Chocolate & vanilla bábovka

This bundt cake is a surprisingly simple stunner,

ready to serve at home or share with friends.

Bábovka

From Babka Erika

For me, this recipe hovers in between breakfast and afternoon treat. On the sweetness scale, it’s on par with a slice of banana bread or a blueberry muffin—easy enough to imagine on the breakfast table. My mother-in-law, however, has always served it as an afternoon snack for the grandchildren or a treat following dinner. I leave it to you: I believe that this simply sweet, decorative cake can be eaten at any hour of the day, so I won’t judge when you choose to cut a slice for yourself.

Storing & saving

Best eaten within 1-2 days

Yieldsields

1 bundt tin

Baking notes

Releasing a bábovka from its bundt cake tin is a tricky process that starts before it even hits the oven. Don’t put the batter into the tin until just before baking; if the batter sits in the tin before baking, it may stick to the tin. Once you’ve taken the bábovka out of the oven, allow it to fully cool before tapping it out of the bundt cake tin.

4 eggs 4 vajcia

200 grams (1.6 cups) sugar 200 g cukru

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar 1 čajové lyžičky vanilkovú cukru

Zest of a lemon Citrónová kôra

100 ml cold water 100 ml studenej vody

100 vegetable oil 100 ml rastlinného oleja

200 grams (1.6 cups) flour 200 g múky

1 teaspoon baking powder 1 lyžička prášku do pečiva

1 heaping tsp cocoa powder 1 kopcovité čajové lyžičky kakaa

1/2 cup chopped walnuts Hrsť vlašských orechov, nadrobno pokrájanej

• Preheat oven to 390ºF/200ºC and prepare the bundt tin with a layer of butter or cooking spray and a generous dusting of flour. 

• Separate egg yolks and whites, setting the yolks aside. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites, then combine with the sugar and vanilla sugar. 

• Next, add the yolks and lemon zest to the batter.

• Slowly add the vegetable oil and water, then fold the flour and baking powder in. 

  Babka suggests using a metal spoon rather than a wooden or silicone tool, as this will prevent you from knocking more air out of your whisked egg-whites batter.

• Fill the bundt tin halfway with the mixture, reserving the second half of the batter for the chocolate portion.  

• Add the cocoa powder and nuts into the remaining batter in the bowl, then pour into the bundt tin.

• Babka says the batter will swirl and combine on its own, but you can add an additional swirl with a metal skewer.  

• Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before turning out of the tin.

• Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Save the day

Occasionally this beautiful little bundt just doesn’t quite make it out of the tin in one piece. Don’t lose heart! Serve it in individual slices (which allows you to cut off broken pieces and consume the evidence while still in the kitchen). But you didn’t hear it from me.