Strawberry Buckle

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Whether enjoyed plain, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert, or as a decadent breakfast alongside your morning coffee, this Strawberry Buckle is a must-try for berry lovers during the spring and summer seasons!  The cake base is thick and fluffy, and full of jammy, soft, sliced strawberries.  The crisp from both the crumble topping, as well as the crusty, buttery edges, makes for such a satisfying texture combination!

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WHY IS IT CALLED A BUCKLE?

If you’ve never made a Buckle cake before, you may be wondering about the name!  The batter buckles around the fruit as it bakes, giving it its unique, indented shape.  Buckles can be made with various types of fruit, but berries are both a classic choice and a personal favorite!

RECIPE NOTES:

Room Temperature Ingredients: Let any chilled ingredients come to room temperature before baking!  This will ensure that everything blends together easily, and that the batter is the correct consistency.

Baking Pan: I used a 9 x 9 metal cake pan.  I went with a square shape because it was what I had on hand, but a circular shape would work equally well, and is the more traditional choice.

Parchment Paper: Parchment paper is a must for easy cleanup as well as preventing the cake from sticking!  Leave yourself enough to be able to easily lift the cake out of the pan.

Sifting: Sifting your mixed dry ingredients into the wet ingredients really does make a difference to the batter texture!  It’s also helpful in preventing over-mixing, because everything blends together much more seamlessly.

Bake Time: Bake this cake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (a couple crumbs are okay!).  Any exposed areas of cake without the crumble will be starting to turn very slightly golden, and the top will feel firm.  (Don’t be surprised by the uneven surface; That’s the Buckle way!)

Cooling: Enjoy this cake warm or at room temperature.  I find it the most ideal to leave it to cool in the pan for about 2 hours…This helps with a good balance of wanted moisture retention while still removing it in time to avoid unwanted moisture buildup.

This one is important…

Storage: This cake is best enjoyed on the day of baking!  Do not store leftovers at room temperature because the texture will not keep.  To combat this, store any cake slices that were not enjoyed on the day of baking either in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for longer-term storage.  For slices from the refrigerator, rewarm in the microwave for about 20 seconds.  For slices from the freezer, rewarm in the microwave for 50-60 seconds.  Both methods revive the cake and recreate the “just baked” experience!  The crumb will retain crispness and the cake will be soft.

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Topping

Unsalted Butter: For the butter in the crumble topping, you’ll want it to be room temperature/softened.  If your climate or kitchen is colder, feel free to help it along with a few seconds in the microwave before use.

Dark Brown Sugar: I love to use dark brown sugar in the crumble topping for the flavor, but I’m sure light brown sugar would be delicious as well!

All-Purpose Flour: Use the same “scooping method” for the flour here in the crumble as described for the cake base ingredient note below!

Saigon Cinnamon: A hint of cinnamon is a must to complement the brown sugar in the crumble.  I always recommend Saigon cinnamon for the sweetest and smoothest flavor!

Espresso Powder: I promise this won’t give your cake any coffee taste…The espresso powder acts purely as a flavor enhancer!

Cake Base

All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is the perfect neutral flour choice for this cake!  I like to use an unbleached option.  (Measuring Tip:  Measure your flour by scooping it into the measuring cup with a spoon, to keep it from getting overly packed, then gently leveling it out on top with the spoon at the end!  This will ensure the best batter texture!)

Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the cake to properly rise.

Salt: Salt is a must to help the batter develop properly.  (I used finely ground sea salt.)

Ground Vanilla Powder: I love the flavor of ground vanilla powder in this cake!  A tiny jar lasts FOREVER because so little is needed at a time.  I used this one.  (If you’re not able to get your hands on any, you could try using twice the amount of vanilla extract, 1/2 Tsp, for a similar result…Just pour it in with the wet ingredients, when adding your egg, instead of mixing with the dry ingredients.)

Unsalted Butter: The butter for the cake should also be softened.  I like to leave it out to come to room temperature, then help it along in the microwave towards the end!  Do whatever works best for the temperature of your kitchen/climate.

Cane Sugar: This is my preferred/tested type of granulated sugar to use.

Egg: Be sure to let your egg come to room temperature before you begin!

Whole Milk & Half & Half: Combining whole milk and half & half gives this cake a really nice richness!

Fresh Strawberries: In the case of this recipe, fresh strawberries are the way to go!  Using frozen would introduce too much liquid into the batter.  I personally like to cut them top to bottom into thin slices.  This yields a really nice texture once baked into the cake!

To Serve, Optional

Scoop Of Vanilla Ice Cream: This cake is 100% ready to enjoy all on its own!  However, it’s also extremely delicious served with an optional scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Kitchen Equipment:

• 9 x 9 Metal Cake Pan (Square, Or Preferred)

• Parchment Paper

• Knife & Cutting Board

• Bowls (2 Medium, 1 Large)

• Hand Mixer

• Sifter

• Toothpicks

• Cooling Rack

Ingredients:

TOPPING

• 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
• 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
• 1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon Saigon Cinnamon
• 1/4 Teaspoon Espresso Powder 

CAKE BASE

• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt, I used finely ground sea salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Vanilla Powder
• 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, very softened
• 3/4 Cup Cane Sugar
• 1 Egg, room temperature, beaten
• 1/4 Cup Whole Milk, room temperature
• 1/4 Cup Half & Half, room temperature
• 2 Cups Thinly Sliced Fresh Strawberries

TO SERVE, OPTIONAL

• Scoop Of Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions:

PREP

Let the butter, egg, milk, and half & half come to room temperature

Line a 9 x 9 metal cake pan with parchment paper, then set it aside

Once the above ingredients are almost at room temperature, slice the strawberries, then set them aside

CREATE THE TOPPING

In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, beat together the softened butter and dark brown sugar until evenly combined and fluffy

Beat in the flour, cinnamon, and espresso powder – The consistency will be soft crumbles

Set aside

CREATE THE CAKE BASE

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt

Stir in the vanilla powder, then set aside

In a second, large, microwave-safe bowl, finish softening the butter in the microwave (if needed), then add the sugar, and cream them together with a hand mixer

Beat in the beaten egg

Next, beat in the milk and half & half

Sift the pre-mixed dry ingredient mix a bit at a time into the wet ingredients, gently stirring together so as not to over-mix (The batter will be on the thicker side by the end)

Preheat the oven to 375º

Gently fold in the strawberry slices (It will not be perfectly even due to the thickness of the batter)

COMBINE & BAKE

Add the cake batter into the prepared pan

Break apart the crumble topping with your hands into small pieces, sprinkling it evenly overtop

Bake at 375º for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (a couple crumbs are okay!) – Any exposed areas of cake without the crumble will be starting to turn very slightly golden, and the top will feel firm

Let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack (My preference is about 2 hours before removal for a good balance of moisture retention while avoiding moisture buildup!)

Enjoy warm or fully cooled, either as is, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

[See storage instructions above in the Recipe Notes.]