Berry Cream Cheese Cake
from https://unwrittenrecipes.com/, adapted from Yossy Arefi's Snacking Cakes

The cake bakes up golden brown and moist, striking just the right balance between fluffy and dense with the slight tang of the berries offsetting the richness of the cream cheese. It’s sweet but not overly so and would be just as welcome at brunch as it would for a simple after-dinner treat!

Both the cream cheese and berries are mixed into the batter. More berries are scattered on top along with some turbinado sugar. Yossy says 1 cup cranberries can replace the mixed berries, or even 1 cup apricots plus 1/2 cup mixed berries.

Note: Recipe adapted from Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi. I increased the amount of berries and the turbinado sugar.

3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup (70g = 2.5 ounces) brick cream cheese, cold
Generous cup of fresh berries (I used raspberries - Yossy likes blueberries and raspberries, and that strawberries get too soft), divided (1 cup original recipe)
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (1 Tbsp. original recipe)

Make sure oven rack is centered and preheat to 350ºF. Spray with nonstick spray (or butter) an 8-inch square pan and line the pan with an overhanging piece of parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar and eggs together until pale and foamy, about 1 minute. Add the sour cream, melted butter, vanilla and salt and whisk until smooth and emulsified.

Add in the flour, baking powder and soda and whisk until well-combined and smooth.

Cut the cream cheese into smallish, teaspoon-sized pieces and scatter them across the batter. Then add about ½ cup of the berries and gently fold those and the cream cheese bits into the batter. Scrape the whole thing into the prepared pan and tap the pan gently on the counter to release any air bubbles. Smooth the top with a spatula. Scatter the remaining berries evenly across the top and sprinkle the turbinado sugar all across the top.

Bake the cake for 30-45 minutes, until it is puffed and golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (mine was much closer to the 45 minute mark). Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes, then use the parchment overhang to lift the cake out of the pan and let it finish cooling completely on the wire rack. Cut into squares and serve. The cake will last 3-4 days, well-wrapped, in the fridge. You could also bake this in a 9-inch round cake pan for 35-45 minutes or a loaf pan for 50-60 minutes.

Makes an 8-inch square cake or 9-inch round cake pan