Strawberry Rhubarb Ricotta Skillet Buckle

A moist and delicious strawberry rhubarb cake with an olive oil streusel topping. There are plenty of our favourite summer fruits in season, meaning there’s never been a better time to enjoy them and bake with them. Whether you have a bunch of berries that were on sale or peaches from your market haul, there’s no better way to enjoy them than in a cobbler, crisp or buckle dessert. All you need is a bowl, whisk and spatula to make this simple dessert (no mixer or stand mixer required) - it comes together quickly and easily and can be made in a baking pan or skillet for a rustic feel

What is a buckle cake?

A buckle is a single layer cake with fruit in and on top of the batter. There’s more batter-to-fruit ratio than in the other desserts but, like it’s crisp, crumble, and cobbler relations, it’s simple to make and a delicious fruity bake up .Cobblers and crisps are the most common ways to have baked fruit and the easiest especially when compared to pies. Buckles are just as easy to make but a bit different than a crisp or cobbler. Buckles are moist fruit cakes often made with a streusel topping and they are called buckles because of the way their toppings fruit/streusel buckle when baked. We love them and I finally got around to making one that I had save a while ago from Food52. I spotted it and it caught my eye because it’s made with a blend of AP flour and dark rye flour. I don’t have much experience baking with rye but I do know I love it when I have had it in baked goods that others have made.

Do I have to use dark rye in this recipe?

You do not have to use rye in this recipe - I have made it multiple times using all all purpose flour and it’s just as delicious. Why use dark rye? Well it’s such an aromatic whole grain - and for a lot more than just bread. It’s malty, nuttty and slightly milky tasting and so good in baked goods. It’s always good to pair it with other milder wheat flours that can accommodate the individual or peculiar features or rye. It lends itself well with cherries and other stone fruit, rhubarb and most definitely chocolate. So if you have it definitely use it in this cake - you will enjoy the extra flavour and texture.

Can I use other fruit in this recipe?

The original recipe called for plums but I decided to do strawberries and rhubarb and it was just the best. You can use any fruit in this recipe just keep it to the alotted measurement of fruit in the recipe by weight. This will be perfect with peaches when there are in season here, but for now I’m happy with using all the berries and rhubarb any chance I get!!It lends itself well to stone fruit and berries.

Ingredient Substitutions:

I was so happy the recipe also called for olive oil as I love baking with olive oil but I understand some of you might not like the strong flavour it gives dessert like baked good. No problem for the cake feel free to use any neutral vegetable oil or coconut oil. You can even use melted butter insist place both in the cake and the crumb topping. I replaced the sour cream with ricotta from the original recipe and adjusted a couple of other things in the recipe as well. You can substitute the ricotta with sour cream or yogurt. The cake is tender with a fine crumb and the streusel is so delicious and a must. It gives the whole cake a lot of texture and flavour. As I already stated above you can substitute the dark rye with all purpose flour.

Check our more fruity bake ups below:

• Almond Rhubarb Cake
• Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Bars
• Lemon Ricotta Cake
• Strawberry Almond Tea Cake
• Easy Almond Flour Muffins
• Berry Oat Scone Loaf
  
  

Recipe

Ingredients

For cake

• 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour (160 grams)
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill dark rye flour (60 grams) or All purpose flour
• ¾ cup light brown sugar (148 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil or any other neutral vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup ricotta (180 grams)
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest + 2 tablespoons juice from 1 large lemon (or orange juice and zest
• 1 pound rhubarb and strawberries, hulled and sliced, and rhubarb sliced into ½-inch wedges <(approximately 2½-3 cups of chopped fruit in total)

For the Crumble Topping

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (23 grams)
• 3 tablespoons dark rye flour (23 grams) or all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons light brown or white sugar (37 grams)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons sliced almonds (21 grams) or any chopped nuts
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or melted unsalted butter
  
  

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch or 10-inch enameled or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet with olive oil, butter or cooking spray (If your skillet isn’t well-seasoned, line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.)
2. In the meantime make crumb topping: in a small bowl, whisk together flours, brown or white sugar, cinnamon, salt, and almonds (or any chopped nuts). Drizzle olive oil, a little at a time, stirring to thoroughly and evenly moisten the crumbs. Aim for a mix of larger and smaller clumps. Put the bowl in the freezer or fridge to chill while preparing the rest of the cake.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, rye flour, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: olive oil, eggs, ricotta or sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients or flour mixture and fold and stir with a spatula until just combined, scraping sides of the bowl. Batter will be thick - do not over mix.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan or skillet. Arrange strawberry and rhubarb slices snugly and evenly over the batter. Gently press them down into the batter; you should see their tops.
7. Scatter or sprinkle crumble topping evenly over the batter.
8. Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 45-50 minutes or until a paring knife or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Start checking at about 35 minutes for doneness.
9. Let cool in the skillet on cooling rack for about 30 minutes, and serve warm or at room temperature, straight from the pan or sliced and served on a plate with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
   
   

Recipe Notes

• Serve: Cover your Buckle with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.To keep it from getting soggy, cut into squares and store in a container lined with a paper towel.
• Store: You can store this cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. Leave on the counter to bring back to room temperature.
• Freeze: Freeze individual pieces (wrapped in plastic wrap) in a sealed container for up to 6 months. Defrost at room temperature to serve.
• If you would like to add some of the fruit to the batter feel free to fold some of it into the batter and leave the rest for the top of the cake.