Raspberry Buckle Cake
Topped with buttery streusel and loaded with juicy raspberries, this Raspberry Buckle Cake is the perfect treat to make after an afternoon of berry picking. You can use fresh or frozen raspberries, and the batter and topping take just 15 minutes to assemble!
This recipe was originally published October 19, 2008. It has been updated from the archives with new photos.
Simple Buckle Cake Bursting with Raspberries
So-called because the 2 full cups of raspberries and buttery streusel topping weighs down the cake batter and makes it “buckle,” this buckle coffee cake is the ultimate summertime treat.
We go crazy for this raspberry-laden buckle cake, here’s why:
✔ Quick and Easy to Assemble: The batter and streusel topping come together in 15 minutes flat, then the cake just has to go into the oven.
✔ Fresh or Frozen Raspberries: I love how flexible this recipe is! It works equally well with fresh and frozen raspberries, and the texture isn’t affected whatsoever.
✔ Smaller, 9-Inch Cake: My family rarely needs a whole layer cake or 9×13 cake lying around, so this smaller 9-inch square buckle cake is the perfect weeknight cake that we can enjoy in a couple sittings.
Enjoy this as a coffee cake cake for a special breakfast with a cup of coffee, or for dessert with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream!
A Few Ingredient Notes
All of the ingredients with their measurements can be found in the recipe card below. A few key items that I wanted to call out include:
- Raspberries: Wash the raspberries well to remove any dirt, and throw out any that are soft or moldy. Pat them dry to ensure no excess moisture sneaks into the cake.
- Butter: Note that there’s cold butter in the streusel topping, and softened butter in the cake batter. Check out these tips for softening butter (you don’t want it to be too warm).
- Egg: This is a great cake recipe to make if you’ve only got 1 egg on hand. You’ll also want to bring your egg to room temperature for this recipe.
- Sugar (2 Kinds!): Both the streusel topping and cake batter call for granulated sugar and brown sugar. The brown sugar adds lots of moisture and a caramel-like flavor that goes so well with the sweet-tart raspberries.
- Orange Zest: Don’t skip this! It doesn’t make the buckle cake taste like orange; it just brightens things up and complements the raspberry flavor.
Feel Free to Swap Out the Raspberries!
Any berry or mix of berries can be substituted for the raspberries. Fresh blueberries are classic to the buckle cake, but you can also use chopped peaches, nectarines, or plums.
I’ve also made a rhubarb raspberry version of this recipe in the past using half raspberries and half rhubarb. Pretty much any combination of fruits can be used!
4 Quick Steps to the Best Raspberry Buckle Cake
- Make the streusel topping. For the streusel, you’ll want to make a coarse crumb mixture with the spices, sugar, flour, and butter. Check out these tips for cutting butter into flour.
- Whisk together the cake batter. You’ll combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet in another. The milk and dry ingredients are added to the wet ingredients in increments to prevent overmixing.
- Assemble the buckle cake. You’ll layer the cake batter with the raspberries, then top the whole thing off with the crumbly streusel.
- Bake. This 9-inch cake needs just 35(ish) minutes to bake; you’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Only Have Frozen Raspberries on Hand? That Works!
You can make this buckle cake recipe with frozen raspberries, no problem!
I prefer tossing the frozen fruit with a tablespoon or two of all-purpose flour before adding to the cake batter. This helps absorb any excess moisture that is released as the raspberries thaw.
More Raspberry Desserts You’ll Love
I have an abundance of raspberry recipes on my site because it’s one of my favorite fruits! Try using any extra raspberries to make one of the following:
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Raspberry Buckle Cake Recipe
This streusel-topped buckle cake is studded with fresh raspberries. It's the perfect dessert to make once when you get home from berry picking!
Ingredients
For the Streusel Topping
- 4 1/2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup (60g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 4 tablespoons (57g) Cold Butter, cut into slices
For the Buckle Cake
- 2 cups (142g) Raspberries
- 2 cups (240g) All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 4 tablespoons (57g) Butter, softened
- 1 Large Egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Orange Zest
- 1/2 cup (113g) Whole Milk, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Line an 9-inch cake pan or a square 9x9 pan with parchment paper. Set aside
- Make the streusel topping: Measure the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt into a small bowl. Stir to combine, then add the butter.
- Using two knives, cut the butter into the flour until you have a coarse crumb mixture. Set aside.
- Make the cake batter: Measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Using a wire whisk, stir until well combined.
- In another medium sized mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Then, add the sugar, continuing to beat until creamed. After that, add the eggs one at a time, beating in between additions. Scrape the sides of the bowl down with a flexible spatula as needed.
- Stir in the vanilla and orange zest.
- Add half of the milk, stirring to combine. Do not beat. Add half of the flour mixture, stirring until incorporated. Scrape the sides down with the spatula as needed. Repeat using the remaining milk and flour mixture, gently stirring just until combined.
- Assemble the cake: Pour half of the buckle batter into the prepared pan.
- Top the batter with half of the raspberries.
- Pour the remaining batter on top of the fruit. Then, add the rest of the fruit.
- Top with the streusel mixture, sprinkling evenly over top of the batter.
- Bake: Transfer the cake to the preheated oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until done in the center when tested with a toothpick.
- Cool: After baking, transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack. Cool the buckle cake for 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
Notes
Raspberries: You may use fresh or frozen raspberries to make this recipe. Toss frozen raspberries with 1 tablespoon of flour to soak up any excess liquid that's released as the cake bakes.
Storage: Let the cake cool completely before removing from the baking pan and storing in an airtight container. It will last up to 3 days at room temp or 3 months in the freezer.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 283Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 312mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 5g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy. This provided information is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Try Making A Buckle Cake!
Whether you’ve got fresh or frozen raspberries on hand, go ahead and toss them into this streusel-topped buckle cake!
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