Description
This vegan Blueberry Buckle is a delightful, moist, and tender cake bursting with fresh or frozen blueberries and topped with a spiced, crumbly streusel. Perfectly balanced with cinnamon and light brown sugar, this plant-based dessert is easy to prepare and bakes to golden perfection, making it an ideal treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (60g)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed (50g)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (2.5g)
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup vegan butter, cold and cubed (56g)
Cake Batter
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (7g)
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened (112g)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed (150g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5mL)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (6g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (1.5g)
- ½ cup unsweetened plant milk (almond, oat, soy, etc.) (120mL)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (300g)
Instructions
- Prepare the Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add cold cubed vegan butter and use a pastry cutter or fork to blend until the mixture forms coarse, sandy crumbs with some pea-sized clumps. Refrigerate while preparing the cake batter.
- Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease an 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) baking pan and line with parchment paper for easy removal. A 9×9 inch pan will also work.
- Make flaxseed egg substitute: In a small bowl, mix ground flaxseed with 4 tablespoons of plant milk taken from the total amount. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes to thicken.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened vegan butter with the brown sugar for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add flavorings: Mix in vanilla extract and thickened flaxseed mixture until well combined.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Incorporate flour and milk: Alternately add the flour mixture and plant milk to the creamed mixture in three additions, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined; do not overmix.
- Fold in blueberries: Gently fold blueberries into the batter using a spatula. If using frozen blueberries, fold them in directly without thawing.
- Transfer to pan and add streusel: Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan, optionally scatter a few extra blueberries on top, then sprinkle the chilled streusel topping evenly over the batter.
- Bake: Bake for 45–50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and serve: Let the buckle cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Use frozen blueberries straight from the freezer to prevent the batter from turning blue and watery.
- The flaxseed and plant milk mixture acts as an egg replacement, making this recipe fully vegan.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep the buckle tender and light.
- Chilling the streusel topping helps maintain its crumbly texture after baking.
- For easiest removal, line the pan with parchment paper extending over the edges.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
