Cherry Poppy Seed Cake and an OXO Scale Giveaway

by Kirsten on March 23, 2012 · 45 comments

in Cakes, Cakes & Sweets, Desserts, German Dishes, Uncategorized

Before we get to the recipe of this German cherry poppy seed cake I would like to share with you a little story from my previous life.

I was working for several years at a pharmacy in my hometown in Germany. We had a dermatologist office located in the same building as the pharmacy. The dermatologist was one of my school friend’s dad. He was a very nice doctor and he cared a lot about his patients. He was known to prefer prescribing compound medications. Most off his prescriptions were brought to our pharmacy. Along with filling prescriptions and advising customers, I was the one in charge of preparing the compound medications. I loved this work. My little lab spot, the ingredients, my scale, knowing that the finished product would have to be perfect. This work nurtured my love for baking.

I stopped working at the pharmacy a few month before my son was born, but what stayed with me until today and makes my life in the kitchen so much easier is a good functioning scale. I use it every single time I am baking.

 

I truly enjoyed using this  OXO Good Grips scale to bake my cherry poppy seed cake and would like to send one to you.  This scale was given to me by OXO for free to share with one of my readers. The OXO Good Grips food scale weighs in ounces/ grams and up to 5 lb. It is light and small, which makes for very easy storage. Personally, I think, one of the best features is the pull away display. This detail makes for much better visibility of the display while allowing a larger bowl or plate to sit on the scale.

To take part in the giveaway I am asking you first to become a follower of my blog and second to share this give away with your followers/ readers or friends. Tweet about it, post it on your Facebook page, share it on Pinterest or mention it in your next blog post. I will leave this decision up to you. Then come back, let me know how you follow, where you shared this OXO scale give away and how you would like to use this scale in your daily life. I am very sorry, but you have to live in the US to be able to participate.

Good luck to all of you! This OXO Good Grips food scale give-away will stay open until midnight 3/30/2012, MST. The winner will be picked randomly and will be announced on Saturday 3/31/2012.

Now, finally,  I would like to share with you this moist German cherry poppy seed cake as my labor of love from my kitchen to yours. The recipe calls for lots of poppy seeds and cherries, just how my family likes it. The batter is enhanced with almonds, pure almond extract and vanilla and gets baked on a simple sheet pan. It is very quick to assemble and ready in no time.

My family loves the taste of this cherry poppy seed cake, since it is not overwhelmingly sweet and the flavors of the cherries, the almonds and the poppy seeds complement each other exceptionally well. I am convinced you will enjoy it, too. I would also recommend bringing this cherry poppy seed cake to a pot luck, since it feeds a crowd and is very easy to transport. Just leave it in the baking pan and dust the cake with the confectioners after your arrival.

Enjoy!

Cherry Poppy Seed Cake
5.0 from 4 reviews
Print
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: about 24 pieces
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup 2 Tablespoons (200 ml) milk
  • 4.41 ounces (125 g) poppy seeds, ground in a coffee grinder (not too fine)
  • 1⅔ cup (200 g) flour
  • 1 cup (100 g) almonds, ground (or use almond flour)
  • a pinch of salt
  • 3 Tablespoons baking powder, (Kirsten used 2½ for altitude adjustment)
  • 12.35 ounces, 1 cup 1½ Tablespoons (350 g) unsalted butter, at room temp.
  • 8.82 ounces, 1¼ cup (250 g) sugar
  • 6 eggs, at room temp.
  • ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) almond extract
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
  • 13.4 ounces, 3½ cups (380 g) frozen organic cherries, ( Kirsten used premium dark, sweet, pitted)
  • confectioners sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 325 F (160 C) Convection. Grease a 16x12x1 inch (40.6x30.5x2.54 cm) baking pan. Set aside.
  2. Heat the milk in a pot and add the poppy seeds. Let simmer on low for 2-3 minutes. Take pot off the heat and let the poppy seed milk sit covered for about 10 minutes.
  3. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, ground almonds, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
  4. In a stand-mixer with the paddle attachment whisk the butter and sugar until creamy on medium-high speed , about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bowl after each addition. Mix in the vanilla, almond extract and poppy seed milk.
  5. Set the stand-mixer on low speed and add the flour mixture slowly until well combined. Don't over mix!
  6. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan and distribute the cherries onto the batter.
  7. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the cake removes cleanly.
  8. Let the cake cool in the pan and dust with confectioners sugar before cutting into squares.

 

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{ 44 comments }

kathy July 2, 2012 at 6:15 pm

Can I use canned/packaged ground almonds?

Carole May 5, 2012 at 8:29 am

were the cherries defrosted & drained first

Petra April 13, 2012 at 12:28 am

I made this cake last week with gluten-free flour and it turned out absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing!

Andrea Zeng March 30, 2012 at 9:22 pm

I have liked you on facebook and shared the recipe+giveaway. I have also followed you on twitter and retweeted your post about this recipe+giveaway. I would love to have an oxo scale so my baking could be more precise, so many recipes now come with weights now instead of cups.

Carlos March 26, 2012 at 10:58 am

Ok, I need to stop looking at your blog around lunch time. I am famished and looking at your pictures (beautiful pictures) is not helping me! I am not sure I am going to make it ….. BRB, Gone to lunch!

Melissa C. March 26, 2012 at 9:06 am

This cake looks fab… I’m gonna have to try this recipe!

Danielle March 25, 2012 at 10:36 pm

I follow you on Pinterest!

Karen March 25, 2012 at 2:23 pm

Just signed up on your e-mail list!

