You may never have heard of a blueberry buckle, but seeing these pictures of my gluten free Blueberry Buckle, you’ll probably want a slice!
This old fashioned recipe is in the coffee cake family and relies on lots of extra fresh berries to make it special.
Unlike a typical coffee cake, this gluten free Blueberry Buckle Cake “buckles” under the yummy streusel topping, and both the topping and the copious amounts of berries wind up sinking into the cake itself.
(For more yummy gluten free blueberry recipes, check out my gluten free berry cobbler, gluten free old fashioned blueberry cobbler and gluten free oatmeal crisp recipes!)
The batter is thicker than usual in order to support the topping and berries, so don’t be put off by a batter that doesn’t just pour into the pan — this one will need to be spread with a spatula. But don’t go substituting a brown rice-based flour in this recipe either, as it will just make a dense, gritty cake that you won’t be proud to serve anyone.
My light and clean gfJules Flour is what Chef Patrick used to create this recipe, and it’s what you should also use if you want these same beautiful and tasty results.
And speaking of Chef Patrick, if you don’t know of him, you’re missing out on some inspiring allergen-friendly recipes. He’s a kitchen genius when it comes to gluten free and food allergen free baking, so I recommend checking him out on Facebook. He shared this recipe with me after he created it with my gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. I made a few changes, but the heart of the recipe came from him.
If you have my cookbook, Free For All Cooking, you may have already tried my gluten free Blueberry Buckle Cake recipe from there; it’s a lot like this one, only it makes a much bigger buckle. So if you’re looking to feed a crowd, check out that recipe for another choice!
Bake this cake in a round springform pan like I have — either a 7-inch for a thicker cake (pictured above) and add bake time, or a 9-inch springform (pictured below) for a more traditional single layer cake — or simply use an 8 or 9 inch baking pan. You could even use a tube or bundt pan.
The wider the pan, the less time needed for baking, so start checking your cake at about 40 minutes to be sure it’s not going to overcook. Each time I’ve made this recipe, I needed more time, but Chef Patrick’s cake baked in a 9×9 baking dish only took 35-40 minutes — just be aware ….
I know many of you will ask, so I’ll go ahead and say it here: while you may use frozen blueberries for this cake, it turns out prettier with fresh berries.
Frozen berries tend to stain the batter and make it a little grayish in color; fresh berries rolled in my gfJules Flour will stay intact and not color the batter at all. Rolling them in flour before adding to the batter also helps to keep them from clumping together when baking, contributing to a prettier result.
One more thing: you can use anywhere between 2-3 cups of berries. I don’t want you to not make this cake just because you don’t have 3 cups of fresh berries (that’s a lot of berries!). It’s pictured made with 2 cups of berries and 3 cups of berries — they’re both delicious!
However you slice it, this scrumptious gluten free Blueberry Buckle Cake makes a coffee cake-like breakfast treat (anything with yogurt is breakfast, right?) or a respectable dessert, and it’s a great way to show off the abundant fresh berries of the season!
Gluten Free Blueberry Buckle Cake
Gluten Free Blueberry Buckle Cake
This classic "Buckle" cake is a cross between a coffee cake and your favorite dessert cake. The streusel topping sinks in along with the berries and permeates the entire cake, making it yummy, through and through!
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups (270 grams) gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- 4 Tablespoons butter or vegan alternative (Earth Balance Buttery Sticks) room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg or 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal steeped in 3 tablespoons of warm water for 5 minutes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup milk, dairy or non-dairy (coconut milk or soy milk work well)
- 2 cups fresh whole blueberries + more gfJules Flour
Topping:
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg or allspice
- 1 teaspoon baking power
- 4 Tablespoons butter or vegan alternative (Earth Balance Buttery Sticks) chilled & cubed
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Spray a 9 by 9-inch baking dish or round springform pan (as pictured) with oil and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the gfJules flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon and lemon zest. Set aside.
Beat together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
Add half the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated and then add half of the milk and beat until incorporated. Repeat, alternating flour and milk until fully incorporated.
Rinse blueberries and toss in a bowl with a small amount of gfJules Flour until coated. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter, then pour into the prepared baking pan. Set aside while you make the topping.
In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, gfJules Flour, spices and baking powder.
Add the cold butter and cut into the dry ingredients using a fork or pastry cutter to combine. It will make a crumbly mixture that is not uniform.
