Blueberry buckle

When blueberries are in season in the summer, I make blueberry buckle.  The buckle is very much like a coffee cake with a streusel topping.  It is one of the hardest recipes I make though.  I usually confine myself to recipes that are few ingredients and can be made in 10 to 15 minutes.  This is the exception. 


What makes the recipe so hard to make is that the batter is very thick and sticky.  You have to pour one half of the batter into the pan and spread it out.  I can never get it evenly over the whole pan.  Then you put half of the streusel topping on the batter and pour the remaining batter on top of that and spread it around.  Because it's so thick and sticky, you end up mixing some of the streusel in with the batter.  It looks a bit of a mess until you put the remaining streusel on top.


Be careful not to overcook the buckle.  Last time I made this, I forgot to check it at the 25-minute mark and mine was crispy around the edges.


So, here's the recipe:

BLUEBERRY BUCKLE

1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening, softened
2 eggs
1 cup milk
4 cups sifted all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups fresh blueberries (I usually buy a pint which is only 2 cups)

STREUSEL MIXTURE

1 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons flour
4 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together (I actually skip this step).  Mix thoroughly the sugar, shortening and eggs.  Stir in the milk, and then the dry ingredients (I add one cup of flour and one teaspoon baking powder at a time and mix).  Mix well.  Add the blueberries and stir by hand to mix.  Pour one half of the batter into a 13" greased and floured cake pan.  Sprinkle with one half of the streusel mixture.  Pour the remaining half of the batter into the pan, and top with the remaining streusel mixture.  Bake 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.