Strawberry Buckle

Strawberry Buckle is a delicious berry dessert for spring and summer! A soft and buttery cake that is just packed with seasonal berries, and topped with an easy to make cinnamon crumble.

You can make this simple to make cake for Mother's Day, a special brunch, or all summer long when the berries are the sweetest!

Summer is here. I know, it's not officially here. But school is out. We are enjoying lazier days. Calm days without homework and a list of activities.

overhead image of strawberry buckle cake

Slower days full of intense heat and promises of a cold glass of iced tea on the back porch. Happy days watching my kids playing sometimes in synch, and sometimes not so in synch. Catching up with good books I've been meaning to finish and new ones I can't wait to begin.

image of strawberries

What's with that strawberry? I'm not sure. I've never seen a Siamese strawberry before. My daughter was as fascinated as I was and took that photo.

I started blogging about baking and food last summer. It was something I had wanted to do for quite a few years. It was pretty simple to do, right? You bake or cook something. You photograph it and post it in your cute little blog. Then what?

image of a slice of cake on dishes

Then what happened was I found Twitter. I said my first, "Hello!" to the world of Twitter and a few people responded. Those few people were also food lovers. Talented photographers, thoughtful writers, and travelers. Encouraged and inspired, I was smitten by my new friends.

We were scattered around the world, but connected almost every day to chat a little about our lives and our kitchens. We talked about what we were making and writing. We drooled over each other's travel photos and meals. We shared a common interest and bond: A love of good food.  The list of friends has grown and I'm inspired even more by all the talent I've encountered.

image of slice of cake

One of the first recipes I posted was Deb's Blueberry Buckle. I have to giggle when I look at my photography and writing last summer.I'm tempted to click delete on my Blueberry Buckle post. But I can't! I have to leave it to remind me of where I started. 

I feel I've grown a little since then and hope to keep learning even more as time goes on.My kids fell hard for this little cake and I've baked it too many times to remember since last summer. I've made it with every type of berry. My favorite way to make it is with strawberries.

As soon as the calendar page turns to June, all I want to bake is Buckles, Betties, Pan Dowdies, and Pies. I can't get enough of summer's berries and neither can my family. This buckle recipe is simple to make and you can change in whatever berry you'd like and it will still be just perfect!

Strawberry Buckle
slightly adapted from Smith Bites Blueberry Buckle

For the cake:

¼ cup of butter softened
¾ cup of sugar
1 egg
¾ cup of milk (*this time I used buttermilk instead and it was AMAZING)
zest of lemon
2 cups of flour
2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
¾ teaspoon of salt
2 cups of strawberries (or blueberries, blackberries, a combo of them all even is great!)

Crumble Topping

⅓ cup of butter, softened
½ cup of sugar
⅓ cup of flour
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter and flour 9 inch square or round pan.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the milk and egg; mix well

 Add the flour, lemon zest, baking powder, salt; mix well.

Fold the berries in by hand.

Mix topping ingredients until crumbly. (This is Gabriella's favorite part. She's the official crumble mixer).

Spread cake batter in cake pan, sprinkle topping over batter and bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Some other cake recipes:

Strawberry Buckle

Strawberry Buckle is a delicious berry dessert for spring and summer! A soft and buttery cake that is just packed with seasonal berries, and topped with an easy to make cinnamon crumble.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time43 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, Strawberries
Servings: 6
Author: Lora

Ingredients

  • For the cake:
  • ¼ cup of butter softened
  • ¾ cup of sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ cup of milk *this time I used buttermilk instead and it was AMAZING
  • zest of lemon
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon of salt
  • 2 cups of strawberries or blueberries, blackberries, a combo of them all even is great!
  • For the Crumble Topping:
  • cup of butter softened
  • ½ cup of sugar
  • cup of flour
  • ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter and flour 9 inch square or round pan. In a small bowl, add the flour, zest, baking powder and salt and whisk the ingredients.
  • Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the milk and egg; mix well. Add the flour, lemon zest, baking powder, salt; mix well.
  • Fold the berries in by hand.
  • Mix topping ingredients until crumbly.
  • Spread cake batter in cake pan, sprinkle topping over batter and bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Tried this recipe?Mention @savoringitaly or tag #savoringitaly!

