Summer Blueberry Buckle

This is the most tender, buttery Blueberry Buckle out there! Just in case covid ruined anyone’s plans to visit Seattle this summer, I wanted to bring a classic Pacific northwest summer recipe to all of you! Tom Douglas is one of the top chefs in Seattle, he owns a handful of restaurants and has written several books. This Blueberry Buckle is from his book “Tom Douglas’ Seattle Kitchen.” I hope you’re able to give it a try very soon, I promise it will become a new favorite!

Here are some of my favorite Tom Douglas books. Can you tell I’m a fan?!

Here’s how the Summer Blueberry Buckle is made!

The Blueberries

Blueberry season is off to a strong start here in Seattle (watch out kids, I’m about to drag you to another u-pick farm!). However, I picked up these berries from the local grocery store. This Blueberry Buckle is best made with fresh (not frozen) berries.

The Batter

This batter starts the usual way, by creaming butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Next add sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract, and a little bit of almond extract. The original recipe doesn’t call for almond extract, but I like to add it for a little extra flavor in the cake. The batter might look a little bit curdled at this point, but that’s okay because it will come together great.

To this mixture, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. And mix until just combined.

You will notice that this batter is very thick. Totally normal. This thick batter is going to ensure that the blueberries don’t all sink to the bottom of the cake while it bakes. Sometimes when I see a thick batter like this I’m afraid that the cake will be a little dry, but this cake bakes up very moist and tender!

Gently fold the blueberries in by hand.

And spread in a 9 x 13” baking pan.

The Streusel

Using a pastry cutter combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and cubed butter…

…until the butter is about the size of peas.

Sprinkle the streusel over the cake and bake until golden and cooked through. Look at the beautiful streusel!

Summer Blueberry Buckle is amazing straight out of the oven, but also keeps really well covered at room temperature for a few days. I like to heat leftover slices for about 10-15 seconds in the microwave before serving. It tastes like it’s straight from the oven. So good!

Tom Douglas’ Blueberry Buckle

Streusel:

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoon cold salted butter, cut into dice 1/2” dice
Pinch of kosher salt

Cake:

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup full fat sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract, optional
2 cup blueberries, rinsed

Directions

Streusel:

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the diced butter and blend with a pastry blender until crumbly. Set aside.

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a 9 x 13” baking pan with vegetable spray

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla, and almond extracts. Mix until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will be very thick, but that’s the way you want it. The thick batter will keep all of the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake while it bakes. Using a spatula, gently fold the blueberries into the batter by hand. Being careful not to crush the berries.

Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Spinkle the streusel over the surface of the cake. Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pan 10-15 minutes before serving.

Store, covered at room temperature up to 2 days. To serve leftovers, I like to heat slices for 10-15 seconds in the microwave. The blueberry buckle tastes like it’s straight out of the oven. Enjoy!