Berry Buckle Recipe

Every summer, I look forward to the arrival of fresh berries at the farmers market. When the markets and stores are overflowing with berries, it’s the perfect time to highlight the sweetness of the summer fruit in simple baking recipes. 

This berry buckle is tender and buttery and ideal for breakfast, dessert, or just for snacking on throughout the day. The best part of this simple cake is it’s loaded with berries in every bite.

What Is a Buckle?

If you’ve never heard of a buckle before, it’s akin to a coffee cake filled with fruit. A buckle falls into a canon of classic American baked fruit desserts that include slumps, crisps, crumbles, grunts, and pandowdies, to name a few. Buckles are typically single-layer cakes made up of a dense batter and a generous percentage of fruit. 

Buckles are said to get their name from the way the cake batter “buckles” around the fruit as it bakes. Sweet berries burst through a soft and buttery cake in every bite. 

I like to serve this berry buckle simply with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, but it is also delicious with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Choose Your Pan

This recipe is highly adaptable. I call for an 8-inch square pan, but you can bake it in a 9-inch round cake pan or a 9-inch cast iron skillet for a rustic look. If you use a cast iron pan, don’t bother lining with parchment paper. A 9-inch square pan will also work, but the buckle will be more shallow and will require less baking time, so check it early.

Any Berry Will Do

Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are the most ideal for this recipe, but quartered strawberries or even pitted cherries will work nicely, as well as a mix. Regional berries shine here as well, like boysenberries, marionberries, black raspberries, and huckleberries.

This is a lovely recipe that happens to be a great way to use up fresh berries, so use fresh if you have it. However, frozen berries will work as well if you’re craving this dessert in the off-season. If using frozen berries, do not thaw. Use them straight from the freezer and fold in at the end when making the batter.

More Berry Desserts