This award-winning blueberry buckle is studded with sweet, juicy blueberries and topped with a crumbly streusel and lemon glaze for a sweet breakfast or dessert.
I’m okay with admitting that fresh blueberries have never been a favorite of mine. They were always the loose marbles of the fruit salad that I would pick around in favor of fresh strawberries, chunks of cantaloupe, and definitely give me all of the pineapple.
Times have changed.
Now, I can call myself a lover of the fresh, sweet, juicy blueberry. But I’ll forever be a fan of a good dessert (or breakfast?) treat with blueberries baked right in.
I was recently sent a copy of Annie Falk’s Hamptons Entertaining: Creating Occasions to Remember cookbook. The headnotes to this recipe state that it was created by Kathleen King of Southhampton’s Tate’s Bake Shop.
The recipe won first place for the best blueberry dessert at a competition in the state of Maine, so I was hedging my bets it would be good.
It is. More than good. It is DIVINE!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is PACKED with blueberries. 2 ½ cups worth. No one in your inner circle will complain about this blueberry buckle being short on blueberries.
- The cake batter and streusel topping can be whisked together in the same bowl, one right after the other, which saves you some time cleaning up afterwards.
- Since it’s a coffee cake, the blueberry buckle doubles as both breakfast and dessert.
What’s In This Blueberry Buckle?
- Unsalted butter — Bring the butter to room temperature before starting this recipe.
- Sugar — The buckle uses the full trifecta of sugars; there’s granulated in the cake, brown in the streusel, and powdered in the glaze.
- Egg — A must for most cake recipes.
- Milk — Use whole milk (or at least 2% milk) in this recipe, as it keeps the cake moist. Don’t use skim milk in cake batters, otherwise your cakes will turn out dry.
- Baking powder — Check the expiration date to make sure it’ll do what it’s intended to.
- All-purpose flour — You might want to toss the blueberries in a spoonful of flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- Fresh blueberries — Don’t swap with frozen blueberries, as they’ll leech extra moisture into the cake and increase the bake time dramatically.
- Ground cinnamon — Adds warmth to the crumbly streusel.
- Lemon — You’ll be using both the juice and zest, so buy a fresh lemon.
- Vanilla extract — Just ¼ teaspoon flavors the glaze.
- Greek yogurt — I prefer vanilla-flavored for the glaze, but plain works too.
How to Make Blueberry Buckle
- Whisk together the cake batter. The butter and sugar are creamed together, then the rest of the ingredients follow suit. Turn into a greased 8×8-inch baking dish.
- Make the streusel topping. You can use the same bowl that the cake batter was prepared in. Make the topping by smushing the ingredients together with your fingers until it resembles the texture of coarse sand.
- Bake. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter, then bake the blueberry buckle until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Make the lemon glaze. Once the blueberry buckle has cooled completely, drizzle the glaze over top before slicing and serving.
FAQs
Blueberry buckle falls under the category of coffee cake, in that it’s a super moist, slightly dense and spongy cake topped with streusel topping and a sweet glaze.
What makes any buckle cake unique is the addition of fresh fruit to the batter. Classic coffee cake is a fruit-free affair, but otherwise the recipes are similar.
Yes, but you’ll still need to bake the lemon blueberry buckle in two separate 8×8-inch pans. If you doubled the ingredients and bake it in a 9×13-inch pan, I’m afraid the cake would overflow as it bakes.
I’ve only made this recipe with fresh blueberries, so I’m not sure if frozen would work here. You’d likely need to thaw them overnight and then strain out any excess liquid to prevent the cake batter from being too runny.
Storage Tips
Leftover cake will last up to 5 days at room temperature, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container.
If you think you’ll be freezing any of the cake, do so without the lemon glaze on top.
Heidi’s Tip: You can easily whisk together the glaze after you’ve thawed the frozen cake and are ready to serve it.
Tips for Making Blueberry Buckle
- Buy the best blueberries. Because my farmers market has yet to start (living in the mountains makes for a short growing window), I buy my blueberries at Costco because they are extra big, extra juicy, and powered the packed blueberry effect.
- Adjust the cake’s thickness as desired. I love a thick, tall cake so I baked my cake in an 8×8-inch pan rather than the original recipe’s suggested 9×9. I didn’t have to alter the baking time but as because all ovens bake differently, you’ll want to take note to test for doneness at 45-50 minutes for either pan.
- Add some spice. If desired, you can add a little cinnamon to the cake batter as well as the crumble topping. You won’t need much, but the option is there if you’re a cinnamon fiend.
More Blueberry Desserts to Make
- Blueberry Oatmeal Bread
- Mixed Berry Birthday Cake Pie
- Apple Blueberry Crumble
- The Berry Best Four Berry Pie
- Blueberry Baked Brie
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Blueberry Buckle with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
For the cake
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter , at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups fresh blueberries
For the topping
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter , cut into pieces at room temperature
For the glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of ½ lemon , add more if needed
- 2 tablespoons honey or vanilla-flavored greek yogurt , optional
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Batter:
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly butter an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, milk, baking powder, and salt. Use a hand mixer to mix well.
- Mix in half of the flour, then incorporate the remaining half.
- Fold in the blueberries. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set it aside.
Make the Topping:
- Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter in a medium-sized bowl. Mix with a pastry cutter or your fingers until combined and crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cake batter.
