Sour Cherry Poppy Seed Cake with Meringue Topping

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Combine ground poppy seeds, flour, baking soda and spices. Set aside.

In a bowl whisk butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks and whisk together.

Combine sour cherries with the 3 Tablespoons of flour so cherries won’t go down to the bottom of your cake.

Stir the spiced poppy and flour mixture into the buttery creamed mixture, add milk as well, and after that add sour cherries. Combine thoroughly.

Spread cake mixture into a 20 x 30 cm nonstick Springform pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Take cake out of the oven and spread jam on the top.

Make the meringue: Place the egg whites along with salt in a large clean bowl and have the sugar measured and ready. Now whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and you can turn the bowl upside down without them sliding out (it’s very important, though, not to over-whisk the egg whites because if you do, they will start to collapse).

When they’re ready, pour in the lemon juice and start to whisk in the sugar, approximately 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition until all the sugar is in.

If the meringue is thick and shiny spread with a spatula on the top of the cake. Put the meringue topped cake back in the oven and bake a further 10 minutes. Then switch off the oven, keep the door closed, and leave the cake in the oven until the cake is cooled.

Unmold the cake and serve!