Sunday, August 10, 2008

Blueberry Buckle



Blueberry Buckle was the summer cake growing up but there were times during the winter when it would make a surprise appearance since Mom was known to freeze fresh-picked blueberries by the quart.

What is a buckle? It may be regional to the East Coast or New York area, but it is considered a cobbler food where the fruit was mixed in with the batter as opposed to a true cobbler where the sweet biscuit dough was placed on top of the fruit.

This recipe has a crumb topping which makes it more like a coffee cake. In fact, I remember that this was always served with coffee at night or during card parties in the summmer. Besides making Blueberry Buckle in the dead of winter using frozen berries, sometimes she would make several in disposable 13 x 9 x 2" pans and freeze them.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk
2 cups well drained blueberries

Topping

1 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter (one stick)

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, cream together the sugar and vegetable shortening. Add the egg. Then add flour mixture and then milk.

4. Next, add blueberries and mix until berries are evenly distributed.

5. Place in well greased 13 x 9 x 2 pan.

6. Make topping by using a pastry blender to combine all ingredients until coarse meal is formed. Scatter over top of pan.

7. Bake 40-45 minutes.

Photo: Blueberry Buckle by Dave Kekish on Flickr.