Texas Iron Chef

Our search for healthy alternatives to baking desserts in our camp Dutch oven continues.  Today we baked this delicious blueberry buckle and wow, it is good!!  We adapted this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book in two ways.  First, we baked it in our 10-inch camp Dutch oven with parchment paper round and two parchment lifters. Second, we made the recipe as low carb as possible by replacing AP flour with almond flour, coconut flour, and vital wheat gluten, and replacing the sugar with sugar-free sweeteners.  To make this gluten free, don’t use the vital wheat gluten and increase almond flour to 1 1/4 cups.

Check out this video to see the results.

Here’s the recipe.  Let us know if you bake it!

Topping

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup sugar-free brown sugar substitute (I used Splenda)
• 2 tablespoons sugar-free sugar substitute
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened

Buckle

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons Cake Enhancer 
• 1/2 cup sugar-free substitute
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 10 tablespoons butter, very soft
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 organic lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups (two pints dry) fresh blueberries

Prepare a 10-inch camp Dutch oven.  Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the oven. Cut two pieces of parchment paper 3-inches wide and about 14-inches long.  Fold strips in half lengthwise to make two 1.5-inch strips that are 14-inches long.  Place strips in oven, crossing in the middle of the oven.  (These will help you lift the blueberry buckle out of the camp Dutch oven.) Place circle of parchment on top of strips.  Spray with oil.  Set aside.

Make the topping.  In a bowl, mix together coconut flour, almond flour, brown sugar substitute, sugar substitute, cinnamon, salt, and softened butter.  Cut the butter into the ingredients with a pastry cutter or two table knives until butter is pea size and evenly distributed throughout the flour.

Make the buckle batter.  In a large bowl, whisk together coconut flour, almond flour, vital wheat gluten, cake enhancer, sugar-free substitute, salt,  and baking powder.  Add very soft butter, eggs, next of lemon, and lemon juice.  Stir together until all ingredients are combined.  Fold in blueberries.

Using a rubber spatula, add batter to prepared 10-inch camp Dutch oven.  The batter will be very thick so use the spatula to push the batter into the oven and spread it out evenly.

Scrunch the topping into the palm of your hand then break into chunks and sprinkle across the top of the batter.

Fire up a chimney of charcoal.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-55 minutes by placing a circle of 7 hot charcoals underneath the oven and 13 hot charcoals around the edge of the lid of the oven.  Wrap with wind shield if needed.  Replace spent charcoal with new hot coals after about 25 minutes.  Rotate the lid without lifting it up.  The buckle is done when the edges of the cake pull away from the side of the oven and the topping is golden brown,

Remove charcoal from oven lid and place on a lid stand to cool.  Using the parchment lifters, remove the blueberry buckle to a cutting board.  Enjoy!