Blueberry Buckle with Lemon Syrup

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• For the topping:
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
• For the lemon syrup:
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Butter a 9-inch (23cm) square cake pan.
2. For the topping, use your fingers or a pastry blender to work the butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon together until the butter is in small, pea-sized bits. Put it aside while you make the cake.
3. For the batter, combine the butter, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or mix them by hand in a bowl with a spatula or wooden spoon. Beat until the mixture looks pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, pausing after each addition to scrape the bowl.
4. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon or nutmeg. Turn the mixer to low, add half of the flour mixture, then mix in the buttermilk.
5. Mix in the rest of the flour mixture only until it is just barely blended; a few dry patches are fine. Take the bowl off the mixer and use a flexible spatula to fold in the blueberries gently, stopping as soon as they are mixed through. Don’t overdo it, or the berries can burst and tint the batter.
6. Transfer the batter to the buttered pan and level the surface. Scatter the topping evenly over the batter, then bake until the top is lightly golden and the middle feels set, with a gentle spring when touched. This will take about 55 minutes.
7. As the buckle nears the end of baking, prepare the syrup. Warm the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, cooking until the mixture thickens. You’ll know it’s ready when the bubbles grow larger and, off the heat, the syrup has the texture of warm maple syrup; lift it from the heat once or twice if you want to check. This should take about 5 minutes.
8. Take the buckle out of the oven and pour the warm lemon syrup over the top so it can soak in. Let it cool until you can slice it. Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or white chocolate-fresh ginger ice cream if you like, though it doesn’t need much help.