Sprinkle the mixture across the top of the cake batter.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45-55 minutes (depending on the pan) or until golden in color, them middle isn't sunken in and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with some crumbs attached, not wet.
Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 260Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 44mgSodium 253mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 2gSugar 28gProtein 3g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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Substituted frozen raspberries for blueberries and it worked well! Such great flavour. Needed to cook for closer to an hour with the frozen fruit
Oh yum – I bet that was a beautiful buckle, too! Thanks so much for adding your baking time for the frozen fruit, Kendra! Share a pic next time — I gotta see that gluten free raspberry buckle!
~jules
Can this be made ahead and frozen? We are going on a trip and I’m making food ahead of time to take along and need some make ahead breakfast items.
Hi Sandy, yes this is definitely freezable!
~jules
Made some adjustments for high-altitude since I live in Colorado, but this turned out perfectly. Moist, sweet enough but not overly sweet, and suitable to serve to anyone, even those who say they don’t like gluten free. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks, Jules!
So glad this gluten free blueberry buckle cake turned out so well for you Justine, even at high altitude! Thanks so much for letting me know!
~jules
I live in CO also. Would you be willing to share the adjustments you made?
The buckle is delicious! I followed the recipe exactly- however increased temperature to 330 and baked on convect for 50 minutes. Gluten free recipes normally need higher temperature and longer cool times. Thank you for sharing!!!
Glad it worked out for you with those modifications, JS. Thanks for sharing and so happy you loved the gluten free blueberry buckle recipe!!!
~jules
I made this cake – I love blueberry anything. It was very thick, however. I had trouble putting it into the baking pan. It ended up in the oven 70 minutes; I had to toss it as the middle did not cook. What did I do wrong? I always use your products and recipes and never have a problem.
Sorry!
I have made many GF recipes including this one. This one turned out amazingly moist. I ended up making lemon curd and serving on top. 1 amazing dish. I’m curious can you double the recipe to make 2 Bundt cakes (assuming you have 2 ovens)? Can you double any GF Jules recipe?
Hi Katie, I’m so sorry I missed seeing your question earlier! I’m thrilled to hear you loved this recipe, though! Lemon curd on top sounds AMAZING!!!!!! I’m dying to run back into the kitchen and make THAT combo right now!
As for your question, generally you can double most recipes, as long as you have a mixer that can handle it. I haven’t personally doubled this one yet, but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. I hope that helps! Maybe you’ve already tried it? Do let me know, if so!
Happy baking!
~jules
This is a fantastic recipe! I used unsweetened macadamia milk for the liquid and it worked beautifully, just an fyi, and while the batter was so stodgy it was a bit tricky to mix in the blueberries, less “folding” and more almost mashing, it baked up beautifully and the texture is almost like a muffin.
I honestly still have a hard time paying so dearly for a gf flour mix, but the consistent results, that truly mimic typical wheat based baked goods, have made your flour a staple in my pantry. Thank you for sharing these great recipes!
So happy to hear of your success with this and so many other recipes, Anna-Lynn. I do understand the expense, believe me! It winds up being cheaper and more emotionally beneficial (!) to use a premium product you know will turn out and be so delicious, than buying less expensive ingredients and winding up throwing the recipes in the trash because no one will eat them. I try to make the cost as affordable as possible, but the best results come from the best ingredients, so it really is what it is. I’m just glad that you know you can trust and rely on my flour and mixes to work for you every time!
Thanks also for your note about mixing in the blueberries – perhaps it will help others who are struggling with the batter to know that is normal and the finished product is worth it!!!
May all your baking be happy!
~jules
I have a couple buckle recipes I’ve made and this is by far the best. I did use frozen blueberries but tossed them in flour before adding them to the cake. It didn’t turn the cake purple. I felt it would take longer to cook because the pan felt like a frozen ball. It tood 5-10 minutes longer only. DELICIOUS!
So fantastic to hear, Christina! And yes, tossing frozen berries in gluten free flour first is always a good idea to keep them separated in the batter and also to preserve the color of the batter. I’m happy you are so pleased with this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
~jules
I used Jules GF flour and the dough was extremely thick as others said. I trusted that it would all work out even though I could pick up the dough in clumps. The blueberries did not incorporate into the dough. I tried to layer dough on the bottom of the pan and blueberries on top then more dough and topping. Once the topping is on it looked better. The flavor is good and the cooked blueberries are delightful. The cake part is dense and heavy.
