Strawberry Buckle | Cookies and Cups

This strawberry buckle is a moist, tender cake recipe with juicy fresh strawberries and a sweet crumble top. It’s an old-fashioned dessert that’s quick and easy to make in a skillet! The outside crisps up, while the inside stays soft and buttery.

Looking for delicious treats to make in strawberry season? Check out more of my favorite strawberry recipes.

Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Buckle Recipe

This strawberry buckle is a lot like a coffee cake, baked with juicy fresh berries so that the cake falls or “buckles” under the weight of the fruit. I love an old-timey dessert, and this one is perfect for strawberry season! Here’s what makes it the best:

• Soft and buttery. This strawberry buckle recipe has all the ease of a cobbler, with the soft and buttery crumb of an ultra-moist coffee cake. 
• Made in a skillet. The thick batter is studded with chopped fresh strawberries and bakes up easily in a skillet. It leaves the edges crispy while keeping the inside moist and tender.
• Easy to make. Mix the batter in minutes, and then bake. This buckle recipe needs one bowl, no mixer, and very little effort. Waiting for this cake to cool is the hardest part!

Ingredients You’ll Need

You can make this strawberry buckle with just a few pantry ingredients. Below are some notes. Scroll to the recipe card after the post for a printable list with amounts.

• Butter – Brought to room temperature. You can also replace butter with oil if you’d like.
• Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. I use granulated sugar, but you can also use light brown sugar.
• Vanilla and Eggs – Like the butter, I recommend letting the eggs come to room temperature. You’ll also want to use real vanilla and not imitation.
• Lemon Zest – Optional, but I love fresh lemon zest alongside the strawberry flavors in this dessert.
• Milk – You can use whole milk, 2% milk, or a dairy-free alternative if needed.
• Strawberries – Washed, hulled, and coarsely chopped. I cut each berry into quarters for larger chunks. You can also make this cake with frozen strawberries, just be sure to let them thaw fully and pat them dry with paper towels.
• Crumble – The crumble topping is easy to make with butter, flour, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. It’s the same streusel topping that I use for my blueberry cobbler bread and crumb cake recipes.

How to Make a Strawberry Buckle

This strawberry buckle comes together very easily and it bakes up deliciously crisp and tender in my cast iron skillet, which I love. Follow this easy step-by-step, and remember to scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.

• Mix the batter. Start by creaming butter and sugar, and mix in the eggs, vanilla, salt, and baking powder. Stir in the lemon zest, then add the flour and milk. Finally, fold in your strawberries.

• Assemble. Add the cake batter to a greased 10” oven-safe skillet. In a bowl, cut together the crumble ingredients. Sprinkle the crumble over the batter.
• Bake. Pop the whole skillet into the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350ºF until the top is golden. Let the buckle cool, and then give it a dusting of powdered sugar before serving.

What If I Don’t Have a Skillet?

If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can still make this strawberry buckle in a springform pan, or a 9” round pan. You’ll just need to increase the baking time a little. Test the cake for doneness using a toothpick. If it comes out clean, your buckle is baked!

Easy Variations

• Change up the fruit. You can make a buckle using any fruit that’s in season. Use fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries. A peach buckle would also be delicious in the summer (peach cobbler vibes, anyone?). I can’t wait to make an apple buckle in the fall!
• Add icing. I usually stick with a simple dusting of powdered sugar on top of the buttery crumble. But, if you’d like, drizzle over a simple sweet icing like the one I use for my strawberry pound cake.
• Add some spice. Instead of lemon zest, warm up the flavors in this strawberry buckle recipe with a few pinches of ground cinnamon. 

Serving Suggestions

This strawberry buckle makes an easy last-minute dessert when we’re expecting friends and family. It’s great served with coffee or tea, or you can enjoy slices with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a tasty summer treat. If I have leftover strawberries, I’ll turn them into homemade strawberry syrup to drizzle on top!

How to Store

• To store. Store any leftover strawberry buckle in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
• Freeze. You can also freeze this strawberry cake either whole or in slices. Wrap it tightly with a double layer of plastic wrap and keep it frozen for up to 2 months. You’ll need to defrost the strawberry buckle at room temperature before serving.

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