Mixed berry buckle

The perfect buckle, made with any mixed berries like raspberries and strawberries!

The perfect buckle, made with any mixed berries like raspberries and strawberries!


Buckle. What a funny name for a dessert. And what is a buckle, anyways? And why should anyone make our mixed berry buckle?

A buckle is an old-fashioned dessert, perfect to munch on while binge watching Bridgerton. It is a cake loaded with fruit, which is baked with a streusel topping. Perfect yum! A buckle is also like a blank canvas in some ways – many fruits would work and we’ve chosen to make our buckle with mixed berries; our raspberry and strawberry combination is just fantastic! So set out your lace doilies, serve some tea in vintage teacups, and set to baking a dessert that is sure to become a favourite!

The perfect buckle, made with any mixed berries like raspberries and strawberries!

What is a buckle versus a crisp versus a crumble versus a cobbler?

So many fruit-filled desserts, and so many names! It can certainly be a little confusing. We’re going to try to explain the differences to you (and the similarities) because when it comes to dessert, it’s important to know what you’re getting!

A buckle is a sponge cake made with pieces of fruit (or whole berries). For our mixed berry buckle we used a combination of raspberries and strawberries. Prior to baking, the cake batter is topped with a streusel mixture which gives the buckle a wonderful top layer.

A crisp is a fruit dessert that does not have a pastry bottom, nor a typical pie crust. Instead, a crisp is topped with a flour, oat, sugar and butter topping (sometimes nuts too) which completely covers the fruit before baking. It is sometimes referred to as a crumble, but they are not exactly the same.

A crumble is also a fruit dessert made very similar to the way a crisp is made. The key difference is that a crumble topping does not contain oats, usually.

A cobbler has the same type of fruit base that crisps and crumbles do, but the topping is more of a dough that is dolloped on top of the filling and then sprinkled with sugar. Occasionally the dough is carefully cut out and placed on the fruit filling.

Why is a buckle called a buckle? Where does the name buckle come from?

Buckle certainly is a funny name for a dessert. This single layer, fruit-studded cake is baked with a streusel topping. As the cake bakes, and settles, the streusel topping buckles, hence the name of the desset.

What fruits can be used to make a buckle?

We made our mixed berry buckle with a combination of raspberries and strawberries, but you can easily use only one variety of fruit if you prefer. If you do use strawberries be sure to cut them so that the pieces are about the size of a raspberry.

Buckles are delicious made with blueberries, cherries, and even chopped up peaches and plums.


Love our mixed berry buckle and want some more beautiful fruit desserts? Check these out:

Cherry and coconut brown butter tart

Easy apple crisp

Blueberry almond cake

The perfect buckle, made with any mixed berries like raspberries and strawberries!
The perfect buckle, made with any mixed berries like raspberries and strawberries!

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The perfect buckle, made with any mixed berries like raspberries and strawberries!
The perfect buckle, made with any mixed berries like raspberries and strawberries!

Mixed berry buckle

The perfect buckle, made with any mixed berries like raspberries and strawberries!
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 279kcal
Author: Mia Kouppa

Equipment

  • 1 10 inch round cake pan
  • Parchment paper
  • Stand mixer or hand held mixer
  • Rubber spatula

Ingredients

For the cake

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • cup butter, softened unsalted
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp grated orange zest
  • cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup orange juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • cups mixed berries we used a combination of raspberries and strawberres

For the topping

  • cup + 1 tbsp butter, softened unsalted
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • cup flour
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • cooking spray to grease pan

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking pan with parchment paper and spray the sides of the cake pan with cooking spray.

For the cake

  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, butter and egg on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add in the grated orange zest.
    ¾ cup sugar, ⅓ cup butter, softened, 1 egg, 1 tbsp grated orange zest
  • Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
    1½ cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt
  • With the mixer speed set to low add ½ the flour and then add ½ the orange juice. Mix until well combined and then add the rest of the flour, and the rest of the orange juice. When well combined (you see no more white flour) turn off the mixer.
    ½ cup orange juice
  • Toss your berries with 1 tablespoon of flour to coat. Using a rubber spatula gently fold the berries into the cake batter until evenly incorporated.
    1 tbsp flour, 1½ cups mixed berries
  • Transfer the batter to your prepared cake pan and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly.

For the topping

  • Using the back of a fork, or your hands (our preferred method), mix together all the ingredients for the topping until combined. Add the streusel topping to the top of your cake batter and try to spread it evenly across the top. All your batter should be covered by the streusel topping.
    ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp butter, softened, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup white sugar, ⅓ cup flour, ½ tsp cinnamon
  • Bake your buckle in the middle rack of your oven for 40 - 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a cooling rack.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 456IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg

Thanks for sharing!

0 Comments

  1. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen says:

    Looks so good! Time to put on the kettle!

    1. miakouppa says:

      Good idea 😉 Enjoy Dorothy! xoxo Helen & Billie

  2. Gordon Racey says:

    Not a baker, buy, I’m definitely trying the mixed berry buckle. Thank you.

    1. miakouppa says:

      Oh yay!!! We hope you love it as much as we do! Maybe you will end up being a baker after all 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie

  3. Leslie Berry says:

    Can I use frozen berries with this recipes?

    1. miakouppa says:

      You sure can! Frozen berries will work great – keep them frozen until you use them. Enjoy!

  4. Leslie Berry says:

    This looks like such a nice recipe but I’m not sure about substitutions.

    I would like to make this recipe today with the ingredients I have at home.

    Can I use store-bought orange juice and frozen raspberries?
    Will the recipe work if I use a 9-inch spring form pan^

    1. miakouppa says:

      Hi Leslie, sorry for the delay in getting back to you! A springform pan would work great (maybe even better)! And, you can definitely use both store bought orange juice (the better the oj, the better the buckle will be) and frozen berries. Enjoy! Let us know how it works out for you! xoxo Helen & Billie

  5. The recipe turned out great! I’ll definitely be making it again this summer!

    1. miakouppa says:

      So happy to hear that Leslie! Thanks for letting us know 🙂 Hope you find even more to love here! xoxo Helen & Billie

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