Chef John's Blackberry Buckle

1 . Stage

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2 . Stage

Stir blackberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl; let rest, 15 to 20 minutes.

3 . Stage

Whisk flour, 3/4 cup sugar, almond meal, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Stir milk into flour mixture until batter is just combined.

4 . Stage

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; pour into the bottom of an 8x12-inch baking dish. Pour batter on top of melted butter and use a spatula to gently distribute batter without mixing it into butter, leaving a 1-inch butter border around the sides of the dish.

5 . Stage

Scatter blackberries over the batter and spoon any accumulated blackberry juices over the top.

6 . Stage

Bake buckle in the preheated oven until crisped and browned around the edges, about 1 hour.

7 . Stage

Melt remaining butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir almonds in hot butter until golden brown and toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle toasted almonds over blackberry buckle and cool buckle to room temperature. Chef John