Cherry Poppy Seed Cake

The second I saw this photo/recipe on foodgawker I knew I had to make it. I saw the post on Tuesday and then made the cake on Saturday. That's a very quick turn around for me.

It helped that I had an occasion to bake for: friends' engagement/album release/going away party. That's a lot going on at once, isn't it? All those things guaranteed a good party.

 

It was such a lovely night that I barely had time to snap an iPhone shot of the last piece of cake before handing it to my roomie.

This cake is so lovely, especially for summer seeing it's somewhat light in consistency and uses cherries. I added a nice whipped cream that helped bring out the flavors of the poppy seeds and the cherries.

 

I highly recommend making this cake. Or, if anything, if you see it at a party, make sure to get a slice!

Cherry Poppy Seed Cake (adapted from Eat Me!)

Ingredients:

150 g butter (room temperature) (around 11 Tablespoons)

150 g brown sugar

250 g flour

10 g baking powder

4 eggs

100 g poppy seeds

1 t vanilla extract

50 ml milk

pinch of salt

1 kg cherries (pitted) (Erika's Extras: I used cherries from the produce aisle, not from a jar. Also, I found that I would have preferred more than the 3 cups worth of cherries.)

To serve: 

1. Preheat oven to 180C/260 F. Lightly butter a spring form pan.  

2. In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Separately sift flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt and gradually add to the batter. Add vanilla, poppy seeds and milk. Combine until completely mixed. 

3. Pour the batter into the pan. Cover with cherries. Firmly press the cherries into the top of the batter. 

4. Transfer to the oven for 30-45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick (etc) comes out clean. Serve a cake with a dollop of whipped cream.

Vanilla  Whipped Cream (from Black Forest Trifle)

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream

 

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract with an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Add in heavy cream, incorporating a little at a time to prevent splattering. When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer to high, and beat until soft peaks form.

Bake well and prosper!