Blueberry Banana Buckle

This is a very wet week here in Minnesota. The mornings are cloudy and foggy and it’s been raining the past several days. I am glad the dirty snow is melting but all that moisture is making the grounds really soggy and muddy. It is not a pretty sight. This is the kind of weather that makes you want to stay indoors.

Some hot tea and cake would be really nice. The aroma of baking always lift the spirits. Good thing the warmer weather allows for “skinnier” lunches. It also helps to do an additional lap or two on the elliptical machine to work off those extra calories.

A buckle is a coffee cake with a struesel or crumb topping. This is a classic recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I have added two very ripe bananas sitting on my counter and they combined really well with the blueberries.

Blueberry Banana Buckle
2 cups all-purpose flour
2½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg
⅔ cup milk
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup blueberries

Topping
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
½ tsp cinnamon

Grease a square 9″x9″ pan. In a medium size bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking powder , and salt. Mix well. Pre-heat oven to 350˚F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Add mashed bananas and continue to beat until combined. Add flour mixture in two parts alternating with milk until smooth. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Spread out batter with a spatula as it is pretty thick. Sprinkle with blueberries.

Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. Using a fork, mix until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over blueberries. Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm.

Looking forward to brighter, beautiful days. In the mean time, I’ll just have to enjoy this…..

Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day!