Rhubarb Buckle
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In the wonderful world of crumb-topped, baked-fruit desserts, buckles are new to me. And I’m a fan. I love how the sandy, buttery topping melts into the stewed fruit, which all sinks — buckles! — into the base. And I like that I can eat it as I would a brownie, out of hand, making for easy snacking morning, noon and night.
Martha said it best: “This dessert belongs in everyone’s outdoor entertaining file.”
This batter, made with eggs, sour cream and melted butter yields the perfect base — not too cakey, not too crisp, a slightly sweet, perfectly sturdy layer that really allows the rhubarb to shine.
If you are not a fan of rhubarb or if you blink and miss rhubarb season altogether, don’t despair. I suspect blueberries and peaches and every other wonderful stone fruit and berry will make dream-worthy buckles all summer long.
How to Make a Rhubarb Buckle
Gather your ingredients:
First: stir together the crumb topping: brown sugar, flour, melted butter and a pinch of salt.
Next, whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
Add sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla.
Stir to combine.
Fold in the rhubarb.
Transfer batter to a buttered and parchment-lined 9-inch pan.
Top with the crumb topping; then transfer to the oven.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until evenly golden and an inserted cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool briefly before cutting and serving.
PrintRhubarb Buckle
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 16 squares
Description
Notes:
This is an updated post from two older posts. If you are looking for the old recipe that called for a shortbread crust, find it here.
Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
- 1/2 cup (64 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light-brown sugar
- pinch salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the buckle:
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1.5 cups (192 g) flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 oz (3 cups) diced rhubarb
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF with rack in center position. Line a 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper.
- Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, pinch salt, and 4 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to the fridge.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the baking powder, 1.5 cups flour, salt, and sugar. Add the 4 tablespoons melted butter, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Fold in the diced rhubarb.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan. Top with crumb topping. Transfer to the oven until crumb topping is golden and cake is done, about 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in pan before cutting and serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven/Baking
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
73 Comments on “Rhubarb Buckle”
So delicious!
Great to hear, Stephanie 🙂 🙂 🙂
It went together quick and was very good. I made them in big muffin cups. They last longer that way. 😊
Have you ever frozen squares of this rhubarb buckle? I plan on making 2 with my bountiful rhubarb harvest! Thanks
I haven’t but I imagine it would freeze beautifully!
I’ve made this recipe before with fresh rhubarb and was delicious. Now I froze my rhubarb and am wondering if I can still use frozen or if I should thaw?
Hi Julie! I would make it without thawing it. That’s what I do when I use frozen blueberries.
I made this tonight using a gluten free flour blend. It was excellent! Third piece was the charm! My husband and I could not stay out of it!(yes, it’s delish hot or cold) Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe.
Great to hear, Susi! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. So helpful for others to know it works with gf flour 🙂 🙂 🙂
Can l use frozen rhubarb?
I would imagine! I would probably thaw and drain it to ensure the finished cake isn’t soggy.
Question – for the crumb topping you spell out unsalted butter. For the buckle, you do not say one way or the other. Should I be using salted or unsalted butter for the buckle?
Thank you!
Hi Donna! It doesn’t really matter… I actually almost always use salted butter and I never find anything to be too salty. But so many people buy and prefer unsalted butter, so that’s what I generally recommend.
Hi Ali,
Thank you for all your wonderful, inspiring recipes. I want to make a rhubarb dessert as part of my weekly menu for my customers. We have a huge and very prolific rhubarb plant that really needs a trim. I’m trying to decide between the rhubarb buckle and the rhubarb custard cake. Which do you think would be a better choice- more delicious, better presentation? I’m making it in bakeable paper molds- 6 inch by 1.5 inch- Pannetone style. Thanks!
Oh gosh, hard to say! I love the rhubarb custard cake so much, but the buckle may hold up better for your purposes. I think you should make both 🙂 Love this idea so much.
Thanks Ali! I was thinking buckle, too, also because I’m baking it in the bakeable paper and not sure how the batter would work in that. I was also looking at that Rhubarb Galette with frangipane. That looks amazing. I may offer that for my Easter Dessert options. Thanks for all the rhubarb recipes! I needed some inspiration! 🙂
Great recipe – used fresh rhubarb from the garden! All who tried the buckle said it’s a keeper.
Great to hear, Jane! Thanks for writing 🙂