A traditional Blueberry Buckle with a soft, moist, and buttery crumbed cake packed with juicy, bright blueberries and topped with a perfectly sweet and crunchy streusel.
Classic Blueberry Buckle
One of my favorite party of summer is picking our own fresh blueberries at our local blueberry farm. They are just exponentially better than the ones you can buy at the grocery store, and if you can find a farm near you, get there ASAP!
Then the fun part is, of course, eating them fresh, but also coming up with ways to cook and bake them into something fabulous. So we went with our traditional, perfect Blueberry Muffins this year, and I also made this Classic Blueberry Buckle Cake recipe, which is to die for.
Moist, rich crumb cake packed with juicy blueberries, and topped with a crumbly, crunchy streusel. Seriously amazing!
What is a Buckle?
A buckle is basically just another name for a fruit-filled coffee cake. It's a dense, moist cake filled with fruit, and topped with a streusel or crumble.
It's a single layer cake, and since its usually dense (think banana bread) it has a thick batter.
How to Serve Blueberry Buckle
You can serve it however you want, of course! It can be served as coffee cake, dessert, or at a brunch.
You can serve it warm or room temperature; plain, or topped with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
My favorite is a warm blueberry buckle topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
Double Check the Size of Your Baking Dish!
I'm adding a note in the recipe, but it's worth mentioning here, too. Make sure your baking dish is actually 9-inches by 9-inches! The cooking time will change dramatically if you are not using the right size pan. (I found this out the hard way when I grabbed the wrong pan!)
If you're using a 9-inch circle or an 8"x8", the cooking time will increase to 60-70 minutes. Also be sure you're using very deep dishes for these smaller sizes!
Do I Have to Use Fresh Blueberries?
Nope! You can use fresh or frozen interchangeably for this recipe. Do not thaw frozen berries for this recipe
More Blueberry Recipes You'll Love
- Blueberry Peach Crumble - juicy blueberries and sweet peaches topped with a brown sugar and oat crumble.
- Perfect Blueberry Muffins - absolutely perfect blueberry muffins from my grandma. Topped with crumbly streusel.
- Blueberry Maple Syrup - fresh blueberries simmered into a sauce with a slight maple flavoring. Great for pancakes, ice cream, and more!
- Blueberry Pie Oatmeal - a sweet way to start the day with blueberries, brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon.
- Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake - bright lemons and fresh blueberries come together in this refreshing cake that's almost sinful to call breakfast.
- 96 BEST Recipes with Blueberries - to satisfy your every blueberry craving!
Classic Blueberry Buckle
Ingredients
For the Blueberry Buckle
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
For the topping
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup cake flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons butter chilled and cubed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9"x9" baking dish. Set aside
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together sugar and 4 table spoons room temperature butter until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat on low until combined. Add about ½ of the milk, and mix again until combined. Repeat until all ingredients are added.
- Fold in blueberries.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Spread evenly. Set aside.
For the Topping
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and cinnamon.
- Add remaining butter and cut into dry ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture has a crumb-like texture (about the size of peas).
- Sprinkle on top of cake.
- Bake at 375°F for about 35 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving. (See notes on cooking time variations)
Notes
- Use a 9"x9" baking dish! (like this one) The cooking time will vary significantly when using a different size.
- If using an 8"x8" baking dish or a 9-inch round, make sure it is deep, and adjust the cooking time to 60-70 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Note that the outsides will be a bit browner, but it will still taste delicious.
- Don't have any cake flour? Use this super easy cake flour substitute.
- Using frozen berries? That's fine, just don't thaw them!
- Do I have to use whole milk? Whole milk is recommended for richness and texture, but you can use another milk or dairy free substitute, if necessary.
- The batter will be very thick. Don't worry! That's normal!
- Storage: Cover leftovers tightly and store at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezer Directions - Allow to cool completely. Cover tightly. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
UPDATE INFO: This recipe was originally published in June 2016. It has been updated with new tips, photos, and video and republished in July 2020.
Never Miss a Thing!
Join our newsletter to get new recipes, tips, tricks, and tutorials every week!
