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Czech babovka cake served on a plate.
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Bábovka – Czech Bundt Cake

One of the most beloved Czech desserts is the Bábovka cake, which has been baked for generations in beautiful decorative molds. Try this little wonder of Czech cuisine. I'm here with a classic old-fashioned Czech recipe for Cocoa Marble Babovka that is easy to make and doesn't call for any of those crazy fad ingredients!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Czech
Keyword bábovka
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 12 slices
Calories 239kcal

Equipment

  • 8-cup bundt cake

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 3 Tablespoons dark powdered cocoa
  • ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt (210g) around 10 % fat, or sour cream
  • 1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour (200g)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (110ml)
  • 1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract
  • 2 Tablespoons milk to thin the cocoa batter
  • 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar to dust baked babovka cake

Instructions

  • First, prepare the bundt cake mold. Grease it thoroughly with a piece of solid fat (for example, Crisco) and sprinkle with about two tablespoons of breadcrumbs.
  • Crack the eggs in a large bowl. Beat them with an electric mixer, slowly at first, then increase the speed. Gradually add the granulated sugar until you've used it all. After about five minutes, you should get a light, fluffy egg mixture.
  • Reduce the mixer speed to the minimum. Gradually add the flour mixed with baking powder, oil, and yogurt to the mixture.
  • Take less than half of the batter and put it in a clean bowl. Add in the cocoa powder and a little milk to keep the cocoa batter from being too thick. Briefly whisk with a mixer.
  • Pour half of the light batter into the prepared bundt pan. Cover with all of the cocoa cake batter and finish with a layer of the remaining vanilla cake batter.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C), and set to upper and lower heat. Bake the cake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the type of mold.

Notes

  • Makes 1 babovka cake / 12 slices.
  • At the end of baking, test for doneness. Insert a wooden skewer into the center of the cake. If it comes out dry, the cake is done. If there is any raw dough left, bake for another five minutes and repeat the test.
  • SERVING: Sprinkle the cake with icing sugar, cut into pieces, and serve with a cup of coffee or tea.
  • The baking time depends on the material of the pan. If you have a stoneware or cast iron pan, the cake will take longer to bake in the oven. Light metal and silicone pans allow the cake to bake faster.
  • The center of the cake usually puffs up during baking. You can cut it off to make the cake flat and help it sit better on the platter when served.

Nutrition

Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 94mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 72IU | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg