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Cranberry Buckle Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.4 from 61 reviews
  • Author: admin
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This Cranberry Buckle is a moist, tender cake featuring a luscious cranberry-studded base topped with a buttery, crumbly topping. Perfectly balanced with the tartness of cranberries and the rich crumbly texture, it is ideal for festive occasions or cozy afternoons. The recipe uses a clever technique of coating frozen cranberries with flour and chilling the batter to prevent the berries from sinking, resulting in a beautifully layered buckle.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Crumble

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter (cold)
  • 2 cups light brown sugar
  • 2 cups cake flour (approximately 3 Tbsp)
  • Generous 1/2 tsp salt

For the Cake

  • 4 cups cranberries
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cake flour (sifted)
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with non-stick spray, line it with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
  2. Make the Crumble – Cut Butter: Cut the cold unsalted butter into small cubes and set aside.
  3. Make the Crumble – Combine Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together light brown sugar, cake flour, and salt. Add the cubed butter and use your hands to incorporate it until various sized crumbs form with no loose flour or sugar left. Chill the crumble mixture in the refrigerator.
  4. Prepare the Cranberries: Place 4 cups cranberries in a medium bowl, lightly spray with cooking spray (optional), and toss with 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour to coat. This helps prevent sinking. Freeze cranberries until ready to use.
  5. Mix Dry Ingredients for Cake: In a separate bowl, whisk 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup sifted cake flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
  6. Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Reduce speed to medium, add vanilla extract, then gradually add 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  7. Whip Butter and Sugar: Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes), stopping to scrape the bowl if needed.
  8. Add Eggs: Reduce speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each to ensure even mixing.
  9. Add Dry Ingredients and Cream: Lower mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredient mixture in three parts alternating with the heavy cream (3/4 cup). Start and end with the dry ingredients, scraping the bowl after the second dry addition. Stop mixing when the batter retains some dry flour spots.
  10. Fold in Cranberries: Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in 3 cups of the floured frozen cranberries gently using a rubber spatula.
  11. Chill Batter: Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to prevent sinking of berries during baking.
  12. Add Remaining Cranberries and Crumble: Remove the pan from the refrigerator. Sprinkle the top evenly with the remaining 1 cup cranberries. Cover the berries with the chilled crumble mixture, pinching crumbs between fingers to create large, irregular chunks.
  13. Bake the Buckle: Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. Rotate the pan halfway through baking for even cooking.
  14. Cool and Serve: Let the cake cool to room temperature before slicing. For a warm serving, enjoy with whipped cream. Store wrapped tightly on the counter for a few days or freeze slices, reheating wrapped in foil at 350°F.
  15. Tips to Prevent Sinking Berries: Using frozen, floured cranberries, chilling the batter before baking, and topping with additional berries under the crumble topping all help keep berries suspended throughout the bake.

Notes

  • Spraying cranberries with cooking spray before flouring helps the flour stick to berries and prevents sinking, but is optional.
  • Using cake flour in both the crumble and cake contributes to a tender texture.
  • Chilling the batter before baking enhances the texture and prevents sinking berries.
  • The buckle keeps well at room temperature when tightly wrapped and freezes beautifully.
  • Reheat frozen slices wrapped in foil at 350°F for best results.
  • Rotate the pan halfway through baking to ensure even cooking and browning.

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Find it online: https://dailydinnersolutions.com/cranberry-buckle-recipe/