Poppy seed cake with sour cherry and mascarpone cream

Name: Poppy seed cake with sour cherry and mascarpone cream
Ingredients: 300 g ground poppy seeds; 120 g graham flour; 1 lemon; 1 packet baking powder; 180 g butter; 50 g sugar; 8 eggs; 150 g sugar; 1 packet vanilla pudding mix; 3 tablespoons sugar; 500 ml sour cherry juice; 400 g pitted sour cherries; 500 ml whipping cream; 500 g mascarpone

Dessert - Poppy seed cake with sour cherry and mascarpone cream by Noemi H. - Recipia

Poppy seed cake with sour cherry and mascarpone cream is often served at Easter, with a dense cake base and layers of whipped cream. The base, made with graham flour and ground poppy seeds, is cut in two, and the sour cherry cream sits between layers of mascarpone and whipped cream. I cut it into thin slices so you can see the layers. Prep: 40 minutes. Cook: 36 minutes. Rest: 60 minutes. Total time: 136 minutes. Serves: 12. About 770 kcal and 14 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

300 g ground poppy seeds
120 g graham flour
1 lemon
1 packet baking powder
180 g butter
50 g sugar
8 eggs
150 g sugar
1 packet vanilla pudding mix
3 tablespoons sugar
500 ml sour cherry juice
400 g pitted sour cherries
500 ml whipping cream
500 g mascarpone

Preparation

1. Mix the graham flour, baking powder, grated lemon zest and ground poppy seeds. 2. Beat the butter with 50 g sugar, then add the egg yolks one at a time. 3. Beat the egg whites until foamy, gradually add 150 g sugar, then gently fold the egg whites into the butter mixture. Add the flour and poppy seed mixture by the spoonful. 4. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 24 cm round cake pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes, until the surface is golden; check the cake with a toothpick. 5. Mix the pudding powder with 3 tablespoons sugar, then gradually stir in the sour cherry juice. Simmer over low heat for 6 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add the pitted sour cherries, setting a few aside for decoration, and leave the mixture to cool. 6. Leave the cake and sour cherry cream to cool for about 60 minutes. Whip the cream and gradually fold in the mascarpone, mixing with a spoon. 7. Cut the cooled cake in two. Place the first layer on a serving plate, spread on a layer of whipped cream and mascarpone, then the sour cherry cream and another layer of whipped cream. 8. Place the second layer on top and cover the cake with the remaining cream. Decorate with the reserved sour cherries.

Notes

You can replace the mascarpone with 500 g thick sour cream, left to drain for a few hours; this version still contains dairy, and the cake also contains gluten and eggs. I serve it with plain black tea, which doesn't cover the sour taste of the cherries. Grate only the yellow part of the lemon peel, as the white pith can make the cake bitter. The ground poppy seeds should smell fresh; if they smell bitter, you'll taste it after baking too. Let the sour cherry cream cool completely before assembling the cake, or it will soften the whipped cream. Adding the flour and poppy seeds is the part I don't rush, as the batter thickens quickly. Keep the assembled cake covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you make the cake base ahead, wrap it well once it's cooled so it doesn't dry out.