Buckle, coffeecake, or cobbler. No matter what you call it, this is a great showcase for fresh blueberries and a wonderful, easy cake to make for friends.

I clipped this from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution sometime in the 1990s. It was called “Blueberry Thing” which, if I remember, was because the person profiled in the accompanying article had always called it that and because it tasted good no matter the name. I wrote “coffeecake” next to the recipe.

I found a similar Blueberry Thing online recently, so the Thing must be a thing.

Officially, this is not a cobbler. I learned that from a helpful if not tiny bit snobbish article that explained the differences between cobblers, pandowdies, crisps, buckles, and slumps. (I know words mean things, Slate, but home bakers deserve a little more sweetness.)

So it’s officially a buckle, because the fruit is laid on top of the batter and allowed to sink during baking, making it appear that the batter has buckled.

You’ll need plump, fresh blueberries and a pan that’s either 9×9 or 11×7 inches.

And whatever you end up calling it, I hope you enjoy.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. all-purpose (plain) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Dash of salt
1 heaping pint of blueberries
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F/175C degrees. Grease a 9×9-inch or 11×7-inch baking pan and set aside.

In bowl, cream together butter and 1 cup sugar; blend in eggs. Stir in 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt. Put mixture into prepared pan.

In a separate bowl, mix together blueberries, remaining 1/3 cup sugar, lemon juice, remaining 1 Tbsp. flour, and cinnamon. Spoon evenly over cake mixture. Bake 35 minutes, then let cool in pan and cut into squares.

Optional: Turn cooled cake upside down and dust with confectioner’s (icing) sugar.