Stone fruit season is almost over, but I just had to squeeze in one last recipe. Especially one as tasty as this Peach Brown Butter Buckle. Now you may be wondering, “What the heck is a Buckle?” Part of the cobbler family, a buckle cake is made by placing sliced fruit or berries on top of (or mixed into) a layer of cake batter. The cake is then finished with a streusel topping. As the cake cooks, the batter will rise up around the fruit, giving the top a buckled appearance. I’ll have to say that this is actually the first buckle I’ve ever made, and the results? A. Mazing. This cake is simple to prepare, full of flavor and wonderfully rustic (aka not fussy).
My Peach Brown Butter Buckle starts with a layer of moist yellow cake made with aromatic brown butter, and just a hint of allspice. Next, a layer of lemon-kissed peaches that melts to a jam consistency after cooking in the oven. Finally, a streusel topping made with browned butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans, adding satisfying notes of sweet, salt, and crunch. When eaten together, these layers form the perfect bite. So perfect that I literally ate 2/3 of this cake by myself over the span of several days. You need to make this. Continue reading for the recipe.
This cake works best with ripe, seasonal fruit. If peaches aren’t in season, pick a different fruit! Rhubarb would work well in the spring, figs in the fall, and persimmons in the winter. If you are making a buckle with summer produce, you could also try raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, plums, nectarines, or apricots.
- For the cake:
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing pan
- 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- Pinch of allspice
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 pounds peaches, halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges (I used a mix of yellow and saturn peaches)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- For the topping:
- 1/4 cup reserved brown butter (some of the butter above will be used here)
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (64 grams) all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of fine grain sea salt
- Place butter in a medium saucepan and warm over medium-low heat. The butter will melt, then foam and bubble, then start to brown. You will notice little brown bits forming at the bottom of the pan. Stir frequently during this process and keep your attention on the pot. The butter can go from wonderfully brown to burnt in just a few moments. You will know the butter is done when it gives off a nutty aroma and turns a golden brown. Set aside and let cool.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 10-inch cast iron skillet with parchment paper (or you could use a springform pan). Grease both the parchment and the sides of the skillet generously with butter, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and allspice until combined. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup cooled browned butter and sugar. Reserve remaining 1/4 cup brown butter for the topping. One at a time, whisk in eggs, then stir in buttermilk. Add the flour mixture into the browned butter-egg mixture, and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet. Toss peach wedges with lemon juice, and arrange them in a single layer on top of the batter.
- To prepare the streusel topping, combine remaining 1/4 cup brown butter, brown sugar, flour, pecans, cinnamon and sea salt in a small bowl. Mix until large crumbs form (I used my hands here). Sprinkle the topping evenly over the peaches.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven, and bake until the top is golden brown, and an inserted toothpick comes out with moist crumbs (40 to 45 minutes). Let cool for 5 minutes on a rack before serving.
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Toni | Boulder Locavore says
Brandon this is gorgeous! I’m laughing because I posted the same thing (different recipe) last week. There is something I find about this time of year that brings out the more rustic, Americana approach to desserts don’t you think? I think we are tipping toward the cooler, nestier time of year making these ‘old fashioned’ dishes so comforting. Beautiful pics as always!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Toni!! I’ll have to go check out your version 🙂 Perhaps it’s the patriot holidays that make me want to bake rustic, “old fashioned” desserts?
Kevin Sperry says
Do you think that it would work if I out a layer of topping down. Then the peaches and then more topping?
Brandon Matzek says
I think that would be fine Kevin. You might have to double the topping amounts though.
Jacqueline Maxwell says
Wow this looks gorgeous and delicious. Thanks!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks so much Jacqueline!!
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Beautiful! Browned butter, allspice, peaches, brown sugar – a recipe for making your house smell amazing, no doubt!
Brandon Matzek says
Yaaaasss!! Baking this cake makes the kitchen smell divine 🙂
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Divine!! I need a few slices, topped with vanilla ice cream. Puhleaseeee!!
Brandon Matzek says
Great idea!! I need to bake this again and make sure I have some vanilla ice cream on hand 😉
sippitysup says
In response to Kevin. I make a sour cream peach pie that has steusel topping layered into the pie as he describes. It works nicely but has a very different texture than the same stuff on top. GREG
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks for the insight Greg!
Lori Lynn says
Hi Brandon – this does look a. mazing.
Like your suggestions for fruit throughout the seasons.
LL
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Lori Lynn!!
aida mollenkamp says
Oh, my, this buckle is quite a beauty! I agree with you that we must enjoy every last bit of stone fruit season before it slips away!
Brandon Matzek says
Yes! Each week I’m seeing the stone fruit (and tomato) selections dwindling in the market.
megan smith says
i see streusel and immediately think apples! i’ll slice them a little thinner than you would the peaches and let you know how it turns out. i might get adventurous and try figs after that…
Puja @ Indiaphile.info says
Yum! I love peaches and brown butter together. I made something similar over the summer and it was so yummy. I’m sure your version was fantastic!
Lynn says
Made two of these today..wow it was wonderful!! Thanks for sharing!!
Kirbie says
Yum, I love that this is made in a skillet!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks :)!!
Lucy says
I’ve made this twice. The first time it was too sweet, so I cut the sugar in the cake back by half and the second time it was great. Worked well in a springform pan. Used salted butter, which never did brown, but was still good enough to make again.
sb says
This was a delicious recipe! I made it in a cast iron skillet as pictured. Unfortunately, the middle would not cook (while the edges were getting pretty browned). Any thoughts? (I ended up scooping out the middle and cooking it in a ramekin bc it tasted so good!) I’m not a baker, so I’m sure it was user error.
Brandon Matzek says
So glad you liked the recipe! You’ll definitely want to keep on cooking it until the center is fully done. If your edges are getting too brown, you can cover them with some foil to keep them from browning further.
sb says
Thanks for the reply! I made a blueberry buckle this weekend and all I could think was ‘it’s not as good as the peach one!’. So, it’s not the top that was getting brown, it was the bottom and sides…almost like the cast iron skillet was cooking it in concentric circles from the outside circle first and then towards the center. Or maybe the peaches were too juicy? So, was wondering if maybe using a cake pan was the way to go…or firmer peaches?
Claire says
Hi Brandon! As soon as peaches come back in season, I am making this again because I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I made it last year! I wanted to make this for my family over Memorial Day Weekend and top it with some homemade ice cream and since you are the brains behind this delicious creation I wanted to ask if you ever serve it with anything besides vanilla ice cream? I was thinking maybe Bourbon-vanilla ice cream or sea salt and honey ice cream, but I can’t decide if it would be too much… Let me know your thoughts! xoxo
Brandon Matzek says
Yes!!! I make this each year now, several times during the summer months. I almost always serve this with vanilla ice cream, but other flavors would certainly work. Bourbon-vanilla sounds awesome! Maple might be fun or perhaps butter pecan? If you want to get adventurous, you could throw some rosemary into the mix. Perhaps, honey, rosemary and sea salt? Or rosemary salted caramel? Let me know what you decide on! And definitely test out the combination before the big day 🙂
jamie says
This looks so delicious! Is there a way to prep anything the night before?
Brandon Matzek says
Hi Jamie! I find this cake is best baked fresh, so I would recommend baking it the same day you are going to serve it (earlier in the day is fine). You could measure out ingredients the night before. The cake certainly won’t be bad if you bake it the night before, but some of the crispy, crunchy textures will soften.