Cherry Poppy Seed Cake
Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 1 hour 5 mins
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.
Recipe by My Kitchen in the Rockies | A Denver, Colorado Food Blog at http://www.mykitchenintherockies.com/2012/03/23/cherry-poppy-seed-cake/