Nectarine-Blackberry Buckle

If you decide to try this recipe. I would like to apologize in advance for making you use so… many bowls. I am usually a pretty efficient person in the kitchen, meaning that I try to use as few bowls, utensils, and in general just fewer things to wash as much as possible. But in the course of making this recipe, somehow I ended up with no less than five bowls. I mean, that is excessive! It is probably worth it, though. If I didn’t try to pace him, Ryann wouldn’t have any trouble polishing off a third of it in one sitting.

Ingredients for streusel:

• 0.5 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 0.75 cup brown sugar
• 0.25 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 0.75 tsp cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp salt

Ingredients for buckle:

• 0.5 cup (1 standard stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 0.75 tsp salt
• 0.75 tsp cinnamon
• 0.75 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 0.67 (2/3) cup whole milk
• 1 lb. nectarine, pitted and sliced into wedges – I usually quarter the nectarine, and then slice each quarter into 3-4 slices
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup blackberries

Directions:

1. We’re going to start with making streusel first, boys and girls. In a medium bowl (that’s bowl #1), stir all ingredients for streusel until they are all mixed well. Set this mixture aside so all the dry ingredients can get hydrated with the butter.
2. Now we’ll start making the buckle: Prepare your pan and preheat the oven to 350°F. This time around, I used three mini loaf pans because I wanted to share it with friends and neighbors but I usually use two round pans (8- or 9- inch will work). You can also use a large (maybe 12-inch or so) cast iron pan for a rustic look. Butter your pan(s) or spray with non-stick spray.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl (that’s bowl #3). Mix well. In a large bowl (that’s bowl #4), whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Stir in the milk, and then stir in dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Mix until just combined.
4. Put the nectarine wedges in a medium bowl (that’s bowl #5) and toss with lemon juice. Spread the cake batter into the prepared pan(s) and then lay the nectarine on top. You can lay them nicely or haphazardly, it doesn’t matter because both methods will result in deliciousness. Tuck in blackberries in any remaining empty spots. By the time you’re done, you should feel really good because this is looking more like a fruit salad than a coffee cake.
5. Take your streusel mixture and clump them in your hands before gently crumbling them on top of the fruits. Please make sure you don’t just scatter the streusel, but really take the time to clump them and then crumbling into large “boulders.” This is the make or break of your cake. #streuselgoals
   
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Test by inserting tooth pick into the center of your cake. A little wetness is fine because of all the fruits but you shouldn’t see any uncooked batter. If you do, bake for another 5 minutes. My streusel topping didn’t turn out as golden brown as I liked so I did cheat by turning on the broiler for a few minutes at the end of baking. Don’t worry, it’ll still taste wonderful if you skipped this.

Some of you may be confused because the title says Buckle but I’ve been calling it cake or coffee cake. They’re basically the same thing. I read somewhere that it’s called buckle because the fruit will buckle under the batter when this coffee cake is baked.

Another note: I’ve successfully made this recipe with peaches, sans blackberries. With the versatility of the batter, this should work well with many different kinds of fruits: cherries, blueberries, perhaps even strawberries. Try it out and let me know!

Last but not least, I used a total of five bowls! I’m sorry again for making you wash so many dishes…