A Buckle Cake – Anyone Heard of It?
Today is Justin’s birthday (yay, happy birthday Justin!!) One of his favorite desserts/brunch foods is blueberry buckle. Has anyone else heard of this, or is it just a Michigan thing? I had never heard of it before meeting Justin. It’s very similar to coffee cake, but with berries. He requested it special for his birthday, so I set out to the farmer’s market last weekend to get the main ingredient. Alas, there were no blueberries, only blackberries. I wanted it to be very fresh and flavorful, so I went with the blackberries instead of getting blueberries at a grocery store from somewhere far away. He didn’t mind.
It’s a recipe that started with his grandmother, and was then revised to be healthier by his mom. I have revised it even further to be even healthier (oh, there’s always a way!). I have a sweet tooth, and I love baked goods, but if I made them with the full amount of sugar and used only white flour, I would be much less healthy than I am. It’s a fun challenge to try and make a not very healthy recipe much healthier by fermenting whole grains or using a healthier sweeteners in lower amounts.
Blackberry Buckle
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a large (12×9) casserole dish.
Cake Part:
1 cup maple syrup
2 cups full fat yogurt
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups blackberries (or any other type of berry)
Crunch Topping (mix with two knives until crumbly):
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2/3 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup butter
Directions:
The night before, mix together whole wheat flour and yogurt. Let sit at room temperature until the next day when you are ready to bake.
Add maple syrup to flour/yogurt mixture and blend with a handheld mixer, or transfer to a stand mixer. Add eggs and blend. Stir in milk. Add dry ingredients. Stir in berries.
Pour into a greased 12X9 inch pan. Top with crunch topping.
Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes until fork inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
