A twist on a blackberry buckle: easy cornbread cake covered by a blanket of luscious blackberries, topped by oat streusel.
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I've had a hankering to make a blackberry buckle for a long time. Every since, in fact, I saw this recipe on Food52 for Blackberry Cornbread Buckle by janeofmanytrade. So, a couple of weeks ago when Carnivorous Maximus and I stopped by a farm stand in the Central Valley selling boxes brimming with fat blackberries, I knew immediately what I would make.
But would they be good enough for this dessert that I'd been planning in my head for, like, a YEAR? After all, the expectations of any dish I make are inversely proportional to how long I procrastinate in actually making it. When I put off making my own hummus for five years, I expected my first go at it to be rock star. Good enough for the Food Network. Giada should be calling me.
So purely in the interest of research, I slipped one of those juicy babies into my mouth when the farm stand operator wasn't looking, and it softly burst open with warm berry sweetness and just a touch tart. Sold. Money was quickly exchanged (thanks Myles!). I reserved one box just for snacking and morning yogurt. The rest were destined for buckle greatness I would serve at a casual dinner party with friends.
What's a buckle? Cake batter generously covered with luscious, juicy fruit and finished with a streusel topping. The weight of the fruit buckles the cake as it bakes, creating a very rustic, farmhouse-like cake. It might not win prizes for how it looks, but it's one of my favorite ways to eat cake in the summer. It's tender and moist with a burst of fruit. Summer perfection on a plate.
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Farmstand Blackberry Cornbread Buckle: #SundaySupper BBQ
Ingredients
Blackberry Buckle
- 4 cup fresh blackberries
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon rosewater
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 6 oz unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup cornmeal
- 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Oat Crumb Topping below
Oatmeal Crumb Topping
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter cold and cut into cubes
Instructions
Blackberry Buckle
- Combine the blackberries, sugar, lemon zest, rosewater, and cardamom in a bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 10" deep dish pie plate, 10" x 10" pan, or 11" pie plate, and set aside.
- Cream the butter with the sugar, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, waiting until each egg is completely mixed in before adding the next. You may need to scrape the bowl in between adding the eggs, particularly after the first one.
- Whisk the flours and baking powder together to thoroughly distribute the baking powder through the flours. Even though this is a buckle, it's nice to have an even buckling, so to speak. Fold the flour mixture into the batter in thirds using a spatula until combined. Pour in the buttermilk and continue folding until no streaks remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the surface. Top the cornbread evenly with the berries. By now, there should be some juices in the berry bowl - make sure you add those too! The berries should cover the entire cake.
- Sprinkle the Oat Crumb Topping evenly over the fruit, and bake until a pick comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Because of all the berries, it's good to test the cake in a few areas. This cake is fantastic served warm or cold, but warm is just a little better. And don't forget a scoop of ice cream.
Oatmeal Crumb Topping
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and toss around with your fingers. Add the butter cubes and rub the ingredients together with your fingers until pea sized crumbs are formed.
Ala
Susan, I'm in love with how you put it: my ideas most definitely fulfill the inverse procrastination-epicness relationship you described! How'd your hummus turn out--was it as rock star as you'd hoped? I once put off these layered brownies for a bajillion months and was horrified when I pulled them out to find layers oozing everywhere over an overbaked crust. Yech! But you really can't go wrong with a solid buckle, especially this one--looks lovely! It's great to meet you over here for Sunday Supper!
apuginthekitchen
I just saw that buckle on Food52 the other day and thought that I really need to make it. Your buckle is gorgeous Susan and I bet CM really enjoyed!! I love blackberries and can't wait for them to show up at the farmers market haven't seen one berry yet.
Cheryl
LOOKS SO GOOD! I love the way it buckles! So cool. I would love it if you would bring this recipe to my recipe link party The Yuck Stops Here this week. It will start Tuesday evening at 8pm ET on my blog, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos. I hope to see you there. HUGS
cheri
Hi Susan, blackberries are ripening up much earlier here than usual, this looks like the perfect way to enjoy them with others. Pinned!
Tara
What a great recipes, I don't think I have ever had Buckle!! Love when desserts are called funny names. Yours looks great!!
Simply Gourmet
I need a big plate of this--looks so good! I love berry buckles but don't make it very often. I need to print this today. Thanks for a great summer recipe.
Mallory @ Because I Like Chocolate
What an interesting dessert, cornbread and crumble all rolled into one!
Sarah
One of these days I'll need to taste a buckle, never had one before
Laura Dembowski
I so wish my farmers' market had blackberries, but it never does. Buckle is one of my favorite treats, but I've only made it with blueberries. Both the blackberries and cornmeal sound like inspired additions.
Emily {Jelly Toast}
I love how you made this a cornbread buckle - and the blackberries sound perfect! Beautiful photos, too!
Melanie | Melanie Makes
Love the cornbread component of this dessert!
Roz
What a perfect summer treat to bring to a BBQ! Love it!
Amy Kim
Susan - congrats again on your award-winning huevos rancheros! And it was a pleasure meeting you, albeit brief!
I love this buckle and am now going to make this for my potluck next week!
Liz
Susan, it was such a thrill to meet you...and share dinner last night! I need to make hubby a blueberry dessert and yours looks like a winner!
mjskit
Thanks for introducing me to a buckle! I've never heard of it. You certainly sold it with those mouthwatering pictures! What a delicious treat.
Barb | Creative Culinary
Just picked up some fresh blackberries this weekend too...this looks like a great use for them.
Choc Chip Uru
I have never seen cornbread buckle before, you are so creative! I can just imagine all that fruity goodness combined with delicious fluffiness 😀
Fantastic!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction
This is gorgeous! It's been a long time since I've had a buckle!
Martin D Redmond
I've never had a buckle before. It looks fabulous!
Courtney @ Neighborfood
Susan, I am so bummed I didn't get a chance to talk with you more at the conference! I can't believe how quickly the weekend flew by. Too many people to talk to, so little time! I'm glad we had our moment during the photo though. 🙂 It was great to at least say hello face to face! This cake is gorgeous. Pretty sure I would eat it for breakfast.
Maureen
I haven't had a buckle since I lived in Maine a VERY long time ago. This one looks better than anything I remember but I do remember how much I loved it.
Norma Chang
That is one good looking buckle and it should win a prize both for looks and taste.
Kimberly
Oh my ... this looks gorgeous!
I love a good "buckle" ... and this one totally fits the bill!
Christy
What a great recipe - I'm craving blackberry buckle now!
I noticed you are going to IFBC - looking forward to meeting you!
Terra
Love buckle recipes! Your addition of cornmeal must make this recipe rock! Your recipe looks fabulous! Hugs, Terra
Laura
This looks delicious, I wonder if I can justify having it for breakfast. 🙂
Dionne Baldwin
I would absolutely love to try a buckle, especially this blackberry buckle. I've never made one before and now I am inspired to try it!
Shikha @ Shikha la mode
Hey, taste always comes first - no use otherwise! And this still looks gorgeous!
Alice
I havent seen a cornbread buckle before - how interesting! I love these kinds of desserts for breakfast... : ) thanks for sharing!
Oui, Chef
I don't think I've ever had a cornbread buckle...love the look of it!
Claudia
So tasty! That appears to be amazing!