Pound Cake (Bábovka)
Bábovka, which is often translated as pound cake, but really not having any meaning, is a light and fluffy cake that is prepared for holidays. This cake is more common in the Czech Republic, but you will often find it at the Slovak Easter or Christmas table (along with vianočka). It is also baked for Slovak weddings. Bábovka is typically made from flour and cacao (for instance, see here). But Alena in Slovakia sent in this really easy recipe, prepared by her mom, which doesn’t call for any flour. Instead, the cake is baked using pudding packets. I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks extremely easy (and delicious)! Here it is:
Ingredients: 4 pudding packets, 4 whole eggs, 2 dl (0.8 cups) powdered sugar, 2dl (0.8 cups) oil, one baking powder packet (12g)
The ingredients for bábovka. Crucial is the donut-shaped pound cake baking form. In Slovakia, the form has grooves on the outside, as shown.
Combine the oil and sugar. Whisk well.
Then add the eggs and baking powder. Also add the pudding. To make the dual-layer pound cake, mix in two vanilla puddings with half the oil mixture, and two chocolate ones with the second half.
Grease the baking form and dust with flour. Pour in some vanilla mix.
Then add the chocolate dough. Alena did not specify this in her recipe, but I am guessing that the chocolate layer was topped off with more vanilla to make the outside white.
Bake on 375F – 400F for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!
I also found an interesting article talking about bábovka traditions in the Czech Republic. And for more of Alena’s recipe’s, check out apricot cake.
Looks amazing… since it’s hard to come across the Czech/Slovak pudding packets curious what oz/size to use and also if this is instant or original(cooking) packets.
Would like to try this recipe, however want the right amt in the ingredients. 😉
Thanks!
These are 45g packets – at least according to this online store http://www.zlacnene.sk/detail/dr-oetker-puding-506591/
There is a German grocery store not too far from my house, http://www.germangourmet.com/, so I’ll stop there in a few days to check these out. They sell all kinds of Dr. Oetker products there.
It’s an Easter dish in Poland and it’s called Babka. Nowadays almost nobody bakes it because there are lots of them in shops and they are also very cheap. One babka would cost about 1,5- 2 $.
This looks really good and easy! Do you think American Pudding packets would work as well?
I don’t know, but if you make, please let us know how it turned out.
You can also use polish pudings, it’s the same 🙂 Ijust baked mine, it’s not that high, but tastes good.
Thanks for letting us know. Did you make it using this recipe? Cause if so, that’s some fast turn around! 🙂
yes 🙂 babovka looks so good, easy recipe, it tooks only 45 minutes alltogether to bake it… coool
Andy, you win the prize for being the first person EVER in the history of slovakcooking.com to officially make the dish the day the recipe was posted. Awesome! I hope you’ll be satisfied with a virtual pat on the back as your prize…
Thank You, I’m so honered 🙂 It was so easy so I had to bake it right away..
I think you can replace pudding packet by corn starch. This is the basis of the pudding (going from 80 – 99%). So take 170 grams of corn starch to replace 4 puddings.
I didn’t know babovka is Czech recipe, we always did it at home (in Slovakia) and not for special occasions like Eastern…., it was more-less quick cake for everyday; I would probably add a bit of sultanas a very fine grated apple – I use it in recipe with a flour
I have always thought this was more of a Czech dessert – but I could be completely mistaken.
I love vanilla /cocoa babovka my mum used to make. Yummy… Babovka in our family was quite common and from my memory never really made during Easter or Xmas… Oh I loved it with a cup of black tea with honey and lemon in the evening or for breakfast…
I should attempt to make one soon.
Čau Luboš, you are the first “another Luboš” to post here. Welcome! 🙂
Vdaka! Your website inspired me to try Slovak dishes 🙂
Uz som si vyskusal zemiakove placky a ovocnu studenu tortu. Keep up the good work!
sorry, other comment – what happened with your timer? it was after 11.30am when I sent my previous comment
The clock is set to east-coast time. Are you in a different time zone?
yes,I live in England
My friend is planning a Slovak party for one of her Slovak friends so I did a little research and found your recipes. Dr Oetker products are readily available here in Florida at Publix & Sweetbay supermarkets. We also have a small german/polish market here in my town that stocks these products.
Thank you for sharing, Shirley. We don’t have either of those here in the D.C. area, but I do remember Publix from my Florida Tech days. I spent my freshman and sophomore years in Melbourne.
i got the mould today. will try it.but i got only one pack each of vanilla pudding and kakao pudding. how much oil and sugar and eggs do i need to put? each packet weighs 40 gms.
I just tried this recipe using American pudding mix (Jello brand.) It does not work!
At least not in the same proportions as the recipe. I need to make a Slovakian dish for my son’s heritage feast at school. I already tried Bryndzove Halusky. It turned out ok, but not something a classroom full of 8 year olds will want to eat. I think I will try the traditional way to make Babovka with flour, etc.
Thank you for letting us know, Keely. This is one of few recipes on this site that I have not yet tried making. A really easy and delicious cake is bublanina, http://www.slovakcooking.com/2010/recipes/bubbly-cake-bublanina/. It’s like coffee cake, but with fruit so it ends up being juicy.
I like to comment on these things,one always learn from other ideas..Its similar to our Portiguese marble cake, but we put 1/4 cup armbands in the batter….you could try it if you like……good baking…Querino
Great recipe, tried last night – ate this morning ;).
I used 2 tsp of baking powder and it rised nicely.