They are some culinary combos that work so well together - chocolate and peanut butter, strawberries and rhubarb, rice and beans, oil and vinegar (I know they don't mix but when you shake them together they make for some great dressing). One combo that I am discovering more and more work so well together is peaches and berries. The flavors of any type of berry seems to work well with the flavor of peaches. I have done several experiments with peach-berry jam mixture. So I thought it was time to take that combo to the baking world.
One of my favorite desserts of the summer is a buckle. A buckle is simply fruit baked into a yellow cake batter and topped with a streusel topping. I like the moist cake with the fresh fruit and the crunch the topping adds. It's a well balance dessert. I have made buckles before with blueberries and I have made them with peaches. This year, I decided why not do both at the same time! So I took my favorite buckle recipe from Alton Brown and replaced half of the blueberries with peaches. The best part about using these two fruits together is that they are both in season here in Michigan at the same time. So they are both flavorful and plentiful together.
Ingredients
For the batter
- 9 ounces cake flour about 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
- 5 ¼ ounces sugar about ¾ cup
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups fresh whole blueberries
- 1 ½ cups fresh sliced peaches
For the topping:
- 1 ½ ounces cake flour about ⅓ cup
- 3 ½ ounces sugar about ½ cup
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 ounces cold butter cut into cubes
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and ginger. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Then add in the egg and mix until fully incorporated.
- Take turns adding the milk and flour mixture with the mixer set to low speed.
- Do about ⅓ of each at a time. Let them fully incorporate and then do the other.
- Stop the mixer and gently stir in the fruit, Don't mix it in with the mixer.
To make the topping
- Combine the flour, sugar, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Using your hands rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
To bake the buckle
- Pour the batter into 8 or 9 inch baking dish. Round or square whatever you like. I prefer round, so I can cut it into wedges. Make sure you spray the baking dish with non-stick spray before adding the batter.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Allow the buckle to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Will be good for a couple days after baking.
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