The universal Czechoslovakian cake, called Bublanina, varies with the season and the fruit that is available. It's a bit like a coffeecake in texture and is probably why it is sometimes served as a breakfast pastry. Commonly used fruits are sweet cherries, tart cherries, plums, nectarines, apricots, strawberries and blueberries, which I used in this version.
The name "Bublanina" comes from the Czech word for bubble and might refer to the fact that the cake batter bubbles up around the fruit, almost enveloping it.
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Makes 6 servings of Czechoslovakian Bublanina
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs divided, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur (optional)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of cream of tartar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and stemmed
- Confectioners' sugar
- Blueberry Sauce (optional but see below)
Preparation:
- Place rack in center of oven and heat to 350 degrees. Butter or lightly coat with cooking spray a 9-inch-by-9-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, sugar and yolks until light and fluffy. Add liqueur, if using, orange zest and salt, mixing well.
- In a clean medium bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff. Alternately fold in egg whites and flour into butter-egg mixture.
- Turn batter into prepared pan and scatter blueberries evenly over top. Press down into batter with a spatula. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cut into 6 equal pieces. Serve warm or cold dusted with confectioners' sugar and blueberry sauce, if desired.
