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Cranberry Buckle with Crumb Topping

This cranberry buckle with crumb topping is a tender cake enriched with sour cream and punctuated with tart cranberries. It makes a lovely autumn dessert, breakfast, or teatime indulgence.

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
Servings: 8 to 12 servings
Calories: 598 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the cake
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for the pan
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • Zest from 1 orange preferably organic
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (for the love of all things good, use full-fat)
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
For the crumb topping
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter cold, cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) chunks
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the cake
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Butter a 9-inch square baking pan*.
  2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
  3. Using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and orange zest together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, and then add the vanilla. Switch to a spoon and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Fold in 1 cup cranberries.
  4. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cranberries over the cake.
Make the crumb topping
  1. Combine the flour, sugars, salt, and butter in the bowl of a food processor or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low speed until the mixture is the texture of coarse crumbs. Drizzle the vanilla over the mixture and either pulse or mix briefly just until incorporated.
  2. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the cranberries that are atop the batter. (We like that this recipe affords a generous amount of crumbly buttery sweetness atop the cake. But it's up to youyou really, really, really don't like crumbs, use just 1 cup or so of the crumb topping and save the rest for another day, stashing the remaining crumb topping in a resealable plastic bag for another buckle and freezing for up to 3 months and saving it for the next time you make this buckle or any crisp, crumble, coffee cake, baked apples, or so on.)
  3. Bake the buckle for 45 to 50 minutes, until lightly golden and firm on top. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack before slicing and serving. The cake will keep, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

Notes

  • If all your 9-inch square baking pans happen to be held hostage by other holiday recipes at the moment, feel free to swap in a similar but slightly different size pan, although be advised that the resulting baking time and thickness of the buckle may vary slightly. In fact, a 9-inch round pan is about 25% smaller than a square pan, which means the resulting cake would be thicker and the baking time slightly longer. Conversely, a 9-by-13-inch baking pan is much bigger than a 9-inch square, so the cake is thinner and bakes faster. We’ve had testers and readers try this in all size pans with success, so rely on what you have available and keep an eye on the oven, testing the cake for doneness at approximately the time given in the recipe above, or just before or after, depending on the size of the pan.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1portion Calories 598kcal (30%) Carbohydrates 82g (27%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 16g (80%) Monounsaturated Fat 7g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 116mg (39%) Sodium 248mg (10%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 46g (92%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8to 12 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 598

% Daily Value*

Serving 1portion
Calories 598kcal 30%
Carbohydrates 82g 27%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 27g 42%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 116mg 39%
Sodium 248mg 10%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 46g 92%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.