I usually try not to post two dessert/dessert-like recipes in a row, BUT I decided it just wasn’t fair to deprive you of this amazeballs cherry cornmeal buckle ANY longer than absolutely necessary. Plus, cherry season doesn’t last forever, so you gotta snap them up while you can! Carpe diem, right? Well actually, more like carpe fructum (“seize the fruit”), but let’s not get technical.
This cherry cornmeal buckle is hands-down the best coffee cake I have ever made (I’m sorry orange ricotta poppy seed coffee cake, I still love you too, but it’s true…)! The juiciness of the sweet cherries, the heartiness of the cornmeal, the delicate crunch of the topping…*swoon*. This buckle has a slightly coarser crumb than some coffee cake recipes, thanks to the cornmeal, and it’s just perfect for a cherry confection – I just love pairing cherries and cornmeal, like in these cornmeal chocolate chip pancakes – since the cornmeal adds a hint of savoriness, keeping the end product from being cloyingly sweet.
What are you waiting for?! Go make this recipe ASAP – you won’t regret it, I promise!
- 1/2 cup butter or dairy-free margarine, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use light mayo)
- 12 ounces (about 2 cups) Bing cherries, pitted and quartered
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- dash of salt
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temperature
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8×8-inch baking pan, or coat with baking spray.
- In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the sugars and butter/margarine until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each one. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
- Add approximately 1/3 of the dry ingredients mixture to the mixer bowl and stir until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the mayonnaise, and then add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients.
- Combine the remaining 1/3 of the dry ingredients with the cherries, reserving 1/2 cup of cherries for the topping, and toss to combine. Gently fold the coated cherries into the batter. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- For the topping: mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. With a fork, cut the butter/margarine into the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture over the batter, and top with remaining 1/2 cup cherries.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the topping is slightly crunchy and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- To prevent the cherry juice from coloring the batter too much, I recommend freezing the cherries after pitting them (but before cutting them). I do this an hour or two before I start preparing the rest of the ingredients to bake.
- The original recipe calls for sour cream. I substitute mayonnaise in order to make the recipe dairy-free, but feel free to use whichever you have on hand/find more palatable. FYI: the flavor of the mayo doesn’t come through in the finished cake.
I’m adding this to my list of foods that I want to eat tomorrow!
I highly recommend it! 🙂
The cornmeal is such a unique addition to a traditional coffee cake! I bet this tastes amazing 🙂
Yes, this is the first time I’ve used cornmeal in a breakfast-y cake, but it certainly won’t be the last!
Oh man these look SO good, the cornmeal won me over. Pinned for future baking 🙂
Thanks – enjoy! 🙂
Gorgeous!!!! Love that you use cornmeal.
Thanks so much!!
Mayonnaise? Really? What an interesting addition! This cake sounds delightful — so fresh and moist and full of fruit and cornmeal crunch.
Haha yes, it does sound a bit bizarre, I know! I was baking this with the lactose intolerant demographic in mind, so I used mayo where the original (Smitten Kitchen) recipe called for sour cream. Feel free to use whichever is more palatable, though 🙂 {and your comment reminded me, I meant to include a bit about that in the recipe notes, so thank you – now updated!}
I’ve totally never had a buckle before! Looks delish!
Thanks! To be honest, a buckle is just a name for a cake with a crumbly, fruity topping, which sinks down (or “buckles”) while baking. I could have called it a coffee cake, but I liked the ring of “cherry cornmeal buckle” – it sounded more old-fashioned 🙂
This looks divine! Thanks for the clarification of a buckle-I like it
Thanks!! I’m so sad that the last of the buckle is nearly gone…
This looks so so good! I’ve been looking for ways to use up my cherries too and love that you use cornmeal 🙂 Sounds delicious!
Thanks!! I tend to overstock when good fruit goes on sale, which is what led me to make this recipe in the first place 🙂
It doesnt only look good, Im sure it also tastes wonderfully! 🙂
It does, I promise! Thanks, and thanks for stopping by!
Recipe saved! You’re welcome 🙂 I write about travel but also love food, and besides is also nice to change what I read sometimes 😀
I’m looking forward to reading more of your blog (and to living vicariously through your travels)! I would love to write about travel as well, but unfortunately I don’t get to do it enough 😛
Mmmmm this sounds fantastic!! Love the addition of cornmeal!
Thanks! I have a feeling I’ll be trying cornmeal in more cakes, after how well this one turned out 🙂
I need to make this while cherries are still in season, it looks so delicious!
Thanks! I hope you get a chance to try it 🙂