Cranberries deck the aisles of grocery stores from Thanksgiving to Christmas, tempting cooks everywhere to use them creatively. Although I love making cranberry chutneys and sauces, I am just as keen about desserts prepared with these omnipresent berries. In fact, this past week I baked a cranberry apple buckle, and served it warm garnished with orange-scented whipped cream.

Many cooks are unfamiliar with buckles, which belong to the family of cobblers and crisps. The late Richard Sax in Classic Home Desserts defines a buckle as berries folded into or scattered over a tender yellow cake batter topped with crumbs. For my version, fresh cranberries are sautéed in butter and then combined with diced apples and sugar. The fruit mixture is folded into a classic batter of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. Next it is spooned into a baking dish and covered with a cinnamon-scented crumb topping before going into the oven.

If you are pressed for time, you can serve the warm buckle with scoops of vanilla ice cream. However, for only a few extra minutes, you can whip some cream and season it with confectioner’s sugar, grated orange zest, and orange liqueur.         

Simple to assemble and equally delectable whether offered piping hot or just slightly warm, this cranberry apple buckle would make a stellar ending for holiday suppers or brunches with family and friends. Save leftovers (if there are any!) for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea.

 

Warm Cranberry and Apple Buckle

Cake batter
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
1 1/2 cups cranberries, rinsed and dried
1 medium apple such as Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, or Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup whole milk

Topping
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
Orange-Scented Whipped Cream (Recipe follows.) or 1 quart best quality vanilla ice cream        

1.Arrange a rack at center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish or a 9- nch square baking dish.

2.Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a medium, heavy skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the cranberries and stir until berries just pop and split open, only about 1 minute. Do not overcook or berries will become mushy. Remove pan from heat and add diced apple and 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

3.Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, and stir to mix. With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of sugar until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping machine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the egg and vanilla and mix well to blend. Reduce speed to low and then beat in half of the dry ingredients, then the milk, and finally the remaining dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition.

4.Remove from the mixer and gently fold the cranberry apple mixture and any pan juices into the batter. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.

5.For topping place brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles pea-sized clumps. Scatter topping evenly over the batter.

6.Bake until topping is a rich golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove and cool 10 minutes, then sprinkle buckle with confectioner’s sugar. Serve warm and garnish each serving with a generous dollop of orange-scented whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. Serves 6.

Orange Scented Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
5 teaspoons confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons orange liqueur such as Triple Sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier

1.With an electric mixer on medium high speed, whip the cream until soft peaks form, add confectioner’s sugar and then orange zest and beat until just firm. Remove from mixer, and stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons orange liqueur. Taste and for a stronger orange flavor, stir in remaining 1/2 tablespoon liqueur.

Copyright Betty Rosbottom 2022

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Warm Cranberry and Apple Buckle

Cake batter
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
1 1/2 cups cranberries, rinsed and dried
1 medium apple such as Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, or Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup whole milk

Topping
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
Orange-Scented Whipped Cream (Recipe follows.) or 1 quart best quality vanilla ice cream             

1.Arrange a rack at center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish or a 9- nch square baking dish.

2,Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a medium, heavy skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the cranberries and stir until berries just pop and split open, only about 1 minute. Do not overcook or berries will become mushy. Remove pan from heat and add diced apple and 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

3.Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, and stir to mix. With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of sugar until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping machine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the egg and vanilla and mix well to blend. Reduce speed to low and then beat in half of the dry ingredients, then the milk, and finally the remaining dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition.

4.Remove from the mixer and gently fold the cranberry apple mixture and any pan juices into the batter. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.             

5. For topping place brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles pea-sized clumps. Scatter topping evenly over the batter.

6.Bake until topping is a rich golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove and cool 10 minutes, then sprinkle buckle with confectioner’s sugar. Serve warm and garnish each serving with a generous dollop of orange-scented whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. Serves 6.

Orange Scented Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
5 teaspoons confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons orange liqueur such as Triple Sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier

1.With an electric mixer on medium high speed, whip the cream until soft peaks form, add confectioner’s sugar and then orange zest and beat until just firm. Remove from mixer, and stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons orange liqueur. Taste and for a stronger orange flavor, stir in remaining 1/2 tablespoon liqueur.

Copyright Betty Rosbottom 2022