago

Followed the recipe exactly with two minor changes: I lined the pan with parchment because I always do when baking. I mixed cinnamon and sugar and sprinkled on top before baking. The cinnamon should not be optional! Another keeper from Melissa!

sabrina1 month ago

I made this with almond flour and it was lovely. The only thing is that it came out really wet, will prob use less fruit next time

Mosecule2 months ago

Sadly, I wasn’t a fan of this dish. I followed the recipe closely but adding more fruit (blueberries, raspberries, and boysenberries) as I had some left over. I reduced the amount of nutmeg by @1/3 but found that the nutmeg taste overwhelmed the fruit.

SMH2 months ago

Just made this as a last minute dessert because I had everything the recipe called for except the nutmeg (substituted Chinese Five Spice). Mixture of blueberries, blackberries and nectarines. Easy to prepare and it baked while we ate dinner.

KM2 months ago

I only had two cups of frozen raspberries but it worked just as well. Am keen to make it again more packed with fruit, but the base recipe is flexible enough to vary the fruit a little

David Riley2 months ago

I like adding a topping like that on a "crisp."

HNYC2 months ago

I thought they looked done and a pick was clean after around 40 minutes so I took out. Should have left in to achieve desired texture - mine came out more like a muffin texture. Still delicious. Would make again and follow prescribed cooking time.

Hotcupakona2 months ago

I used almost all frozen blueberries. It’s deliciously fruity, with a firm cake texture but I’d like to add a sweet, nutty crumble on top next time.

Chris3 months ago

Parchment paper would have been helpful. I don't like overly sweet baked goods (most are). However, my Buckle made with mostly blueberries and some blackberries was not quite sweet enough.

Private notes are only visible to you.