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An overhead view of a baking pan filled with strawberry buckle dessert.

Easy Strawberry Buckle

Published on June 20, 2018 Updated on August 8, 2020 By: Tricia Buice
5 from 2 votes

Made with fresh strawberries baked in a tasty, custardy-cake that comes together in just minutes

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Strawberry Buckle – an easy treat made with just a few pantry ingredients.

 

A casserole pan with a strawberry buckle topped with fresh strawberries

 

Our easy Strawberry Buckle is made with fresh strawberries baked in a tasty, custardy-cake that comes together in just minutes.

I hope you’re not in strawberry overload because I still have a few more recipes to share this season! Strawberries inspire and delight and are right up there with some of the best fruits ever, in my humble opinion. This strawberry buckle is one of the best buckles you can make.

If you’re not familiar with buckles, allow me a moment to sing their praises!

A fruit buckle is an old-fashioned dessert with roots that are hard to pin down. I’ve always thought of it as a Southern dessert, but those from the North East may argue that fact. It’s basically a simple cake batter, spread into a pan and topped with fresh fruit; blueberry buckles are the most common.

As the buckle bakes the fruit sinks to the bottom causing the batter to buckle under the weight of the fruit and create indentations. Sometimes buckles are made with fruit on the bottom and the batter on top, and occasionally you’ll find one that resembles a streusel-topped coffee cake.

I spread diced strawberries on top of the batter, then later added halved strawberries on top to add to the visual appeal. The real magic is at the bottom of this pan.

 

fresh strawberries on a marble slab

Strawberry season has been wonderful this year here in Virginia.

We’ve enjoyed eating fresh strawberries plain, with yogurt, added a few to smoothies and baked many into incredible treats like our Strawberry Breakfast Cake.

When baked in this buckle, the strawberries break down quickly. The berries create a jammy soft pool of sweet fruit and a custardy layer on the bottom of the buckle, without being wet. So delicious!

 

A spoonful of strawberry buckle over a casserole pan

The sweet crispy top is a wonderful contrast to the soft custard on the bottom.

And, there’s no need to wait for this to cool! It’s terrific served warm with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

 

An overhead view of a strawberry buckle in a casserole pan

Did I mention that this is a one-bowl, no-mixer-required, easy-peasy Strawberry Buckle recipe?

Next time friends or family pop over and you want to impress them with your on-the-spot baking abilities, whisk up this old-fashioned strawberry buckle. Just wait until you smell it baking in the oven! I know you’re going to love it too 😉

 

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An overhead view of a strawberry buckle with strawberries on top

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An overhead view of a baking pan filled with strawberry buckle dessert.

Easy Strawberry Buckle

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 8 Servings
Course: Dessert
Author: Tricia
Pin RecipePrint RecipeRate Recipe
5 from 2 votes
Made with fresh strawberries baked in a tasty, custardy-cake that comes together in just minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly (113g)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups diced strawberries plus 1/2 cup halved
  • ¼ cup granulated or coarse sugar for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Lightly grease or spray a 13x9-inch baking pan. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, condensed milk, melted butter, salt, baking powder and vanilla until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter 2 cups of the diced strawberries evenly over the batter. Sprinkle the sugar over the batter and strawberries.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, then quickly top with the remaining halved strawberries. Return the buckle to the oven and continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes, for a total of 35 to 40 minutes or until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Cool buckle for 10 minutes, then serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Recipe Notes

  • The 2 cups of diced strawberries sink to the bottom of the pan as the buckle bakes. The remaining 1/2 cup of halved strawberries are optional but add nice visual appeal to the cake.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 380IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 1mg

 

Here are a few more of our favorite baked strawberry treats for you to try:

Strawberry Breakfast Cake with fresh strawberries on a cake stand

Strawberry Breakfast Cake  made with fresh juicy strawberries tucked into a moist sour cream batter. Not overly sweet, this cake is terrific served for breakfast, brunch or as a light dessert.