Laura Acuna says
Yum! I will be making this on the 4th of July! 🙂 Visting from Women with Interntion Wednesdays
Karly says
You seriously have me drooling every time I stop by. Love love love this one for breakfast or a fruity dessert!
Karly says
This cake looks perfect! Thanks for linkin' up with What's Cookin' Wednesday!
Kushigalu says
What a delicious dessert to try with berries. Perfect summer treat. Thanks for sharing
Rebecca says
OMG give me a blueberry buckle any day! this looks so good! My mom has blueberry bushes in her yard, farm/home picked blueberries are 100x better than store ones.
Pam Greer says
We just picked two more bowls of blueberries from our bushes. I was going to make muffins, but this buckle sounds so much better! Can't wait to try it!
veenaazmanov says
This weekend is definitely going to be special with this delicious Blueberry Buckle cake. A treat to my family. They will love it. Thanks for your awesome recipe.
Jenn says
I love blueberries and this dessert has my name all over it! It is so easy, so moist, and so delicious. Can't wait to make it again!
Jack says
so delishos i love it
Michelle says
I've wanted to make a blueberry buckle for the longest time -- this looks amazing! Can't wait to try it this summer 🙂
Agus says
I've cooked it for almost 50 minutes and the centre was super gooey. the bottom and the topping were almost brown and the middle was still wet. i think it's because the topping wouldn't let the liquids evaporate, but I used the exact amount of ingredients as the recipe said, so its unsettling.
Michelle says
This happened to me when I used a smaller than recommended dish. If the dish is not a 9"x9" square, it will need to be cooked significantly longer. Even with an 8"x8".
Michelle says
Just jumping back on to say that in the post above, it addresses this issue. For an 8x8, cook time will be 60-70 minutes, which yes, will cause extra browning around top and along edges.
Jessica Formicola says
I am obsessed with all things blueberry lately, but this buckle takes the cake (no pun intended!) It's so delicious, I already can't wait to make it again!
Melanie Cagle says
Yummy, I had this with my coffee this morning and it was delicious! I actually made them last night, but didn't try them until this morning. I love anything blueberry.
Thanks for sharing>
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
This sounds like the perfect cake for me! Blueberries AND a streusel topping? What could be better? This is so delicious.
veenaazmanov says
Blue berries are my all time favorite and this dessert is surely yum. Cant wait to try it for my weekend Tea Time Treat. Delicious..
Tara says
Such a beautiful summertime cake! That crumbly texture looks absolutely amazing and I love all that color from the blueberries.
Autumn Brooke says
I don't think I've ever had a buckle before, but now I see that I need to make one. This looks so moist and delicious.
Kelley says
What a beautiful looking buckle! Can't wait to give this a try!
Emily Flint says
I love blueberry buckle cake and I think using cake flour really made a difference. So good!
Alison Saalbach Corey says
I know my family, especially my kids will love this! It's the perfect dessert!
Anjali says
I love coffee cake and this recipe totally hit the spot! I enjoyed it with my coffee this morning and it was delicious!
Nic says
This was so good! We made it for the 4th of July, and I had to make it again before summer ended. Great recipe!
MacKenzie says
This is delicious! Served warm with vanilla ice cream. Can’t wait to make again.
Anjali says
This dessert looks absolutely delicious!! I can't wait to serve this when we host some extended family at our house next week!
Tara says
Can I just say how fantastic this blueberry cake is? All of the layers and textures blend so beautifully... Will definitely make again!!
Natalie says
I always use frozen strawberries for your delicious buckle recipe! So moist and soft, just perfect family dessert, thanks!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
I Made for a gathering and it was a hit, everyone loved it! Will definitely make it again!
Caitlin says
Love this recipe so much! So tasty and love the color!
Chenee Lewis says
This blueberry buckle is amazing! I love that crumb topping and all the fresh blueberries!
Kristine says
We LOVED this blueberry buckle! It was literally gone in a day. Great recipe, thank you!
Maggie says
So delicious! My entire family loved it. They can't wait for me to make it again.
Renee says
Can this be doubled and just use a 9x13 pan?
Mary says
Can I double it to a 9x13 pan? Also I do not have cake flour, can I use regular flour? Will it still be good? I’m making it for my Church.