Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Plum Buckle



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Tucked into that corner of the world occupied by crisps, cobblers and grunts, is yet another treasure called a buckle. The buckle is a rich butter cake that's topped with fruit. It gets its name because the surface of the cake appears to buckle as the cake batter rises around the topping. I think the best and most delicious version of this cake is made with plums. It tastes like a Viennese kuchen but it is much easier to prepare. While I serve this cake for breakfast or for brunch, it also makes a wonderful dessert. It is quite simple to do, though you should be aware there is one irritating problem associated with the cake. It's done when it chooses to be done and the time it requires to bake is variable. Some days the cake bakes in less than an hour, other days it takes more time. I suspect the amount of moisture in the fruit explains the discrepancy but you'll be fine, as long as you keep the cake in the oven until you are sure its center is set. This is a cake that is best served warm and eaten on the day it is made. It stales quickly. This is a treasure that I hope you will try. Here's the recipe.

Plum Buckle
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Sunset Magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 small lemon
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup milk
4 cups sliced unpeeled firm-ripe plums (about 4 large)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground mace

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter an 8 x 8 x 2-inch pyrex pan. Set aside.
2) Combine butter and 1 cup sugar in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at high speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel.
3) Combine flour, baking powder,salt and nutmeg in another bowl. Whisk to combine. Stir half the flour mixture into butter mixture , then add milk followed with remainder of flour mixture. Stir just until incorporated. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Overlap plum slices on top of batter. Combine reserved 2 tablespoons sugar with cinnamon and mace. Sprinkle over plums.
4) Bake in a 325 degree oven until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes (it may take longer than this) . Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 9 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Plum and Hazelnut Crumble Slice - The English Kitchen
Cinnamon Streusel Plum Cake - My Kitchen in the Rockies
Plum Galette/Plum Crostada - My Kitchen Snippets
Plum and Cherry Compote - Nami Nami
Plum Tart - Being Suzy Homemaker
Plum Cardamom Ice Cream - Cristine Cooks

64 comments :

Lucie said...

I just had some nice fresh plums for breakfast--but your plum buckle would have been even better! Great dessert, Mary!

Chele said...

Wonderful buckle recipe - I'm addicted to buckle recipes at the moment!

Alessandra said...

Buckle... another term I didn't know. Thank you Mary, reading you is always so interesting.

The cake looks amazing.

ciao
A.

Joyti said...

O my, that looks delicious! I havent utilized plums this year, but I may have to change that.

lavenderuses said...

Hi Mary
Haven't visited your site for awhile so thought I would drop by. Wow cake for breakfast! And there's me encouraging a healthy lifestyle lol
Your recipes look delicious and you are obviously a great cook.
Can I please ask you do you have any lavender recipes I could share with my readers?
Patricia Perth Australia
http://www.lavenderuses.com

Rita said...

That is a real treasure of a recipe and I will try it when Èi get back home.

Sushma Mallya said...

Very interesting name, looks very lovely as well..

Red Nomad OZ said...

How decadent to have this for breakfast!! Sounds fabulous!

Jamie said...

Oh Mary, this is heaven!! Just made my peach cobbler and was dreaming of a plum dessert next and this one is perfect! Husband can enjoy it for breakfast and I'll nibble at it all the rest of the day. Perfect!

Kim said...

I never hate that king of cake, but it seems so tender and delicious with the plums!

Katerina said...

It looks so fluffy and moist. That would go great with a hot cup of tea.

Ciao Chow Linda said...

I could dig right into that luscious buckle. Did you use those Italian prune plums? They bake up so well.

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

Hullo Mary,how are u?
I love the world of crisps,crumbles and cobblers and am happy to meet the buckle in the most delicious way here!!
Sounds fantastic!!!

Simply Life said...

wow, I don't think I've ever seen plums look so good :)

Patti said...

I'm not a huge fan of plums, but maybe I would like them in this dessert. It does sound really delicious.

Thank you for sharing,
Patti

Unknown said...

Another fantastic recipe, Mary! I love buckles, though I have never had a plum one, I bet this is delicious! Thanks for sharing! Hope your holiday weekend was a good one.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Handsdown one of the best plum recipes in the blogosphere Mary. Hope you had a wonderful weekend:D

Allie and Pattie said...

Mary, I thought I was the only one who ever even heard of a buckle! I've only ever seen them served in New York's Hudson Valley where we lived for a time. I have never seen or heard them mentioned here in the South and simply assumed it was a regional thing. Plums are just perfect for this wonderful breakfast dish (it was MOST popular for church breakfasts and ladies' brunches)
xoxo Pattie

Martha said...

I've not made a buckle although I do love crisps and cobblers and such. I'll have to try this -- plums are at market!

Cathy said...

I was going to make my grandmother's prune kuchen today but I'm going to try your recipe instead. This looks delish, Mary.

Satya said...

hello mary
plum buckle looks very delicious , beautiful color n inviting .... there r some plums lying in my fridge ,so must try them ...glad to visit u ..if u get time do visit my space..

Satya
http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

High Plains Drifters said...

Forget about whether our kids can read, write, and do their timeses and guhzintoos ... I want to make sure every American can tell the difference between a buckle, crisp, and cobbler. Cheers!

kath said...

Beautiful photo of your yummy-looking buckle, Mary! I love the way it looks on the blue and white plate. Wish I had a piece for breakfast right now!

Unknown said...

Never tried a buckle before, I just love my sweets - This looks great

Susi's Kochen und Backen said...

