Triple Berry Cake with Saigon Cinnamon

1 ¾ cups of sugar, divided
4 oz. salted butter (1/2 cup) softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz. Neufchatel cheese, or 1/3 less fat cream
cheese softened (about ¾ cup)
Do not substitute full fat version or use whipped
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups unbleached all- purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Saigon Cinnamon
½ cup fresh black berries
½ cup fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh blueberries

• Do not use frozen berries in this recipe.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 inch spring form pan with cooking spray.
• Using an electric mixer , beat 1 ½ cups sugar (10 oz.), butter, vanilla and Neufchatel cheese at medium speed for 4 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to cream cheese mixture, beating at low speed until well combined.
• In a small bowl combine the remaining ¼ cup of sugar with the 2 teaspoons of Saigon Cinnamon and stir. In a medium bowl combine fresh berries and 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon and sugar mixture. I do this step just before adding fruit to the batter. Gently stir berries into batter.
• Pour batter into prepared cake pan, sprinkle remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture on top. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake pulls away from the side. Cool completely on a wire rack. This can be served as a dessert or breakfast coffee cake.

Note: To bake in a 9 inch square pan or 9 inch spring form pan, reduce cooking time by 10 minutes.