American buckles are softer and more fruit-filled than a coffeecake, but with a higher percentage of buttery batter than a cobbler. Buckles are harder to describe than they are to make.
This one is tender, moist and filled with sweet summer berries. But feel free to substitute any other juicy fruit that you like: peaches, nectarines, figs, plums or pineapple. If your fruit is very sweet (figs, pineapple), reduce the sugar by a couple of tablespoons, while tart fruit (plums or tart blackberries) may need an extra tablespoon. Buckles are best eaten on the same day they are baked. But since they come together so quickly, you don’t have to plan ahead.
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup/114 grams (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pan
- ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar, more for sprinkling
- ¼ cup/55 grams light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon/5 grams finely grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon/5 milliliters vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups/156 grams all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 4 ½ cups summer berries (a mix of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or use any one kind)
- Cinnamon, for dusting (optional)
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
PREPARATION
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then add lemon zest and vanilla and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg and baking powder, and whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and mix until just combined.
- Gently fold berries into the batter, then spread batter in pan and sprinkle lightly with more granulated sugar. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until top is golden and cake is cooked through.
- Allow cake to cool, then sprinkle with cinnamon, if using, and confectioners’ sugar.