Hi D. I’m sorry you had difficulty with the recipe. From others’ comments, you’ve probably seen that the batter is supposed to be very thick. I hope you get to try it again; without the berries mixed in, the cake would be more dense because there would be less liquid.
~jules
I have lots of u-pick berries in my freezer. Will they work in this recipe or do they need to he fresh?
Oh yes, Susan, they’ll work just fine! I like to rinse the berries and then dry them before rolling in more gfJules Flour to help keep them separated and from staining the batter. Enjoy!
~jules
Sorry Jules but this Blueberry Buckle cake recipe does not
result in a happy baker…or eater…
I have never used your site or recipes before but do have the
best Gluten Free flour /Bob’s Red Mill/ next to yours…
I follow a new recipe to the nth degree as I do not want to
anticipate anything but what you had in mind….
The end result was a mealy, crumbly cake that had no
structure or firmness, In my humble opinion, I think you
need more moisture–like 2 eggs instead of 1 egg,
And at least 1 cup of liquid instead of 1/2 cup…and I am
not willing to try this recipe again…so not sure it will do the
trick but overall it needs MORE liquid-my opinion.
Hi Dee, thanks for the feedback and I’m sorry the results were disappointing, but I’m not at all surprised. Unlike wheat flour, gluten free flours only work together in BLENDS. And all blends are different. Bob’s Red Mill flour is nothing like my gfJules Flour, so the results should be quite different as well (flour is the basis for all baking recipes, after all!). My gfJules Flour is light and fine and not at all gritty, so it produces baked goods that are soft, moist and tender like they should be. I hope you try it sometime — it will revolutionize your baking! In the meantime, don’t waste your time with store-bought gluten free flours in recipes that call for something else. You’ll derive far better results following recipes as they are written. Here’s more information on different gluten free flours and their differences for you.
Best,
~jules
This is an amazing cake I made for GF friends, no one else knew it was GF. I’ve made this recipe 3 times with fantastic success. Used buttermilk as my liquid as well, delicious! In my oven it takes a bit longer to cook. Thank you Jules😉
Oh I’m so happy to hear it, Victoria! And yes, all ovens can be a bit different, so it’s good to make a note when you find it needs more time in your oven … for next time!
~jules
I served this to my mah-jongg friends and everyone loved it. No one guessed it was gluten and dairy free. It is dense, delicious, and moist. The tricky part is folding the berries into the very thick batter without crushing them.
Thank you for sharing Chef Patrick’s Facebook page. His recipes look enticing and super thought out and tested. Just like yours. Can’t wait to try several.
I sincerely appreciate all you have done over the many years for the gluten-free community.
Aw, thank you so much, Sandy! I’m thrilled that you tried this recipe and that everyone enjoyed it. And yes, chef Patrick is a super star! I love that he trusts my gfJules Flour for his baking and shares so many wonderful recipes!
~jules
I was disappointed. This was crumbly and didn’t taste great. I’ve made a much better crumble with Aldi’s GF yellow cake mix.
Hi kt – so sorry you were disappointed in the results. What gluten free flour did you use? It doesn’t sound at all like the results you’d get with my gfJules Flour.
~jules
Amazing! Moist and delicious! Made it with freshly picked blueberries. Wouldn’t change a thing;-)
So happy you loved it, Christina!
~jules
Nice moist and delicious. Made with wild fresh picked blueberries. Will. Make again
Fantastic to hear, Denaleigh! Glad to hear it’s a recipe you’ll make again!
~jules
Right there in the dictionary, next to the word “decadent” is a picture of this amazing dish! Every time I have it, I wish I had the opportunity to enjoy it even more. It’s perfect.
could i change blueberries to rhubarb
Hi Louise, yes of course!
~jules
I substituted cut up fresh peaches for part of the blueberries and it was fantastic. A real winner. Best when still warm from the oven, but also good warmed up later, if any is still around.
Good to know, Jerri! That sounds delicious!!!
~jules
Just made the blueberry buckle last night; it is delicious! I had trouble folding the blueberries into the batter; the batter was very thick. I used a springform pan.
I’m so glad you loved it, Beth! Sometimes batters for GF are really thick or really thin but they turn out great when cooked – it’s an exercise in trust, I guess! 🙂
~jules