Berry Buckle

More cake than fruit than the other fruit desserts, it is much like a coffee cake. It has a cake foundation and a crumbled topping with fruit in between. The history of this dessert says it is much like a crumble, named after its buckled or crumbled appearance with the streusel topping. A kuchen is the German cousin to the American buckle.

Cake Ingredients:

½ cup+ unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking dish
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1-pint berries of choice (heaping 2 cups)

Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1 teaspoon milk

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 2-quart oval or square baking dish; set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition to combine. Fold in lemon zest.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder; with mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture until well-blended.
  4. Spread batter in baking dish. Scatter berries on top.
  5. For topping, in a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt and whisk to combine. Add cold butter and milk; cut into flour mixture until butter is blended. Form mixture into small crumbs and scatter over top of buckle.
  6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean and top is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes.
  7. With a large spoon, scoop out onto serving plates; serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

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About the Author

Anna Gall’s poetry and short stories are published in eMerge, Persimmon Tree, and Flapper Press as well as her poem, Seashells is included in the anthology Dairy Hollow Echo. Anna writes about her preoccupations in Balancing The Seesaw, a short collection of Haiku poems. Anna is a culinary professional. Her first full-length book is a memoir filled with original recipes, poems, and short stories. In edited form, publication is forthcoming. Anna lives in historic St. Charles, Missouri.

Anna Gall
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