During the summer before my senior year of high school, my friends and I would wake up early every Saturday in June to pick blueberries. As we drove to the blueberry farm in East Feliciana Parish, familiar suburban fixtures melted into endless rural landscapes under the Louisiana sun. Armed with a repurposed gallon milk jug with its top cut off, which I tethered to my denim short-all’s belt loop, we’d head into the fields in search of the plumpest blueberries. I reached both hands high over my head to pluck blueberries so dark they were ashy. I always filled my belly before the makeshift bucket.
One of my oldest friends, Grace, shared this recipe with me after one morning of blueberry-picking. I have since made this one-bowl buckle countless times. The admirers of this crave-worthy dish either love it or learn to love it. If you’re not swooning the first time you try it, the buttery
and caramelized edges of the cake that rise over the plump, juicy berries will have you hooked by the second time. Be sure to serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream—the perfect creamy, cold complement to the syrupy, warm berries.
This recipe uses self-rising flour, a staple in most Southern pantries that contains leavening and salt. If you don’t have any on hand, just add 1½ teaspoons baking powder and an additional ¼ teaspoon salt to the flour. You can refrigerate the buckle, covered, for up to 3 days.
Helpful tools for this recipe:
- Nordic Ware Aluminum Loaf Pan
- GIR Silicone Grip Whisk
- Ice Cream Scoop
Reprinted with permission from Life Is What You Bake It by Vallery Lomas (Clarkson Potter, 2021).
This recipe was featured on our new cook-along podcast Play Me a Recipe. Listen as Vallery cooks her way through this technique, offering insider tips and backstory along the way. —Vallery Lomas
See what other Food52ers are saying.