Blueberry Buckle is a moist, fruit-packed cake that pairs perfectly with a good cup of coffee. This particular recipe comes from Alton Brown, the culinary mastermind known for blending food science with entertainment on his quirky show Good Eats and as the host of Iron Chef America. As someone who admires the science behind cooking, I’ve always been a fan of Alton’s approach. It felt only fitting to add one of his creations to my repertoire—and what better choice than his Blueberry Buckle?
Blueberries are in season, and as my favorite berry, I like to think of them as the kings of the berry kingdom. In this cake, they take center stage, making it a perfect breakfast indulgence.
If you plan to serve Blueberry Buckle as a dessert, I recommend dressing it up with a bit of crème anglaise or a light drizzle of vanilla icing. Fresh from the oven and still warm? It’s nearly impossible to beat.
True to Alton’s style, the recipe calls for measuring ingredients by weight rather than volume. While most home cooks stick to cups and spoons, those measurements can throw off the delicate balance of baking. I followed Alton’s lead and weighed my ingredients for the test batch—and wouldn’t you know it, the cake turned out perfect on the very first try. Now that’s science for you.
And remember – your sweet tooth is located where MC² meets Pi.
Making Blueberry Buckle
Combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg in a bowl, then mix in the butter using a fork or a pastry blender until it reaches a crumb-like texture
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and spray 8 or 9″ glass baking dish with pam and set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder and ginger together and set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer on medium speed until it is light and fluffy , about a minute, then reduce speed to low and add 1/3 the flour mixture. Once incorporated, add 1/3 of the milk then repeat alternating until all the ingredients are combined.
Gently fold in the blueberries then pour the mixture into the baking dish and level it out
Bake on the middle oven rack for until golden – about 45 minutes, then cool on a rack for 30 minutes.
Blueberry Buckle
A quick and easy, delectable fresh blueberry filled cake
- Yield: 6-9 1x
Ingredients
Topping
- 3–1/2 oz sugar or 1/2 cup
- 1–1/2 oz cake flour or 1/3 cup
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 TBL unsalted butter – cubed and chilled
Cake
- 9 oz cake flour or 2 cups
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 4 TBL unsalted butter – left at room temp for 30 minutes or until reaches 60 degrees on an instant read thermometer
- 5–1/4 oz sugar or 3/4 cup
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 15 oz fresh blueberries
Instructions
Topping
- Combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg in a bowl
- Mix in the 60 degree butter using a fork or a pastry blender until it reaches a crumb-like texture
Cake
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
- Spray 8 or 9″ glass baking dish with pam and set aside
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and ginger together and set aside
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until it is light and fluffy , about a minute
- Reduce speed to low and add 1/3 the flour mixture
- Once incorporated, add 1/3 of the milk then repeat alternating until all the ingredients are combined
- Gently fold in the blueberries then pour the mixture into the baking dish and level it out
- Bake on the middle oven rack for 45 minutes, or until golden
- Cool on a rack for 30 minutes before serving