Whole-Grain Blueberry Buckle

By Martha Rose Shulman

Whole-Grain Blueberry Buckle
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
About 1½ hours including baking
Rating
4(282)
Comments
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A buckle is an old-fashioned cake that has a crumble topping and fruit that makes the batter buckle, or sink, as it bakes. Or at least that’s what all the recipes I’ve read say is supposed to happen. When I made the cake the blueberries didn’t really cause it to buckle at all, they just formed a layer on top of the cake. This is now a favorite dessert. It’s not traditional at all, as I use whole-wheat flour, and oats and quinoa flour in the topping.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 8-inch cake, serving 9 to 12

    For the Topping

    • 20grams rolled oats (about 3 tablespoons, approximately)
    • 60grams quinoa flour (½ cup, approximately; grind quinoa in a spice mill to make the flour)
    • ½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
    • 50grams unrefined turbinado sugar (¼ cup, approximately)
    • ⅛teaspoon salt (to taste)
    • 60grams cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces (4 tablespoons/2 ounces)

    For the Cake

    • 125grams whole- wheat flour (1 cup, approximately)
    • 65grams unbleached all-purpose flour (½ cup, approximately)
    • 5grams baking powder (1 teaspoon, approximately)
    • 1gram baking soda (¼ teaspoon, approximately)
    • 3grams fine sea salt (scant ½ teaspoon, approximately)
    • 90grams unsalted butter, preferably French-style such as Plugrà, at room temperature (6 tablespoons/3 ounces)
    • 120grams sugar, preferably organic (scant ½ cup, approximately)
    • 1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
    • 2eggs, at room temperature
    • 130grams buttermilk or kefir (½ cup)
    • 350grams blueberries (2¼ cups, approximately/ 2 boxes), divided
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

257 calories; 12 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 18 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 206 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and cover bottom with parchment. Butter parchment.

  2. Step 2

    Make the crumble topping. Place oats, quinoa flour, turbinado sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse several times to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until butter is evenly distributed in throughoutthroughout the grain mix. The mixture should have a crumbly consistency. Place in freezer while you make the ix up cake batter.

  3. Step 3

    Sift together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a bowl with electric beaters, cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl between each addition.

  4. Step 4

    On low speed, add flour mixture in 3 batchesadditions, adding buttermilk or kefir between each addition. Scrape down bowl between each addition. Remove beaters and gently fold in half the blueberries.

  5. Step 5

    Scrape batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Distribute remaining blueberries over the top. Sprinkle crumble topping over the blueberries.

  6. Step 6

    Bake 50 to 55 minutes, until golden and firm when pressed gently in the middle.

Ratings

4 out of 5
282 user ratings
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Comments

Iris

It's very good - but it definitely tastes "healthy", you have to like that sort of baked goods. Also, I wouldn't call it a dessert - but an excellent recipe for whole grain blueberry muffins. Tasted even better the next day, somehow moister. Still, next time, I would up the amount of berrys a little, maybe a handfull. I had no quinoa, used some Bob's Red Mill 10 grain cereal and worked fine.

Lynne

Lovely. Moist, sweet, and rich enough to pass for dessert at our house! Terrific warm from the oven. The whole wheat flour adds depth to the flavour but doesn't overwhelm.

Anne

I very much enjoyed this recipe. Really surprisingly moist considering the whole wheat flour. I actually like that it's not as sweet as most recipes of this type. I did take Iris's note and added extra blueberries and it worked out nicely. Lovely with vanilla ice cream or a cup of coffee in the morning.

Baking in VT

Used King Arthur white whole wheat flour and buttermilk. Added ~1/8 tsp of mace and ~1 tsp cinnamon, and about 1/4c additional berries to the batter, and cut the sugar down to 1/3c. Added another 1/4c berries to the top before the crumble (the freezer trick works great!). Buttered and floured an 8-inch pan (you can skip the parchment) and it took about 10 minutes longer to be baked through (I think because the smaller pan meant more denseness, plus the added berries). Delicious and tender!

Robin

I make a way better buckle without whole grain that bothers my stomach. Mine is the old fashioned one from the 40's. People beg me to make it. This one is meh.

renate

has anyone tried using oil instead of butter?

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