Blueberry Buckle is an old-fashioned recipe, exactly the kind of dessert I made with my mom and grandmother. Comforting, made from scratch, and more delicious because of the extra dose of love we add to everything we make for our families and loved ones.
This recipe is from America The Great Cookbook by Joe Yonan (affiliate link) is a collection of recipes from 100 of the finest chefs and food personalities in the country. Joe asked them to share the foods they make for the people they love and boy did he come up with an amazing array of wonderful recipes. I’ve tagged a bunch of recipes and I am looking forward to making many of them!
A buckle is a classic dessert that goes back centuries in one form or another. In this case the blueberries on top of the batter sink down and the batter rises around it, causing them to “buckle” together, creating a craggy surface and giving this dish its unique name. It resembles a coffee cake when finished.
There are so many recipes I want to make from this book including the Chicken Pot Tot Hotdish, Bricked Roast Chicken, and Grits with Greens and Shrimp – it will take me months to get to them all and I know The Artist will be thrilled with the new variety of suppers and desserts showing up on our dinner table.
The recipes in this book are from noted chefs and food industry heavyweights such as Carla Hall, Virginia Willis, David Chang, Marcus Samuelson, Cecilia Chiang, Rick Bayless, and Jose Andres. Or dig a little deeper to find real gems from some other well-known food personalities like Dan Barber, Hugo Matheson, Nancy Silverton, Patrick O’Connell, Tanya Holland, Kate McDermott, and Francis Lam. Recipes span from appetizers to desserts, representing all 50 states, and showcasing the diversity of our country.
Today’s recipe is from food writer and cookbook author Toni Tipton-Martin. Her Blueberry Buckle is a family favorite that is being handed down to her children.
Toni’s comment about the recipe is: “Traditions related to food are so important. I’ve created a number of special-occasion rituals for my kids that they look forward to now as adults. When they call and ask about a particular recipe, I don’t give it to them. I’ve turned into the older generation that says, “Well, you just come on over and I’ll make it with you.” We moms want to preserve every opportunity to be with our kids!” I love this way of thinking – sharing the experience of cooking together instead of just handing over a recipe!
One of my favorite aspects of this recipe is that it doesn’t include oats, minimizing the potential for cross-contamination of gluten ingredients. Oats are one of the things you really have to watch carefully and be sure you are using GF oats.
This Old-Fashioned Blueberry Buckle is so simple to make, easy to bake (hands off for 45 to 50 min!), and so satisfying. The Artist and I loved the slight tartness of the fresh blueberries, the crunch of the sugar topping, and the delicate cake underneath. This is a classic dessert that will never fail to please everyone at your table!
Go buy some blueberries, grab a copy of America the Great Cookbook and slap this blueberry buckle dessert together. Your family will thank you!
If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Old-Fashioned Blueberry Buckle:
- Crumb Topping: sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, unsalted butter
- Blueberry Cake: flour, baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, vegetable shortening, sugar, egg, lemon zest, milk, vanilla, blueberries (fresh or frozen)
PRO Tip:
The batter is pretty heavy and not easy to get into the corners of the pan (I used a square pan). Once I had the blueberries on the top I could use them to help me push the dough around without getting my hands covered with cake batter! Be sure to dry your blueberries well – I forgot to do this and the topping was wetter than I would have liked. Totally my fault.
How to make Old-Fashioned Blueberry Buckle:
- Prepare the Crumb Topping: Whisk together the dry ingredients and using your fingers or a fork, rub in the butter until crumbly. Set aside.
- Make the Blueberry Cake: Butter and lightly flour the baking pan, using GF flour if needed.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and shortening until light. Gradually beat in the sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and lemon zest. Mix in half the dry ingredients and half the milk. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk. Mix in the vanilla.
- Bake the Cake: Spread batter in the buttered pan and sprinkle the blueberries over the top and finish with the crumb topping. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 45 to 50 minutes until browned on the edges and the berries are bubbling. Cool in the pan 5 minutes before serving.
PRO Tip:
This cake resembles a coffee cake so you can serve it for breakfast, brunch, or as a dessert after dinner. It is a very flexible and delicious sweet treat!
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Kitchen scale
- Grater/zester
- 8-inch round (20cm) or 9-inch (23cm) square baking dish
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
Gluten-Free Tips:
* You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of flour or regular flour, whisk it, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial gluten-free blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. And use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces!
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Old-Fashioned Blueberry Buckle (GF)
Blueberry Buckle is an old-fashioned recipe, exactly the kind of dessert I made with my mom and grandmother. Comforting, made from scratch, and more delicious because of the extra dose of love we add to everything we make for our families and loved ones.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (40g*) gluten-free flour blend* or regular all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Blueberry Cake
- 1-1/4 cups (160g*) gluten-free flour blend* or regular all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp grated lemon zest
- 6 tbsp (90 ml) milk
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 cups (225g) fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed, well drained, and patted dry
Instructions
1. For the Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Using your fingers or two forks, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside until ready to use.
2. For the Blueberry Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease an 8-inch (20 cm) round baking pan with butter and dust lightly with flour, tapping out any excess. Be sure to use gluten-free flour for dusting if needed.
3. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, beat together the butter and shortening until light. Gradually beat in the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and lemon zest. Beat in half of the dry ingredients and half the milk. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and milk. Add the vanilla and beat just until well mixed.
5. Bake the Cake: Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the batter and top with the crumb topping. Bake until the topping and edges are browned and the berries begin to bubble, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
* You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
You will get the best results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Recipe from Food Writer and Cookbook Author Toni Tipton-Martin, from the America The Great Cookbook by Joe Yonan (reprinted with permission from Weldon Owen, a division of Bonnier Publishing)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 403Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 228mgCarbohydrates: 81gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 11g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.
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