Gluten Free RED CURRANT VANILLA TEA CAKE
Gluten Free RED CURRANT VANILLA TEA CAKE
Red Currants may be tiny and full of seeds, but they are the jewels of the Gooseberry Family! They are wonderfully juicy and have a  delicious flavor when baked into breads and cakes.  I keep a bag of frozen currants ready all year so I can make jam, colorful garnishes and this lovely tea cake. On this cold drizzly December day this slice of berry cake is a perfect accompaniment to a whipped cream topped hot chocolate in a mini cup.
Currants ( Red, Black and White) are grown all over North American and Europe and are prized for their tart taste – perfect for sauces, pastries and jelly.  In fact there is a hilarious story about a company in Bar-De-Luc, France, that makes the most expensive jelly in the world with red currants ( for the Queen of England!) after removing the seeds one by one with a duck quill. See that post Here . Of course I was intrigued and bought a jar. It was too sweet for my tastes and I was inspired to make my own jam instead. It worked out great – all that was needed was to put the mixture through a food mill with the smallest disc to catch the tiny seeds. Fit for a Princess.
Red Currant Vanilla Tea Cake:
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup Authentic Foods Gluten-free Classic Flour Blend you can buy it here    ( You can use 2 cups regular Flour if you don’t need to make it Gluten Free)
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
3/4 cup 2% milk or whole milk
3/4 cup red currants, fresh or frozen
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter a Bundt pan. You can also half the recipe and bake in a smaller ring form ( as I did for the images).
Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.
In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder together and add to the butter mixture , alternating with the milk.
Fold in poppy seeds and red currants and pour into baking pan.  Bake just until top springs back when gently pressed. Do not overbake. The half recipe takes about 18 minutes, the full recipe will take about 35-45 minutes. Watch closely at the end of the baking time.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn upside down out onto cooling rack . Serve with whipped cream or powdered sugar.
SUBLIME DELIGHTS 
nice Sarah……looks so elegant and tasty
Hi, Sarah, thanks for enlightening me of such delights for the use of red currents. I know that I have never tasted red currents, but the dark current jam, I have, and it’s a favorite. XX E.