Berry Buckle
PREP TIME 5 mins | COOK TIME 55 mins | TOTAL TIME 1 hour | SERVES 9
I made this berry buckle on Tuesday afternoon for a segment on Wednesday’s Breakfast TV. When Thomas got home from school and saw it on the counter — only to learn that he wasn’t allowed to have any — he was heartbroken. Of course, I left the buckle in the TV studio for the crew, thinking that my 5-year-old would have forgotten all about it.
Alas, why do kids never act like we expect them to? When I walked in the door, his first words were, “Where’s that cake?”
So I had to bake another one. Boo hoo.
It’s hardly a chore. This is such an easy recipe, but I usually only make it during the height of peach or plum season when the fruit is sweet, juicy and cheap. In the middle of a blustery, in-like-a-lion March, I turned to frozen berries instead, which are even easier than plums or peaches. Man, it’s so good! The middle slices are just fruit, barely held together by a touch of custardy batter while the corner slices are all crusty, crunchy, sugary loveliness, providing satisfaction for all your cake wishes.
Berry Buckle
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
⅔ cup cream or milk
¼ cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
3 cups frozen berries, still frozen
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-in square baking pan well with baking spray.
Stir flour with ¾ cup of the sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk egg with cream or milk, butter, vanilla and almond extract. Add to flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour into prepared dish. Sprinkle fruit evenly over batter. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup sugar.
Bake 50-55 min or until tester inserted into centre comes out clean. Cake will be moist, so resist the urge to over-bake it! Cool on rack for 20 min before serving warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
TIP: I *may* have mixed 2 tablespoons of ground flax in with the flour, but don't tell my kid! I adore almond extract, but if it's not your bag, just skip it.
Click below for a printable version of this recipe.
Berry Buckle