Blackberry Hazenut Upside Down Cake

Blackberries are hands down my favorite fruit. I used to pick tons of them at our beach property when I was a kid and blackberry pie was the first pie I ever made.  Now we have tons of blackberry bushes at our house and my kids and I pick them once a week when they are in season. I have a freezer full of them but this week I used some fresh ones for this upside down cake. Blackberries and hazelnuts are both abundant in the Pacific Northwest and pair deliciously together. I used hazelnut meal/flour from Bob's Red Mill which I was able to find in my local grocery store. 

Ingredients - 

Cake - 

1 cup all purpose flour 

1/2 cup hazelnut meal 

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt 

1 stick butter - softened 

1/2 cup white sugar 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

2 eggs 

1/3 cup buttermilk - full fat 

Topping - 

4 T butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups fresh blackberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 in round cake pan with butter and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

To make the topping combine the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a small sauce pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted. Pour the topping mixture into the pan lined with parchment so it covers the bottom evenly. Sprinkle the berries over the topping. Set aside. 

In a small bowl mix together the all purpose flour, hazelnut meal, baking powder and salt. In  the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until each is incorporated.  Mix in the buttermilk until everything is combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until everything is combined. Spoon the batter over the blackberries and gently spread it evenly around the pan to cover the berries. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven. Let cool for 5 minutes. Slide a butter knife around the sides of the pan and invert the cake onto a serving plate. Serve warm. 

Serves 8