A leavened coffee-cake batter with cherries folded in and a streusel top — the cakey counterpoint to the custardy clafoutis family. German Obstkuchen meets American buckle.

Ingredients

   
  Streusel
75g AP flour
50g brown sugar
2g cinnamon (optional)
  pinch of salt
45g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
  Batter
113g unsalted butter, softened
150g granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
8g vanilla extract
120g sour cream
190g AP flour
5g baking powder
2g baking soda
2g salt
300g sweet cherries, pitted

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10¼-inch cast iron skillet (Field No. 8) or a 9-inch round cake tin; line the tin base with parchment.

  2. Make the streusel: rub the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cold butter together with your fingers until clumpy. Chill while you make the batter.

  3. Cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and sour cream.

  4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold into the wet mixture until just combined — do not overmix.

  5. Spread the batter into the pan. Scatter the cherries evenly over the top (they sink as it bakes). Crumble the streusel over everything.

  6. Bake at 350°F for 45–55 minutes, until golden and a skewer in the center (avoiding fruit) comes out clean.

  7. Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Analysis

Total batter weight: 692g (batter + streusel; cherries excluded)

Component Amount %
Structure solids (flour) 265g 38.3%
Fat (butter, sour cream, yolk) 187g 27.0%
Sugar (granulated + brown) 200g 28.9%
Liquid (sour cream water, egg water) 120g 17.3%
Egg/protein 18g 2.6%

This is a true cake, not a custard — structure is high (~38% flour) with low free liquid (~17%) and chemical leavening, which is what makes it rise into a tender crumb instead of setting into a custard. That’s the whole contrast with the clafoutis family (3–22% flour, 43–64% liquid). The sour cream’s fat keeps it moist; the streusel adds a sandy, high-fat-and-sugar crown on top.

Notes

  • “Buckle” refers to the way the streusel-topped batter buckles and dimples around the sinking fruit as it rises. Same idea as a German streusel kuchen.
  • This is the cakey member of the fruit-dessert family — a true rising batter (baking powder + soda) rather than the custard batters of the clafoutis, far breton, and sour cream clafoutis. Expect a tender, sour-cream-rich crumb.
  • Fruit-flexible: blueberries, plums, peaches, apricots, raspberries, or rhubarb all work at ~300g. Toss very juicy fruit in a teaspoon of flour first so it doesn’t sink into a wet streak.
  • Sour cream keeps the crumb tender and moist and adds a little tang; full-fat yogurt or buttermilk (reduce to 100g) also work.
  • The streusel can be made ahead and frozen. Double it if you like a thick crumb layer.
  • Don’t overmix the batter once the flour goes in — it’s a tender cake, and overworking builds gluten and toughens it.
  • Bakes well in the Field No. 8 for crisp edges, or a 9-inch tin/springform for clean release. See the Field No. 8 article for the vessel tradeoff.
  • Keeps 2–3 days covered at room temperature; the crumb stays moist thanks to the sour cream.