Tartlets, you’re looking at the Official Blueberry Buckle Baking Dish of Tartlet Cottage.
Didn’t realize that was a thing, did you? The buckle or its official baking dish.
Why is Blueberry Buckle the book-inspired recipe for On Writing?
Blueberry Buckle seemed like a good book-inspired recipe for On Writing. Master storyteller Stephen King hails from Maine, which is famous for its wild blueberries that grow in the summer, and a buckle is a very old-fashioned, New England-y dessert.
This writing craft book also repeatedly mentions King’s wife, who he describes as his best friend, partner, and biggest supporter, especially when it comes to his writing.
My spouse is also my biggest fan and support system. Blueberry Buckle happens to be one of his favorite desserts. It was the first thing I baked for him when we started dating.
Honestly, I think that just kinda sealed the deal for him. The buckle was my own personal man catcher cake.
Many years and many different desserts later, and Mr Tart still gets super-excited when I say I’m going to bake a Blueberry Buckle.
Once you take a bite of this glorious cake, you’ll understand why it, like our love, has stood the test of time.
Umm, what’s a Blueberry Buckle?
I bet a good 75% of you out there are wondering what the heck a Blueberry Buckle is.
Before we talk about that, let’s talk about what a Blueberry Buckle isn’t.
A buckle is not a cobbler.
It’s not a crisp.
It’s also not a crumble, though it does have a crumble-type topping.
Did I lose you yet?
Hang in there. Here it comes:
Think of Blueberry Buckle as a blueberry-bedazzled coffee cake with a crunchy cinnamon sugar crust. It’s called a “buckle” because the weight of the butter and sugar in the crust makes it “buckle” apart and bake down into the batter below.
YEAH. Now I got your attention.
Why I love Blueberry Buckle
Blueberry Buckle is a thick, moist cake overflowing with jammy blueberries. It also has a crumble topping that bakes up into craggy lil’ mountains of cinnamon sugar that crunch with every bite.
Since the cake itself is pretty plain — no vanilla, no lemon, no almond, etc. — the taste of the fresh, sun-ripened blueberries really sings. And that cinnamon sugar crust (my husband’s favorite part, btw) adds a welcome hit of sweetness to the otherwise mild sponge.
Just so you know – I didn’t actually use wild Maine blueberries for this dessert. Because I live in Jersey.
If you do happen to have access to said wild blueberries, please use them in this recipe and let me know how it turns out!
Some baking tips
Hey, let’s circle back to that Official Blueberry Buckle Baking Dish, shall we?
See that clear Pyrex dish in the earlier photos? **waits while you scroll up and back again**
I think it’s from around 1980-something, and it was definitely-probably pilfered from my mom’s kitchen when I moved out years ago.
This is the ONLY dish I bake Blueberry Buckle in. I’m convinced it contains special baking magic and that’s why the buckle turns out 100% perfect every. single. time.
Okay, for reals… the reason I always use this pan is that it has higher sides than most 8×8 baking dishes.
The buckle climbs pretty high as it bakes, and higher sides means it can hold in all that cakey, fruity, cinnamon-topped goodness without overflowing.
I’m not saying that you, too, need to get yourself an Official Blueberry Buckle Baking Dish. Your buckle will probably turn out just as delicious in your usual bakeware.
But, if you did want to get one… just know there’d be at least one person out there who gets where you’re comin’ from. **waves at you from the crowd**
What do you serve with Blueberry Buckle?
Serve Blueberry Buckle with some whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, maybe a scoop of homemade Citrus Breeze Ice Cream or Peach Ice Cream.
Blueberry Buckle is a great dessert to bring to a “Red, White, and Blue BBQ” theme, along with other berrylicious desserts like Strawberry Pie, Blackberry Cobbler, and Blueberry Molasses Cake.
New England Blueberry Buckle
Ingredients
CAKE INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
TOPPING INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, COLD and cut into cubes
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Spray a deep 8×8 baking dish with baking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and place the prepared baking dish on top. Set aside.
- Cut 1/3 cup COLD butter into cubes, then place in the refrigerator to keep cold.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ½ cup flour, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, and 2/3 cup sugar. Set aside.
BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- in a large bowl, use a handmixer to cream together the ¼ cup butter and ¾ cup granulated sugar. Then beat in the egg until thoroughly combined.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and the ½ cup milk into the large bowl, mixing between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed until all ingredients are combined and batter is smooth.
- Toss the blueberries with 1 tbsp flour until berries are coated, then fold the blueberries into the batter. It’s okay if some berries break open, but you want to keep the berries in tact as much as possible.
- Pour the blueberry buckle batter into the prepared baking dish, then place on the prepared baking sheet and set aside.
- Take the cubed, cold butter out of the fridge and pour it into the small bowl with the cinnamon crumble mixture. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut the butter into the mixture until crumbly.
- Sprinkle the crumble topping over the blueberry buckle batter, making sure the entire baking dish is covered.
- Place baking dish on baking pan in oven and bake at 375F for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centerof the buckle comes out clean.
- Remove blueberry buckle from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Serve blueberry buckle slightly warm or at room temperature.
I live in Pittsburgh and ironically my local supermarket gets its blueberries from the same farm we used to pick them at when I was a kid in Jersey. My Virginia-born husband didn’t believe there was a difference until I made a test test between these berries and berries more local to us (not that they’re terrible, they’re just not Jersey). I can also get Jersey peaches, tomatoes and corn.
Hi Trish! It’s so true that there’s nothing like Jersey produce. I’m in heaven right now every time I visit our local farm stand. I always stock up on peaches, tomatoes, and corn, like you said, lol.
Ookkkkk I need it 😀
You absolutely do, Joli! It’s summer dessert perfection.