Poppy Seed Cake with Cranberries

INSTRUCTIONS FOR POPPY SEED SPONGE

• 1
  Line the bottom of a 23 cm diameter cake tin with baking paper, grease the sides with butter and dust with almond flour.
• 2
  Mix the ground poppy seeds with almond flour and finely grated chocolate. Separate the eggs into whites and yolks.
• 3
  Cream the butter with vanilla sugar and powdered sugar until foamy. Gradually beat in the egg yolks, one by one. Whisk the egg whites and salt into a stiff peak, then gradually beat in the cane sugar, spoonful by spoonful. Carefully fold the egg white mixture along with the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, smooth the top, and bake for approximately 35 minutes in an oven preheated to 170°C with a fan. Let cool in the tin after baking.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CREAM

• 1
  Steam the oranges: Wash them, scrub with a brush, and pour boiling water over them 3 times to remove wax and other impurities. Grate the orange zest from them using a fine grater and squeeze out the juice.
• 2
  Whisk the butter with sugar and half of the orange zest until foamy (approx. 10 minutes), add the cheese and half of the orange juice, and beat for another 5 minutes until a smooth, fluffy cream forms. Use the remaining zest and juice for the cranberry jelly.
• 3
  Spread the cream evenly over the entire poppy seed sponge, enclosed in the cake tin, smoothing the surface. Place the cake tin in the refrigerator for the cream to set.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CRANBERRY JELLY

• 1
  Soak the gelatin in a little cold water and let it swell (it will resemble a crumpled plastic bag).
• 2
  Boil 200 ml of water with sugar, orange juice, and zest, add cranberries, bring to a boil again, and reduce the heat. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cranberries will burst during cooking and begin to gel. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir the swollen, squeezed gelatin into the cranberries. Let cool, stirring occasionally, until the jelly begins to slightly thicken. Pour it over the chilled cream. Return the cake to the refrigerator for at least two hours.
• 3
  Before serving, carefully loosen the edges of the cake with a spatula and remove it from the tin.