Lemon Blueberry Buckle
Posted on July 23, 2010 by Leslie Blythe No comments
Buckle, Crumble, Cobbler, Clafouti, Grunt, Brown Betty, Pandowdy? Huh?
What is the difference between all these desserts? The similarity between them is that they all contain fruit.
Crumble This is my daughter, Zoe’s, specialty, which is basically fresh fruit mixed with sugar and covered in a crumbly topping. The topping is a mixture of brown sugar, oatmeal and butter.
Cobbler
The cobbler is the same thing as a crumble, but it has a biscuit topping, which makes it look like a cobble stone road.
Grunt
Grunts are made on the stove. The biscuit dough is dropped on top of the fruit and the pan is covered so the biscuits steam. The name “grunt” comes from the sound of the bubbles moving through the thick syrup and breaking out between the biscuits. This dessert is also sometimes called a “slump” for the way it slumps on the plate when you serve it.
Brown Betty
The most common Betty is the Apple Brown Betty which is made with brown sugar. A Betty also calls for buttered bread crumbs.
Clafouti
This is a French dessert, which the fruit is topped with either a cake or pudding topping. The Clafouti is often considered a baked pudding.
Buckle
Buckles is more cake like. As it bakes, the fruit sinks to the bottom while the cake rises around the fruit, causing it to “buckle”.
Pandowdy
This dessert has a rolled out pie crust, which you break into pieces when it’s done.
What I like most about these kinds of desserts is that they are “unfussy” easy and fast to throw together using the freshest summer fruits of your choice. All of these MUST to be served with vanilla ice cream or cream!
Lemon Blueberry Buckle
Serves 6 to 8
Crumb topping
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter, cubed, at room temperature
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Add the butter, using a fork or your fingers to cut in the butter until it is reduced to the size of peas. Loosely cover the bowl, and place it in the freezer while you mix the cake batter.
Cake and assembly
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, divided
Crumb topping, chilled
Juice of 2 lemons (about 6 Tbs)
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, three-fourths cup sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Stir the flour mixture into the bowl, a third at a time, alternating with the buttermilk, until both the flour mixture and buttermilk are evenly incorporated into the batter. Gently fold 1 cup of the blueberries into the batter.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and distribute the remaining blueberries evenly over the top of the batter. Remove the crumb topping from the freezer and sprinkle it over the berries.
Bake the cake until it is lightly golden and firm on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through for even baking.
While the cake is baking, make a lemon syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the remaining one-third cup sugar with the lemon juice and whisk until blended. Heat the pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens to a syrupy consistency, 6 to 8 minutes. (The glaze will bubble while cooking and may need to be removed from the heat to check that it is the proper consistency.) Remove from heat and set aside in a warm place.
Remove the cake from the oven and drizzle the warm glaze over. Cool to room temperature. The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, covered in plastic wrap.