Bake:
- Bake the buckle for 45-50 minute, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
Make the Lemon Glaze:
- While the cake is baking, whisk the powdered sugar with the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Whisk in the greek yogurt if using, or add more lemon juice to desired consistency.
- Cut the buckle into squares and drizzle with the lemon glaze.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Cake Recipes to Try
- Classic Strawberry Shortcake
- The BEST Carrot Cake
- Confetti Cake with Buttercream Frosting
- Devil’s Food Bundt Cake with Chocolate Espresso Ganache
- German Chocolate Cake
- Vanilla and Chocolate Marbled Bundt Cake
- Grilled Strawberry Shortcakes with Balsamic Vinegar
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Anna
I just made this for breakfast and it is AMAZING! So moist and delicious. I didn’t have whole milk so I used buttermilk instead. I also baked it in an 8×8 pan. Mine needed to cook for about 55-60 minutes. My husband isn’t a huge fan of blueberries but the topping completely won him over. This is definitely and keeper! Thank you for sharing!
Joanne Morton
Is there any reason frozen blueberries wouldn’t work for this recipe? I still have some in the freezer that I picked last summer and would like to use them up.
Mercedes
Made this yesterday and we all loved it! Thanks.
alison
I made this recipe very soon after seeing it in my inbox. Wow! REALLY REALLY YUMMY. My son had a friend sleep over so I made it the night before so it could go in the oven as soon as we got up [I looked forwarding to the wonderful smells as it baked.] Both boys came back for 2nds. Will put this in my permanent recipe collection! 2 thumbs up!!!
Hi Alison, so glad you liked it and the kids too. Hope it becomes a family fave.
Maria Donovan
Hi I am gonna make this today do you have to add the honey or yogurt to make the glaze?
Cyndy
O M G, this looks wonderful and I have a whole lot of blueberries to work with. I love that you did a glaze instead of a sauce on top. Definitely Delicious. I’ll be making this soon!
Becky @ Project Domestication
I had a handful of blueberries in my hand yesterday. But now I want to stuff my face in that buckle. YUM! And that book makes me think I should start watching “Revenge” again. Gotta love the Hamptons! :)
Liren Baker
So I admit, I adore blueberries! And I adore buckles – totally my speed when it comes to sweets. This buckle is definitely a must try, most especially with that glaze!
kelley
I’ll take blueberries any which way. I love to munch on a handful! This is gorgeous!! xo
Melissa @ Bless this Mess
That glaze just took this recipe over the top!!! It looks perfect Heidi! I’m so impressed with your Buckle.
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
Oh… I know…. blueberry season isn’t quite here yet either.. I’ve another month to go yet, but that hasn’t stopped me from buying em’ up from California farmers! I think I’ve been dreaming about this buckle lately! The lemon glaze was a fabulous change.. I agree! Thank you for this, Heidi and all the other delicious recipes you’ve included here! So much to choose from! :D
Annalise @ Completely Delicious
I think I’m going to be dreaming about this buckle for weeks. Wow!
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough
My jaw is seriously on the floor looking at this beautiful berry-filled buckle. I want this for breakfast, lunch, dinner AND dessert!
Brian @ A Thought For Food
Definitely thinking this could be dessert one night, breakfast the next. Aren’t those the best desserts? :-)
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
I’m a blueberry fiend so this buckle has my name all over it. Must make immediately!
Becky
I’m a big fan of anything with buckle in the title! I made a peach buckle last year that I could easily eat the whole pan of. Any excuse to have cake for breakfast ;) And that cookbook sounds so fun!!
Shawn@ I Wash You Dry
This recipe is awesome. I already love blueberries, and I love that there are so many! A lot of recipes don’t ever have that much. I might try a little of both glazes, they both sound good. Hm. Decisions decisions.
Cecile @ My Yellow Farmhouse
I, too, am not a huge fan of fresh blueberries – unless they’re wild ’cause to me they’re the sweetest. What a great variation of good old Blueberry Buckle – I love the idea of the lemon glaze and lots and lots of blueberries!! ; o )
Cookin Canuck
I could eat blueberries by the handful and am so happy that they’re starting to pop up in the markets. This buckle looks like the perfect summertime dessert!
Sarah | Broma Bakery
Buckles are one of my favorite things, and yet I’ve never made one myself. But just looking at those plump blueberries and mouthwatering streusel I’m thinking that needs to change STAT!
nagłośnienie_domowe
I could die for cake like this! This is awesome.
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files
I can’t even control myself around blueberry buckle let alone one with a lemon glaze! And I agree…more blueberries the better!
And I just emailed about joined the #eatseasonal crew! It sounds right up my alley!
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog
You picked around the blueberries? They’re the best part of fruit salads ;) I love these crumb bars. I’m such a sucker for new cookbooks, I think I’m in dangerous need of a new shelf to hold all of them lol. My favorite thing to make in the summers is definitely fresh fruit desserts – I make this one citrus torte and then pile it high with fresh fruit and a honey glaze, it’s super yummy, but crumb bars, crisps and cobblers come in a close second :)
Liz @ Floating Kitchen
Oh man does this look good. I am a huge lover of fresh blueberries. So much so that it’s hard to for me to bake with them because I’ve usually eaten them all during the drive home from the grocery store. I’m going to have to stash a few away to make this buckle! XO
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
I haven’t made a buckle in ages and I just love the heck out of them! This recipe sounds great!
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This sounds fab! I totally want a huge piece for breakfast!