Remember how I said those muffins from yesterday were *half* of breakfast? Well, these were the other half. It’s always a little bit of an adjustment when you have guests – if there’s a couple staying with us, a dessert that might last us all week will last half as long. And when we are feeding five more than usual, well, things disappear pretty quickly! But I like that, because it means I get to bake more things. And I try to make this blog about the things we actually eat, so when I can cook more things, I can make more blog posts. And, new baked goods are delicious. Win, win, win situation.

I like this “buckle” because it is like a coffee cake, but with more fruit. Plus the batter is wonderfully thick, which makes for an excellent crumb and moistness level.

For the buckle:
2 cups cake flour (got cornstarch? Then make your own cake flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
15 ounces fresh whole blueberries

For the topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
2 oz. unsalted butter, quite cold

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9×9 inch glass brownie pan/baking dish.

With the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for about one minute, until light and fluffy. Next, add in the egg and beat until it is well combined (It won’t take long).

Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and ginger in a small bowl or tupperware. Have the milk measured and ready to go.

With the mixer on low, add the flour and milk in alternating batches (3 should do it). The batter will be very, very thick. Lastly, add the berries. Then scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Combine the flour, sugar and nutmeg for the topping in a bowl, and then smoosh the butter into it using a fork, until it has a mealy texture. Sprinkle on top of the batter. Bake for 35 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Allow time to cool before you serve – ours was still quite warm almost an hour after we took it out of the oven.

This recipe is from Alton Brown. It is perfect the way it is.