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.

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:

1. Prepare the Crumb Topping: Whisk together the dry ingredients and using your fingers or a fork, rub in the butter until crumbly. Set aside.
2. Make the Blueberry Cake: Butter and lightly flour the baking pan, using GF flour if needed.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. 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.
5. 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.

 

 

 

 

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Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. This page may contain affiliate links. The author makes no claims regarding the presence of food allergens and disclaims all liability in connection with the use of this site. This post was first shared in Feb 2018. The article was updated in 2025.