Damson Plum Buckle with Cardamom & Spelt

Soft, rich and indulgent, this damson plum buckle is made with freshly milled spelt or soft wheat flour, and warmly spiced with cinnamon and cardamom.

Let’s swap secrets and share insights today:

1. It’s never as bad as you think it is.
   That’s sort of a general insight and an invitation to take yourself less seriously (if you need it).
2. This freshly milled buckle is so plush, rich and indulgent that using fresh flour feels like it’s a sweet little secret between you and your grain mill. I’ve served it twice and no one guessed that it was whole grain!

If you want to convince someone that milling at home is worth it, serve them this cake.
Fresh flour tastes richer, keeps you fuller longer, and (with the right recipe) can bake up just as soft as all-purpose flour. If that doesn’t convince them, nothing will. But it will.

On Buckles and Coffee Cakes

I first came across the concept of buckle cake, when I was working on my Sourdough Cherry Coffee Cake recipe. As a non American, the term (though not the concept) was charmingly unfamiliar to me.

Buckles and coffee cakes are closely related. Both are loved for their soft, fluffy texture, rich mouthfeel and generous use of cinnamon.

So what sets them apart?

Coffee cake usually has an extra middle layer of cinnamon sugar and includes fruit only as a seasonal twist. A buckle uses fresh, in-season fruit as a core ingredient: A rich, velvety cake batter gets topped with fresh fruit and finished with a crumble topping. The batter rises in the oven and “buckles” around the fruit.

So a buckle is a lot like a coffee cake, but with fewer steps. (A hidden perk in lazy-baker-land.)

Why You’ll Love This Freshly Milled Cake Recipe

This is one of the fluffiest, softest cakes I’ve ever made (whole grain or otherwise), thanks to the secret ingredient: crème fraîche. It adds richness and turns fresh milled whole grain flour into a cake-y soft cloud.

To make it even more indulgent, we spice that cloud with heaps of cinnamon and cardamom, top it with juicy, sliced damson plums, and finish it with a cinnamon-spiked crumble.

The result is a deeply flavorful cake, infused with fall spices and grounded in nutty whole grain flavor.

Want to hear another secret? Fresh milled flour desserts pack actual nutrition, and your body will pick up on it. A slice of fresh milled cake won’t just satisfy your sweet tooth: it’ll actually keep you full. Even after five years of milling at home, that’s still one of my favorite perks. But don’t take my word for it, try it! I think you’ll love it.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Freshly Milled Spelt Flour:
Spelt has a wonderful nutty and, in my opinion, creamy flavor. Freshly milled tastes best, but store-bought whole grain spelt flour work well too.
(If spelt is not available, freshly milled soft wheat flour will work as well.)

Fall Spices:
I generously spike my buckle batter with extra cinnamon and cardamom, which is my favorite fall spice, especially in combination! If you don’t have cardamom on hand, you can easily swap pumpkin pie spice.

Crème Fraîche:
It adds tang and richness to the batter and creates a velvety, tender crumb. Keep it on your shopping list, you may want to make this cake again.
Tip: If you can’t find crème fraîche, sour cream makes a great substitute. It’s not quite as rich, but it still works beautifully. Since sour cream is tangier than crème fraîche, you can skip the lemon juice in the recipe if you want.

Damsons
Use damsons, or any other oval or regular, yellow or red plums available to you.

How to Make a Freshly Milled Plum Buckle (Step-by-Step)

Step 01

Mix Dry Ingredients

Weigh out whole spelt berries (210g in total) and mill them on the finest setting on your grain mill. Remove 35g to a separate bowl for the crumble topping. Add baking powder, cinnamon and cardamom to the rest and set aside.

Step 02

Make the Crumble Topping

Melt the butter in a medium-small bowl in the microwave, or in a small pot on the stove.
Whisk together with sugar and salt by hand. Add the weighed out flour and cinnamon and mix together into a crumbly mass. Set aside to rest.

Step 03

Cream Butter & Sugar

In a large bowl, beat together softened butter, sugar and salt until pale and fluffy.

Step 04

Beat in Eggs

Add the eggs, one at a time and mix until incorporated. Beat on high until the batter is light and airy.

Step 05

Mix in crème fraîche

Gently mix in crème fraîche, vanilla extract and lemon juice.

Step 06

Fold in dry ingredients

Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Rest the batter while you prep the fruit and pan.

Step 07

Preheat Oven & Prep Pan

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease your cake pan generously with butter and set aside.

Step 08

Slice Fruit

Wash damson plums and drain in a colander. Halve each plum, remove the stone, and slice each half lengthwise again.

Step 09

Transfer batter to pan

Once the oven is hot, give the cake batter a gentle stir. Transfer it to the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top.

Step 10

Add sliced fruit

Arrange the sliced plums in an even layer.

Step 11

Add crumble topping

Break up the crumble topping with your fingers and sprinkle it evenly over the damsons.

Step 12

Bake & Cool

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Let the cake cool down on a wire rack to settle the crumb before you release the cake from the pan.

Variations

How to Serve Freshly Milled Plum Buckle

Since fresh flour desserts are so nutritious, it’s up to you whether you want to dress it up or down.

For dessert, I like to dust the cake with powdered sugar and serve with soft whipped cream.
Leftovers are great for breakfast with a dollop of yogurt, Greek yogurt, or other protein rich dairy you love.

How to Store

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. The crumb will firm up a little, so let it come back to room temperature before serving.

I haven’t tried freezing this buckle but theoretically it should freeze just fine, wrapped tightly in foil, for 2 months.

Recipe FAQs

If you make this freshly milled spelt Buckle…