Blueberry Peach Buckle with Almond Streusel

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A New Orleans-style summer buckle: one rich almond coffee-cake batter spread in the pan, blueberries and peach wedges dropped over the top, and a brown-sugar almond streusel showered over everything. As it bakes the cake climbs up around the fruit and 'buckles' — the top goes craggy and golden while the crumb underneath stays custardy from the sour cream and almond paste. Frozen fruit works beautifully off-season (don't thaw it), so this is a dessert you can make in February and still taste like July. Serve it warm from the pan with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the cracks.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 oz almond paste, broken into pieces
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 2 cups peaches, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch wedges (or frozen peach slices)
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

• 1 pint vanilla bean ice cream
• powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the lower third. Butter a 9-inch square metal baking pan (or a 10-inch cast iron skillet) and line the bottom with parchment if using the pan.
2. Make the streusel first so it can chill: in a bowl, stir together 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar, sliced almonds, cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt. Add the cold cubed butter and rub it in with your fingertips until you have damp clumps the size of peas and hazelnuts — stop while it's still lumpy. Refrigerate while you build the cake.
3. Toss the fruit: in a second bowl, combine the blueberries, peach wedges, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and lemon juice. If you're using frozen fruit, use it straight from the freezer — do not thaw — and toss quickly so the cornstarch coats the icy surfaces. Set aside.
4. Whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt in a small bowl.
5. In a stand mixer with the paddle (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the almond paste with the granulated sugar on medium until the paste is broken down into fine sandy crumbs, about 1 minute. Add the softened butter and beat on medium-high for 3 full minutes, scraping the bowl once, until pale and fluffy with no almond paste lumps.
6. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and almond extracts, mixing 30 seconds after each addition. The batter may look slightly split — it will come together.
7. On low speed, add half the flour mixture, then the sour cream, then the remaining flour, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. The batter will be thick, like frosting.
8. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it level with an offset spatula. Scatter the fruit evenly over the top, spreading it to the edges — don't stir or press it in; the cake will rise up around it as it bakes.
9. Squeeze the chilled streusel into clumps and scatter it over the fruit, covering as much surface as you can.
10. Bake 55 to 65 minutes (add 8 to 12 minutes if you used frozen fruit), until the top is deep golden, the fruit juices bubble thickly at the edges, and a skewer pushed into the cake between fruit comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. If the streusel darkens too fast after 40 minutes, tent loosely with foil.
11. Cool in the pan on a rack for at least 30 minutes — the crumb needs that time to set. Dust with powdered sugar if you like, cut into 9 squares, and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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