46 Comments

  1. Lovely looking dessert. Just love the fresh berry season and only wish it was a lot longer for us.

  2. I understand the temptation to delete old posts with lousy photos! But this strawberry buckle just makes me so hungry, looking at your gorgeous photos!

  3. That's one crazy looking strawberry! You know the berry season is never quite long enough is it.

  4. I don't know that I've ever tried a Buckle before, and I need to change that ASAP! It looks just marvelous. Wow, cool siamese strawberry!

  5. Amazing strawberry! (I once found one that looked like a chicken.)Amazing buckle too. If I can get up early enough tomorrow before my kitchen gets hot, I'm going to try to make this for work. I bought a ridiculous amount of blueberries at the grocery store this week! I don't tweet, but I have met many wonderful people through blogging- so much fun! 🙂

  6. Wow... 1y is gone already and it seems like yesterday 🙂 Glad to have met you my dear, Twitter as brought many amazing people in my life and really bless the day I signed in!

    Let's share this Buckle together 😀

  7. What a sweet post! I've really enjoyed connecting with you, too, Lora. It's amazing how Twitter and food blogs can connect so many people, all over the world. 🙂 Thanks for including me in you list!

    The buckle is lovely! I have to be sure to try it. I know the whole amily will love it!

  8. You can never have too many strawberry recipes. This buckle is one that I had forgotten about, but will be making soon. Thanks for sharing.

  9. I so agree that all I want to make are desserts that take advantage of this short lived berry season! This buckle looks and sounds delicious! I love strawberry desserts and can't wait to try it!

  10. That is quite interesting to know the story of your journey to blogging! I too met you and the others you have mentioned in the post through Twitter. It really feels good to chat and exchange notes about ones passion with others. food makes the world go round...Love you and glad to know you Lora 🙂

  11. my love & passion for food , photography inspired me to start a food blog. made so many new friends....its great ! people i hardly know are giving tips and being so helpful. its a great feeling and very much appreciated !

  12. I *love* buckles, crumbles, whatever with berries, plums, apples, peaches, etc...yum!

    What inspired me to start writing a food blog? My daughter's best friend Christina got married, and didn't know how to cook. I told her I would start a blog for her with recipes even SHE could handle. She took a picture of her first effort, sent it to me and it was a GOOD first effort 🙂 I had to laugh, because it was banana bread, and
    I wrote "ripe bananas, you know the kind where you look at them and say 'trash!'" She got GREEN bananas, and wondered why it was so hard to smush them LOL

    So, my blog is called "Anyone can cook, even Tina!" 😀 She's gotten a lot better, and is a crock pot queen. I love her like a second daughter, and I'm so tickled she's finally beginning to spread her culinary wings.

  13. I'm always looking for new ways to use strawberries in the summer. I've never actually heard of a buckle...big cook, not such a big baker here! I have to try this. First time here. Can't wait to come back again and look around some more. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Lots of yummy love,
    Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner
    http://www.mawhats4dinner.com

  14. I enjoy your posts and you inviting us into your life and kitchen. It's such a pleasure. I started my food blog after a few people asked for some recipes I had made and then decided to look into food blogs after learning what a blog was. Haha! I had to start one. I'm happy I did. It has provided me with a hobby for myself which is important being a stay at home mama. Itty Bitty just ate the last of our strawberries so this recipe gives me good reason to go out and buy more. Yummy!

  15. Love the Siamese strawberry 🙂 I don't think I've made a buckle yet, but I will. This is my kind of dessert 🙂

  16. Lora, you are a chip off the old block! You radiate such warmth,reaching out to people just like your mom does. I'm glad I've had the chance to discouver you through your mom's blog.

    Even though it's not quite strawberry season here in Canada, I was delighted to buy some really tasty strawberries imported from "our neighbours south of the border" Now I'm tempted to pick up more to give your recipe a try. It looks delicious.

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