Poppy seed and cherry meringue cloud cake

A festive twist on the beloved raspberry cloud cake. This poppy seed and cherry meringue cloud cake layers crisp meringue, vanilla whipped cream and juicy cherries over a light poppy seed cake. It’s the perfect dessert for Christmas, featuring classic festive flavours such as poppy seeds, cherries and a splash of Amaretto. If you use thawed frozen cherries, the cake won’t be overly sweet, while cherries from compote will give it a slightly sweeter finish. Highly recommended!

Ingredients for the poppy seed sponge:

• 120 ml milk
• 45 g dry ground poppy seeds
• 1 large egg
• 60 g caster sugar
• 60 ml rapeseed oil
• 110 g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir in the ground poppy seeds, remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.

In a bowl, lightly whisk together the egg, sugar and oil until just combined (do not whip). Add the cooled milk and poppy seed mixture and whisk briefly. Sift the flour and baking powder directly into the bowl and gently mix until just combined.

Line a 25 cm round cake tin with baking paper. Pour in the batter and level the surface.

Bake at 170°C for about 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

Ingredients for the soaking syrup:

• 50 ml Amaretto liqueur
• 30 ml cooled boiled water

Mix the Amaretto with the water. Prick the cooled sponge all over with a skewer and brush or spoon over the syrup.

Ingredients for the cherry jelly layer:

• 500 g cherries
• 50 ml Amaretto liqueur
• 1½ sachets cherry jelly (each sachet intended for 500 ml water)
• 400 ml boiling water

Dissolve the cherry jelly in the boiling water. Leave to cool, then stir in the Amaretto and cherries. (If using frozen cherries, thaw them first. Cherries from compote can also be used.) Refrigerate until the jelly begins to thicken.

Spread the thickening jelly evenly over the poppy seed sponge and chill until fully set.

Ingredients for the vanilla whipped cream:

• 350 ml double cream, chilled
• 50 g mascarpone, chilled
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or seeds from 1 vanilla pod

Prepare the cream just before assembling the cake.

Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until thick and smooth.

Ingredients for the almond meringue:

• 2 egg whites, at room temperature
• pinch of salt
• 100 g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• 25 g flaked almonds

Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk, gradually increasing the speed, until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, one tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously until the meringue is thick, glossy and the sugar has dissolved. Finally, whisk in the cornflour.

Draw a 23 cm circle on a sheet of baking paper (using a plate as a guide works well). The meringue will spread slightly during baking to fit the 25 cm cake. Spread the meringue evenly inside the circle and sprinkle with the flaked almonds.

Bake at 140°C for about 45 minutes, until crisp and lightly cracked. If necessary, adjust the baking time slightly. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

To assemble:

Remove the cake from the fridge. Spread the freshly whipped vanilla cream over the cherry jelly layer and smooth the surface. Carefully place the cooled almond meringue on top. Chill for at least a few hours before serving.

The poppy seed and cherry meringue cloud cake slices best after chilling overnight, when the meringue softens slightly and cuts cleanly.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!