Blueberry and Cherry Crumble

Blueberry and Cherry Crumble

As a child, I spent many years in the New England area of the United States. Now I don't know if you know this or not, but one of the native treats of the northeastern part of the country are blueberries. Blueberries are native to the United States, and they grow wonderfully in New England. The summer blueberry harvest was my favorite time of year growing up. One dish that has always stuck with me from that part of my life is my grandmother's blueberry buckle. Made from local fresh blueberries, that buckle was something that I looked forward to having every summer. That memory is what inspired this Blueberry and Cherry Crumble recipe. I used her recipe as a base and added flavors like summer cherries (for a blueberry cherry crisp) and rolled oat crumb topping.

What Do You Call It?

This is a recipe that goes by many names. Is it a Cherry Blueberry Buckle? Or maybe it's a crisp….or a sweet bread…or cake.  The rub is, that all of those things just named belong to the same family of baked goods. This recipe for example started as a buckle, but it doesn't fit that name. The buckle is called buckle because as the batter cooks, the weight of the fruit pulls down on the cake, causing the center of the dish to collapse or “buckle”. But by cooking this dish in a large cast iron skillet, we don't let it get thick enough to buckle. So is it cake? Eh…Not with a rolled oat crumb topping. Some people might call this a crisp because of that topping, but to me, that is a stretch. So we settled on bread, Cast Iron Cherry Blueberry Bread with Crumb Topping to be specific. Call it whatever you like, it will still taste great. Let's get cooking.

Blueberry and Cherry Crumble

Ingredients for the crumble

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 2 oz unsalted butter, room temp
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 cup fresh cherries, pit removed

Ingredients for the topping

• >1/3 cup brown sugar
• >1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a 10-inch cast iron skillet with food release spray and set aside. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, use a 9×9 baking pan (it will take a little longer to cook).

Place the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, lemon zest, and ginger in a mixing bowl and combine. Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and beat for an additional 30 seconds. Add 1/2 the flour mixture and mix until combined, then mix in 1/2 of the milk. Repeat this step with the remaining flour and milk. Gently fold in the blueberries and cherries, then pour the mixture into the greased cast iron skillet.

To make the topping for your blueberry cherry crisp, combine everything except the butter in a small bowl and mix well. Add the butter to the mixture and cut it into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter. Continue to work the cold butter into the dry ingredients until a crumb texture is achieved. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the batter that is in the cast iron skillet.

Bake your Cast Iron Cherry Blueberry Bread with Crumb Topping on the middle rack of the oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until the buckle is golden in color and the center cooked through. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. The dish can be served warm or at room temperature and is great with a little ice cream.

We hope that you are inspired by this Blueberry and Cherry Crumble recipe. If you gave it a try, let us know what you think in the comments. For more inspiration, check out our Cast Iron Chicken Pot Pie. Happy baking!

Print Recipe

Cast Iron Cherry Blueberry Bread with Crumb Topping

Ingredients:

Ingredients for the cake

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 2 oz unsalted butter, room temp
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 cup fresh cherries, pit removed

Ingredients for the topping

• >1/3 cup brown sugar
• >1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray a 10 inch cast iron skillet with food release spray and set aside. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, use a 9×9 baking pan (it will take a little longer to cook).
3. Place the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, lemon zest, and ginger in a mixing bowl and combine. Set aside.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and beat for an additional 30 seconds. Add 1/2 the flour mixture and mix until combined, then mix in 1/2 of the milk. Repeat this step with the remaining flour and milk. Gently fold in the blueberries and cherries, then pour the mixture into the greased cast iron skillet.
5. To make the topping, combine everything except the butter in a small bowl and mix well. Add the butter to the mixture and cut it into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter. Continue to work the cold butter into the dry ingredients until a crumb texture is achieved. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the batter that is in the cast iron skillet.
6. Bake your Cast Iron Cherry Blueberry Bread with Crumb Topping on the middle rack of the oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until the buckle is golden in color and the center cooked through. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Buckle can be served warm or room temperature, and is great with a little ice cream.