 

Strawberry Biscuit Wedges on a plate being drizzled with icing

Strawberry Biscuit Wedges – a lightly sweet buttermilk biscuit stuffed with ripe strawberries and drizzled with a simple icing.  You’ll love the soft biscuit texture, crispy sweet top and the pops of strawberry flavor in every bite!

 

Orange Strawberry Muffins with light sugared top on a cooling rack

Orange Strawberry Muffins ~ made with fresh-picked strawberries, fresh-squeezed orange juice and plenty of orange zest, these muffins have a light and moist texture from the rich sour cream batter.  The flavor is robust, with distinct notes of orange and strawberry.  Not overly sweet, these muffins do well with a sprinkle of coarse sugar on top.

 

Here’s a link to my favorite 13×9-inch baking pan. It’s perfect for Lasagna, brownies or just about anything. Click on the photo for more information:

If you decide to purchase something at Amazon after following my affiliate link, I receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, which I use to pay for web hosting and services for this blog. Thanks for supporting SRFD!

I can’t wait to try this Summer Berry Buckle Recipe from NYT Cooking. Loads of sweet berries and a simple cake batter. It doesn’t get much better than that.  Brown Eyed Baker shared a lovely Blueberry Buckle Recipe with a streusel topping. It sounds and looks wonderful! I’m thinking those blackberries growing in our backyard would make a wonderful buckle too, stay tuned!

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44 Comments

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Laurie – I don’t think it will work as well. Frozen has too much moisture and I think it will be soggy. Perhaps just using frozen blueberries or cranberries would work okay. Raspberries break down too much so I wouldn’t try frozen in this recipe. Good luck!

      Reply

      • Tricia Buice

        Hi Tehseen – I do not think this would do well with the batter made ahead. Anything with baking powder should be baked soon after mixing or the leavening won’t do it’s thing properly. I would have everything measured and prepped so all you need to do is mix it up. That might help. Good luck 🙂

  3. Susan

    I don’t think there is such a thing as strawberry ‘overload’! Keep them coming, Tricia! They are one of the best things about June 🙂 This looks so good!

    Reply

  4. Monica

    Oh my – this makes me want to buy extra strawberries so I actually manage to save some to bake with. I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of baking or eating a buckle and I’m surely missing out. I love the textures you describe. Plus, anything with condensed milk is bound to be a great treat. Enjoy these summer days and the fabulous produce, Tricia!

    Reply

  6. Dawn Harriman

    I felt so silly when I was cleaning off my counter after my cake was in the oven for about 8-10 mins and saw the melted cooled butter sitting there! Dang! So I took the cake out and poured the butter on top of the sugar… I don’t know how it will turn out but you’ll bet I won’t forget next time! hahaha!

    Reply

  8. Sheryl

    Delicious!! I always love adding strawberries to desserts. They just make the dessert so much tastier and the colors pop as well. Im so ready to try this recipe!

    Reply

  12. Tsivi Gafni

    Hi Tricia,
    I love your posts and lovely photos.
    How much in grams is half a cup of butter and one tablespoon?

    Thanks,
    Tsivi

    Reply

  15. Elaine Cobb

    This Strawberry Buckle looks so yummy. I never knew Buckle is a Southern dessert. I thought it’s roots were in New England since I grew up eating it in Massachusetts. This happens often with recipes I see. Good food is popular everywhere.
    Thanks for another great recipe Trisha.

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      You may also be right Elaine – after researching until I was weary, I found numerous references to buckles from all over, even England. Buckles, grunts and slumps all seem to be variations of the cobbler. It’s about as clear as mud 😉 However I have found more references to buckles in southern cooking. It is a mystery! Thanks so much

      Reply

  18. Chris Scheuer

    With our move going on, I totally missed strawberry season this year. But I’m loving experiencing it virtually through all your wonderful posts Tricia. Love this easy, beautiful dessert. I think I would even have time to make it right now in the middle of all the craziness.

    Reply