Mixed Berry Buckle – Recipe!

Summertime is always the time to enjoy fresh berries.  Berry season in California is year round, but there’s something much more magical about berries in the summer.  The intensity of the colors and flavors are more present, and they seem to burst with luscious juice that fills your mouth with joy.  I eat berries almost every day, including in the wintertime, but to me there’s no replacement for seasonal fruit, and baking with it is such a priviledge.

Crisps, cobblers and buckles go hand-in-hand with summer fruit and although most of us are familiar with the first two, buckles seem to create a little confusion.  Basically a buckle is like a coffee cake.  It has a cake-like batter that enrobes fresh fruit and a crumb topping that after baking, buckles on top.  I remember making buckles without a crumb topping in the past, and pouring batter gently over fresh fruit to buckle after baking, but today most have a crumbly crust, which most people prefer, and make them easier to cut and serve.

This mixed berry version is studded with raspberries and blueberries, but you can swap out any type of fresh berries you can find.  I decided to stir the batter a little more aggressively, so the raspberries would slightly explode and create a pinkish hue.  The blueberries remained whole and flecked throughout, creating a magnificent texture to this buckle.  You can enjoy this for dessert served with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream, or as I prefer, with a hot cup of coffee in the morning.

Ingredients

Batter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

5 tablespoons butter, room temperature + more for pan

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

2/3 cup milk

1 cup raspberries

1 1/2 cups blueberries

Topping

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

pinch of cinnamon and salt

4 tablespoons butter, cold diced

(Serves 8)

To Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter 2 quart baking dish or 9 x 9 baking pan, set aside.
2. Batter – in a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, set aside.
3. In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together butter and sugar for 2 minutes.  Add egg and vanilla and mix again on high for 1 minute.
4. Add 1/2 of dry ingredients and sour cream, mix on medium-low for 1 minute.  Add remaining dry ingredients with milk and mix for 1 minute.  Mix in berries by hand and spoon into prepared pan.
5. Topping – in a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon, stir.  Add cold diced butter and using your hands, press together to form coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle over top of batter.
6. Bake for 32-35 minutes, just until toothpick comes clean.  Remove and let cool at least 20 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!