Blueberry Peach Buckle with Maple and Walnuts

I was reading this article on Slate/MSN the other day that was talking about how August is a horrid month, and we should just do away with it. The author complained of humidity, sky rocketing temperatures and oppressive smog. I have to say, I was a little taken aback by this article, as August has always been, in my opinion, an absolutely lovely month. I've always thought that August provides the first, tantalizing glimpse of fall, with cool, breezy mornings. However, in August you can always be ensured warm, soothing temperatures that, at least around the DC Area, don't have the mugginess of July. I felt like August had really been slighted by this article, and that I needed to do something to let August reclaim its good name.

Now, besides the cool August mornings and breezy August nights that I love, another August favorite, for me, is the densely sweet produce that begins showing up at Farmer's Markets and Grocery Stores. August produce, to me, seems bursting with flavor, as if it almost feels it's been waiting so long to be picked and eaten that it just cannot stand it anymore. Biting into a fresh, yellow peach and having the juices stream down your chin and fingers is one of August's most rewarding activities. The sweet fragrance of plump blueberries beckoning to you as you walk past them are another August delight, and would pair perfectly with the aforementioned peaches.

After reading Pasty Studio's post on a Blueberry Buckle, I knew immediately what I wanted to do with my peaches and blueberries. I added walnuts and maple syrup to this recipe, as well as oats in the crumb topping. I think the walnuts are quite nice at mellowing out the sweetness of the fruit, and the maple adds a different, more dense level of flavor than just plain sugar.

This buckle turned out to be absolutely delicious, and it smelled like HEAVEN while baking. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I made two cakes here, so if you only want one, halve this recipe.

Crumb Topping
1 c flour
1 c brown sugar
2/3 c sugar
3/4 c quick cook oats
6 tbsp butter, soft but still chilled
3 tsp sugar

Mix all ingredients until small and crumbly and set aside in refrigerator until needed.

Batter:
3 1/4 c flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
10 tbsp of butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla paste
5 peaches, skin removed and chopped small
3 c blueberries, rinsed
2/3 c chopped walnuts
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350

In a small bowl, combine peaches, blueberries, maple syrup, walnuts and cinnamon. Stir until combined and let sit.

In a mixer, cream butter, sugar and salt. Add in vanilla paste and eggs, one by one. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Slowly add into egg and sugar mixture until a thick batter is formed. Remove from mixer, and scrape down sides with spatula. Gently fold in fruit and walnut mixture until well combined. Batter will be extremely thick. Grease 2 9 inch cake pans and divide batter between both pans, leaving about 1/4 an inch from the top. Spread crumb topping over batter and bake on 350 for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick is inserted cleanly. Cool 10 minutes and enjoy!