I don't think I have ever eaten a Buckle :o) However it looks like a cake my mom and Oma used to make with apples. I'm bookmarking this, since it sounds delicious and I'm sure my family would love it :o)

FOODESSA said...

Mary...I got just a few Italian plums this past weekend...certainly not enough to make this scrumptious dessert. I guess...I'll have to keep your recipe for next week's baking ;o)

Ciao for now,
Claudia

Ginny Hartzler said...

When I first saw your title, I was hoping you'd tell us the name origon, and I was right, yes!!! Now I want to know how the Grunt and Cobbler got their names, as well. This is very pretty!

My Little Space said...

Hmm..mm.. this is absolutely marvellous! I'm drooling here. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Have a great day, Mary.
Cheers, kristy

Barbara said...

The plums are just perfect right now, Mary. I love grunts, buckles, crisps and anything else that falls into those categories.
This recipe looks divine! Think I will be making it next weekend. I make things more extreme by always wanting ice cream on top!

Suman Singh said...

hmm..wonderful dessert with a interesting name...looks and sounds fabulous..

Jennifer said...

Wow, I have never made a buckle before, and it just so happens I have a bunch of plums! Perfect timing!

Julie said...

I've never made a buckle, this is one I need to try. What to do when the recipe is best eaten the day it's made. There's on two of us...

Hope you're having a good week so far.

Emily Z said...

This looks awfully yummy! You did a beautiful job.

From the Kitchen said...

Those plum "gems" are lined up and beautifully sparkling in our farmers' market these days. I love recipes like the buckle, kuchen, pan dowdy, cobbler and whatever else they are called. They all adapt so nicely to whatever is plentiful in the markets. I always freeze in-season fruits to put on our winter table in all forms.

Best,
Bonnie

aipi said...

Ooo..that looks fascinating n so colorful..I love fruit based desserts..and this one is just fantastic!!!!

US Masala

Anonymous said...

Mary, this buckle also reminds me of a very traditional German fruit layered cake. Looks so delicious. I will give it a try. Thanks for sharing. Wishing you a wonderful day. Kirsten

Eileen said...

This looks delicious!

Pam said...

It looks great, Mary! Buckles are my favorite but I've never made it with plums. It sounds delicious!

The Blonde Duck said...

How cute!

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

And, with a temperamental oven, that is why I don't bake much! Great buckle Mary!! Hope you have a wonderful week.

Juliana said...

Mary this plum dessert looks so yummie, never had plum this way...buckle :-)

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

I love plum cake. I don't think I had ever heard of a plum buckle. It looks and sounds delicious! And thank you for the heads up regarding the varying baking time!

MaryMoh said...

Love it. The cake layer looks very moist and I love that juicy fruit on top. I have yet to learn baking a cake like this....looks very delicious...mmm. Hope you have a lovely day.

Joanne said...

I love any dessert that involves fruit. Crisps, cobblers, kuchens, clafoutis, etc. This buckle sounds fantastic! What a sweet way to start the morning.

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Hi Mary.... in questi giorni faccio la dieta... però... un piccolo strappo forse lo posso fare.... posso venire a mangiare questa torta da te ?
Ciao :-)

Priya Suresh said...

Woww buckle looks irresistible..

Big Dude said...

You sure make some great looking desserts.

Faith said...

This is a beautiful dessert, Mary. I bet it's absolutely delicious with plum!

PeggyR said...

I have not had plums in a long time. That looks really good.

The Words Crafter said...

This. Looks. So. Good....I love any kind of cake/pie/pastry with fruit in it....mmmmmmm! BTW, I'd never heard of a buckle. It would be interesting for me to try to make this, since I'm very literal when it comes to cooking. Not having an exact baking time would make me, uh, crazy? Yep, it would be interesting!

Pam said...

I always drool when I come here... you make the best desserts Mary!

Jen_from_NJ said...

I do love a good buckle and a plum buckle sounds extraordinary! Thank you for the idea.

Monet said...

I have had a peach buckle before, but never one with plums. I can imagine that those juicy fruits would be perfect in this delectable and easy dessert. Thank you for sharing a classic!

MarthaAndMe said...

I just made a nectarine and blueberry buckle from the SONO baking cookbook and it was fab!

Eliana said...

I'm a huge cake fan so I love cake to fruit ratio on this beauty.

Kirsten said...

I have never heard of buckles before but anything with fresh fruit is a must try! (Not to mention it looks like a tasty little treat)

My Man's Belly said...

I just started buying plums, no that my neighbor's tree is done. And I came upon your recipe. I know what next week's plums are going to be turned into.

Maria said...

We have a plum tree, so I will be trying this recipe!

We Are Not Martha said...

Oooh! I love buckles and am on a total plum kick lately, so I'm loving this. It's so pretty!

Sues

Bakericious said...

Mary, this buckle looks lovely. I have copied down the recipe since now is plus season, thanks for sharing :).

Adelina said...

buckle- new term to me- but looks fabulous- and warm deserts are a treat all the time!

RamblingTart said...

How delicious and marvelously old-fashioned, Mary! I love it! I've only made blueberry buckle before, but plum looks splendid. :-)

Christine said...

What a lovely, olden recipe, Mary. My mother would make desserts like this when I was a child and they were always delicious and heart warming. Thanks for the link to my ice cream. I appreciate it!

Christina | Christina's Cucina said...

This looks and sounds wonderful! Would love to make it today, but alas, I'm home alone!

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