Urda and sour cherry cake

Name: Urda and sour cherry cake
Ingredients: 700 g sour cherries; 2 tablespoons semolina; 500 g urda or cottage cheese; 3 eggs; 120 g softened butter; 3/4 cup sugar (250 ml cup); 2 cups flour (250 ml cup); 1 packet (10 g) baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup milk (250 ml); 1/2 cup sour cream (125 ml); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dessert - Urda and sour cherry cake by Nadia E. - Recipia

Urda and sour cherry cake is usually served after lunch or with an afternoon coffee, cut into squares once it has cooled well in the pan. The crumb stays soft, with urda, a Romanian whey cheese, mixed into the batter and tart cherries dotted through each slice; a little semolina helps absorb some of the juice released as it bakes. I look for urda that’s soft and crumbles easily between my fingers. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: 45-50 minutes. Resting: 20 minutes. Total time: 85-90 minutes. Servings: 12. About 350 kcal and 11 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

700 g sour cherries
2 tablespoons semolina
500 g urda or cottage cheese
3 eggs
120 g softened butter
3/4 cup sugar (250 ml cup)
2 cups flour (250 ml cup)
1 packet (10 g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (250 ml)
1/2 cup sour cream (125 ml)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Line a 24 × 24 cm or 20 × 30 cm pan with baking paper. 2. Beat the softened butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then crumble in the urda and mix well. 3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder and salt. 4. Stir half of the dry mixture into the urda mixture. Add the sour cream and half the milk, then mix gently. 5. Add the remaining dry mixture and the rest of the milk. Mix until you can no longer see any dry flour, then add the vanilla extract. 6. Wash and pit the sour cherries. Toss them in the semolina, fold them into the batter and pour the mixture into the pan. 7. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden and the middle has set. Leave the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before cutting.

Notes

Drier urda crumbles easily; if it’s very moist, leave it to drain so the crumb doesn’t turn out too soft. Dry the sour cherries well after washing and pitting them; any juice left on them can make the batter too wet. The 24 × 24 cm pan gives a taller layer than the 20 × 30 cm one. I bake it a few hours before the meal and cut it cold; the crumb reminds me more of fruit loaf cake than a tart. Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and serve it with black tea. You can replace the urda with the same amount of well-drained cottage cheese; it contains gluten, dairy and eggs.