Whole-Grain Blueberry Buckle

By Martha Rose Shulman

Published May 18, 2014

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
About 1½ hours including baking
Rating
4(290)
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

  • 20 grams rolled oats (about 3 tablespoons, approximately)

  • 60 grams quinoa flour (½ cup, approximately; grind quinoa in a spice mill to make the flour)

  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

  • 50 grams unrefined turbinado sugar (¼ cup, approximately)

  • ⅛ teaspoon salt (to taste)

  • 60 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces (4 tablespoons/2 ounces)

FOR THE CAKE

  • 125 grams whole- wheat flour (1 cup, approximately)

  • 65 grams unbleached all-purpose flour (½ cup, approximately)

  • 5 grams baking powder (1 teaspoon, approximately)

  • 1 gram baking soda (¼ teaspoon, approximately)

  • 3 grams fine sea salt (scant ½ teaspoon, approximately)

  • 90 grams unsalted butter, preferably French-style such as Plugrà, at room temperature (6 tablespoons/3 ounces)

  • 120 grams sugar, preferably organic (scant ½ cup, approximately)

  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

  • 2 eggs, at room temperature

  • 130 grams buttermilk or kefir (½ cup)

  • 350 grams blueberries (2 ¼ cups, approximately/ 2 boxes), divided

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (9 to 12 servings)

35 grams carbs; 54 milligrams cholesterol; 257 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 206 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 18 grams sugar

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.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
290 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.

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.

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.

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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