Bubble Cake with Red Currant (Czech bublanina)

Bubble cake is soft and moist sponge cake, often made in the Czech Republic for Sundays to accompany afternoon coffee. It can be made with fruit of the season, mostly berries. This bubble cake is made with red currant, sweet and sour Eastern-European fruit.

What is bubble cake ?

Are you asking yourself, what bubble cake is? Bubble cake is a famous Czech afternoon coffee cake, made out of flour, sugar, eggs, oil, hot water (sometimes milk) and some fresh fruit. Why it’s called Bubble cake or in Czech BUBLANINA ? Because of bubbles made up around the fruit, while you bake it. Just look at the picture below, righ in the middle the red currant berry fruit is bubbling.

Bubble cake is at the end a simple sponge or pound cake baked on a flat baking sheet. And it’s usually baked with seasonal fruit. Often with strawberries, peaches, cherries, blueberries and red or black currant as well!

Red currant is an East-European fruit often used in baking

Red currant is a small, round shaped berries with sweet and sour (little tart) taste. If you combined blueberries and cranberries, this might give an approximate taste of red currant. Because red currant is a little sour and tart, it goes very well with the sweet batter. For an extra sweetness, I like to sprinkle the fruit with extra sugar.

Ingredients for bubble cake

• eggs
• white sugar
• all-purpose flour
• zest from lemon
• canola oil
• hot water
• washed and stemmed red currant (or other fruit like blueberries or strawberries)
• icing sugar (for dusting)

This is a lovely summer cake. It is soft and moist, the red currant compliments well the sweet sugary batter. Really lovely and easy recipe for summery days like these. And you don’t have to use as a fruit only red currant, you may use whatever is in the season, or what your local farms or grocery stores offers. Most of the time, I make this cake in summer, when fresh local fruit is available.

Are you asking yourself, but wait a minute, there is no baking powder or baking soda? How does this cake with leaven? Enough eggs are used in this recipe to make this cake to rise. Also, the separation of egg yolks and egg whites helps in leavening the cake. Eventually, egg white are whipped in soft peaks and used to fluff up the cake. This effect will also build up the volume in this bubble cake recipe.

How to make bubble cake

Start by preheating the oven to 177 C/350 F, rack positioned in the middle. Butter and flour baking sheet or glass oven-proof dish 30 x 22 cm (12′ x 9″)

In a medium bowl, sift all-purpose flour, add 1/2 tsp of salt and grated zest from one small lemon.

Separate the egg yolks from egg whites. Set aside the egg whites and in a large bowl, start beating egg yolks and one cup of white sugar with an electric mixer. Mix until it’s white and creamy (about 5 minutes). Continue beating the egg yolks on low speed and add slowly oil and then hot water.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites, until soft peaks.

Fold in egg yolk batter first half of the flour, and then fold in half of the soft peaks egg whites. Continue to fold in the second part of flour and whisked egg whites. Make sure all the whisked egg white is combined well in the batter.

Pour the batter onto the baking sheet. Scatter randomly red currant on the top of the batter. And sprinkle two tablespoons of white sugar over the red currant.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool the cake for 30 minutes and sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional). Cut into squares 2.5″x25″ inches and serve.

Tips and storage

If you will be using red currant as a topping for the bubble cake, sprinkle a little of white sugar on the top of the batter, before you put it in the oven. It will help out to take away the sourness of red currant, especially if it’s not well ripen. If it’s still too sour, you may also dust the cake with extra powered sugar.

This cake is very easy to store in room temperature for up to 3 days. Cover it with plastic food foil, so it doesn’t dry out. If you think your cake will survive the attack of the family (like mine is gone in two days), then also cover with food foil and store in refrigerator for up to one week. This bubble cake is also freezer friendly, when well stored in an airtight container. This cake will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Defrost on kitchen counter for 2 hours. Cut & wrap individual portions for easy distribution for school snacks.

More recipes

• HOW TO MAKE RED CURRANT JAM
• THE BEST LEMON CHEESECAKE
• LEMON CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS
• PUFF PASTRY PEACH GALETTE
• PEACH STREUSEL BARS

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