*The sugar helped to break up the almond paste pieces down completely in my mixer. If you're worried about it breaking completely down, you can grate it into your mixing bowl instead of just breaking it up into small clumps.
*You can substitute blackberries, blueberries or any fresh berries. The author of the recipe also mentions that you could use frozen berries, but she reduces the amount to 1 1/2 cups. I haven't tried it yet, but whenever I used frozen fruit in baked goods, I usually add it when it is still frozen.
*When a recipe calls for adding eggs and vanilla, I always crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup and measure the vanilla right into that same cup. The vanilla gets added along with the eggs, even when you have to pour them in, one at a time.
*My spring form pan is dark coated metal which makes whatever I bake it in browner. I had to cover my pan loosely with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent over browning.
*We ate this at room temperature, warmed up slightly in the microwave and refrigerated. We enjoyed it at all temperatures.
Recipe from Cyndi, one of my readers.