Poppy seed cake with cherry vanilla pudding

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Open the canned cherries and drain them, reserving the juice. Pit the cherries.

2. To make the batter, combine the ground poppy seeds, flour, and powdered sugar. Add the baking powder and mix thoroughly. Gradually add the oil, egg, and milk, mixing until smooth.

3. Grease a baking pan with butter and dust it with flour, then pour in the batter. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C (350 °F) for about 25–30 minutes.

4. For the filling, stir together the pudding mix, granulated sugar, and cherry juice, then add the cherries. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken, crushing the cherries as you go to make a uniform mixture. Let the cherry pudding cool completely.

5. Slice the baked cake horizontally into two layers. Spread the cherry pudding over the bottom layer and cover with the top layer. Let the cake stand for about 2 hours so the filling can set firmly, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Tip: Wait until the cake has cooled completely before cutting it into layers, as the warm poppy seed cake breaks easily. First make a shallow cut all the way around the edge, then use it as a guide to cut evenly through the center.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Makový koláč s čerešňami z kompótu a vanilkovým pudingom