Karen March 25, 2012 at 2:22 pm

I posted this on my pintrest

Karen March 25, 2012 at 2:21 pm

I posted this on my facebook

Karen March 25, 2012 at 2:21 pm

I’d love, love, love this scale if I got it because it would help me so much int he kitchen!

Cindy B. March 25, 2012 at 9:44 am

I shared it on Pinterest.
http://pinterest.com/Cinbat03/

Cindy B. March 25, 2012 at 9:42 am
Cindy B. March 25, 2012 at 9:40 am

I ‘m a new follower on Facebook & shared this giveaway on my Facebook page

candace March 25, 2012 at 8:51 am

i follow you on facebook 🙂

Brighteyedbaker March 24, 2012 at 3:05 pm

Forgot to mention, I would use this kitchen scale to not only be more accurate with recipes but also to assist myself with creating new recipes.

Brighteyedbaker March 24, 2012 at 3:03 pm

I love the sound of this cake. The combination of flavors is so interesting. I would love a kitchen scale and I now follow you via email and tweeted about this post and giveaway via pinterest (brighteyedbaker).

Frieda March 24, 2012 at 2:50 pm

I guess great minds think alike! I’m giving away this EXACT scale on my blog! I’m waiting for my digital scale to die so I can get this beautiful OXO scale.

I follow you faithfully on my Google reader and posted your giveaway on my FB page:

http://www.facebook.com/friedalovesbread/posts/209925035775134

angela segraves March 24, 2012 at 2:29 pm

I follow you on Facebook and shared the link. A scale makes all the difference in baking & I would use it a lot! I learned to use a scale when I went to Cooking school in Denver. I live in Ohio now and really miss the Rockies!

PatinUSA March 24, 2012 at 12:35 pm

Mmmmh, I’m drooling…
Following through google reader
And posting on Fb
Would love to win 🙂

Kimberly Hutchinson March 24, 2012 at 10:38 am

I posted a comment on my Pinterest page about the OXO giveaway on your blog. I follow your blog and I would love to have this scale because my previous one broke. I like using a scale to measure the ingredients when I am baking especially for flour.

Sami March 24, 2012 at 9:44 am

Following

Lucy March 24, 2012 at 9:20 am

How unique and tasty looking, just pinned it to try out soon!

Maxine R. March 24, 2012 at 8:38 am

I follow you by email.

Pat R March 24, 2012 at 8:34 am

I follow by email

Andrea the Kitchen Witch March 24, 2012 at 8:11 am

I love the redesign of your blog, looks great! So does this cake, so moist and flavorful, yum! And know what? I have that same pie/cake server! Got it as a wedding gift years ago 🙂 Awesome giveaway, I’ve had my eyes on one of these OXO scales with the pull out screen. So handy!

Susan March 24, 2012 at 7:35 am

Oh I love cherry and since it’s one of Washington’s biggest crop (next to apples) this recipe is on my list as soon as I see them in the Farmer’s Market. It has been pretty cool here and crazy snowy weather, but I think we’re finally going to get a peek at Spring this week with sunny, 60+degree days. Love you, XOXO

Cooking with Michele March 24, 2012 at 7:33 am

I never knew that about your background – now your baking skills make more sense to me! I tweeted your giveaway this morning, and if I win the scale I’m going to give it to Jenny for a birthday present. 🙂

manu March 24, 2012 at 6:37 am

I love poppy seeds and this cake looks so soft!
Have a nice week end

Lea Ann March 24, 2012 at 5:34 am

It’s been Tweeted.

Lea Ann March 24, 2012 at 5:20 am

Poppyseed cake is one of my favorites and I love the addition of cherries! As as always, beautiful photos Kirsten. I’m going t head over and put this give away on my face book page right now.

Susan March 24, 2012 at 5:12 am

Beautiful cake. I used to work for a dermatologist who compounded his own remedies also, I was fascinated that he could be so intelligent. It was a wonderful experience for me. I was his secretary. I would LOVE that scale. It has been on my “to have” list for a long time, but I always find something I need more. Thanks for the chance. Susan

Laurie March 24, 2012 at 4:04 am

This is the first time I have explored your blog, beautiful!! Following you on pinterest.

roseann March 24, 2012 at 1:42 am

i tweeted! https://twitter.com/#!/melonpanchan2/status/183458469934936065

but really, this cherry poppy cake looks sooooo good! ill make this!

roseann March 24, 2012 at 1:39 am

i like you on fb (#242!) and i follow you on twitter as well!

Medeja March 24, 2012 at 1:15 am

Is the cake very dry? I think it actually shouldn’t be with cherris..

I like poppy seed in baked things.

Kirsten March 24, 2012 at 4:34 pm

Medeja, it isn’t dry at all. Actually it is very moist with a fine crumb.

Jennifer Neef March 23, 2012 at 9:41 pm

Oh nein, wir in Kanada lebenden werden diskriminiert 😉 Schoene Fotos und das Rezept klingt sehr lecker. Yum!

Jessica F @ Meats and Other Eats March 23, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Jessica F @ Meats and Other Eats March 23, 2012 at 8:20 pm

I’d love to use this for when I’m baking since baking is so precise 🙂 And for measuring how much meat I eat at dinner… I think I eat too much!

Karen Harris March 23, 2012 at 7:18 pm

Nice giveaway Kirsten! Love the cake recipe too.

Michael J. McCoy March 23, 2012 at 7:10 pm

Posted your recipe and giveway on my Facebook page.

Michael J. McCoy March 23, 2012 at 7:08 pm

I follow you on facebook.

Annie @ Naturally Sweet Recipes March 23, 2012 at 6:14 pm

Oh my goodness, those look amazing!!! Beautiful pictures too. I’d love at least 3 of those right now! Have a great Friday!

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