This easy fruit buckle is studded with sweet peaches, nectarines, and rhubarb. It’s then topped with a generous layer of streusel and served with a rhubarb syrup.
This weekend, my whole family came to visit, and in preparation for their stay, I baked a fruit buckle. I haven’t been baking nearly as much as before since it’s just the two of us in the house, but with the family in town, it was a good excuse to bake.
The cake came out light and fluffy with a mix of sweet and tart fruits inside. It’s especially good served warm with some rhubarb syrup and a scoop of ice cream, but of course, you can eat it on its own, too.
I love the pale pink color of the rhubarb syrup. I made enough to drizzle onto the cake and for some future recipes. Perhaps a nice cocktail.
Ingredients
- Granulated sugar
- Shortening
- Large egg
- Milk
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Nectarines
- White peaches
- Rhubarb
- Light brown sugar
- Unsalted butter
Shortening: This gives the buckle a really tender crumb. I haven’t tested a substitute, but butter can be used instead of the shortening but you will need 1/4 cup plus two tablespoons of butter if you use it.
Fruit: I like a mix of nectarines, peaches, and rhubarb but you can use all of the same kind of fruit if you prefer.
Streusel: The cake is topped with a mixture of brown sugar, flour, and butter. It creates a crunchy, sweet topping.
Syrup: This is optional, but it’s easy to make the syrup with rhubarb, sugar, and water.
How to Make It
You make the buckle batter by creaming the shortening and sugar and then adding the egg. In a separate bowl, you mix the dry ingredients and then combine the two.
The batter is topped with the streusel. I think it’s easiest to make the streusel in a food processor. It makes it easy to cut the butter into the dry ingredients so the topping is crumbly.
The cake only takes about 25 to 30 minutes to bake, which leaves time to make the rhubarb syrup in a saucepan on the stove.
Once the cake has cooled, slice and serve it with the syrup drizzled over the top.
More Fresh Fruit Desserts
Fruit Buckle with Rhubarb Syrup
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup nectarines cut into small pieces (about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch)
- 1/2 cup white peaches cut into small pieces (about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch)
- 1/2 cup rhubarb cut into small pieces (about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch)
for the streusel
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter cubed
for the rhubarb syrup
- 8 oz of rhubarb cut in one inch pieces (about 2 sticks)
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 8×8 inch pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together 3/4 cup sugar, shortening, and egg.
- In a separate bowl, whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add into stand mixer bowl. Add in milk. Mix until smooth batter forms. Stir in all the fruit. Pour batter into pan.
- In a food processor, combine streusel ingredients and mix on high speed until mixture becomes small crumbles. Sprinkle over cake batter. If desired, you can thinly slice half a nectarine and press thin slices on top of the cake for garnish. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cake is set and knife inserted comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, if desired, you can make a rhubarb syrup. In a small pot, add syrup ingredients and bring to a low boil until rhubarb completely breaks down, about 15-20 minutes. Then strain out syrup and keep in an airtight bottle. Store unused portion in fridge.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Mmm, the perfect brunch food! I’ve never had a fruit buckle. It looks like we would easily devour it in a day. I’m thinking that rhubarb syrup would be delicious in a beverage, too! Thanks for the recipes.. I can’t wait to try! Pinned it!
I am definitely going to try the rhubarb for a drink next!
I want to eat this now! Especially that syrup – on everything…
I’m seriously obsessed with the syrup!
Cake for breakfast – you’re speaking my language! I just adore how pretty the color of rhubarb makes everything, this looks fantastic.
Cake definitely makes the best breakfast! I love the pale pink color of rhubarb desserts!
Rhubarb is new to me and I’m positively intrigued by your rhubarb syrup!!!
it’s amazing! definitely give it a try. it’s sweet and tart and the rhubarb really gives it such a unique flavor
So many pretty recipes! I love the color of the fruit. It looks almost like a coffee cake but with fruit on top.
It does have a coffee cake feel to it! But a little less sweet and heavy. Super delicious!
Looks good!! This reminds me of the Peach Brown Butter Buckle that I made last year. So tasty!!
mmm, brown butter buckle sounds delicious!
That looks like a great breakfast cake!
Looking at your photo of everything that came in the box reminds me that we got salsa! I think T put it away in the pantry and I completely forgot about it.
It does make a great breakfast cake! The salsa is delicious! i used it for some tacos.