Easy Blueberry Almond Cake (Czech Bublanina Cake)

This treat will brighten up anyone’s day. Bursting with natural flavours, this homemade blueberry and almond cake is not to be missed. It has all the comforting flavours of blueberries, almond and vanilla. This cake is based on a Czech Bublanina Recipe – a fruit dessert cake. 

I found this recipe in Anne Shooters Sesame and Spice Cookbook. (It was sent to me by her publisher to review) I first made it at a girly weekend with my friend Sarah and was immediately won over.  Since then there have been many versions of this cake, as you can adapt it to different seasons.

What is Bublanina? 

Bublanina is a fruit cake that originates on Czech Republic, more precisely from the area of Bohemia. It is based on a simple sponge cake, filled with fresh fruit. 

What does Bublanina mean? 

The name Bublanina is derived from the Czech word for Bubbles. Translate it means bubble cake. I believe it’s a reference to the sunken fruit in the cake.  

About this Blueberry Almond Cake Recipe 

I love baking with blueberries, as they tend to add a moistness to the cakes, muffins, cookies or whatever recipe you use them for. Blueberries have a slight sourness that adds an exciting contrast to the rich sweet flavours of the almond and vanilla in this cake. 

How to make Blueberry Almond Cake 

Ingredients

• 115 g  (4 oz) unsalted butter – at room temperature 
• 115 g  (4 oz) caster sugar
• 125 g (4.4 oz) flour - Germany type 405, UK plain flour, US pastry flour
• 3 medium egg, separated and at room temperature
• 2 tbsp milk or orange juice 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/2 tsp almond extract 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 400 g (14 oz) blueberries (14 oz -fresh are preferable to frozen but both work) 
• 3 tbsp flaked almonds 

Recipe Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C or 338°F. Grease a 20 cm (8 inches) cake form with some butter 
2. Using a hand or stand mixer, whisk the sugar and butter until you achieve a thick, creamy consistency.
3. Add the egg yolks to the butter mixture one by one, while mixing continuously. Now add the milk or orange juice, vanilla extract, almond essence and lemon zest. 
4. In a separate bowl, add the egg whites with a pinch of salt and whisk at a high speed until you see stiff peaks. 
5. Now fold this gently into the yolk mixture. Sift the flour and salt into a separate bowl. Now carefully fold in with the mixture. 
6. Add the blueberries. Try not to mix too vigorously as you do not want the blueberries to be squashed or burst. 
7. Pour or spread the cake into the prepared tin. 
8. Scatter the flaked almonds on top. 
9. Bake the cake for 35 minutes. To check if the cake is done, insert a skewer in the middle. If it comes out clean it's done. 
10. If you want you can dust the cake with icing sugar before serving. 

Can I use frozen blueberries for this cake recipe? 

Yes, I made this cake both with fresh and frozen blueberries and it is equally delicious. Using frozen blueberries will make this cake a tick moister.  

Bublanina Cake Recipe Variations

You can substitute the blueberries with other seasonal fruits such as peach, pears or raspberries or cherries. 

How to serve this moist and fresh berry cake? 

You can serve this cake warm or at room temperature. It will go great with a cup of coffee or tea. If you like why not serve this moist blueberry cake with a spoon of freshly whipped cream.  

Another option is to serve this blueberry cake warm as a dessert and offer a nice cool scoop of vanilla ice cream with it. 

More Baking Recipes that you might like...

• Spiced Persimmon Muffins
• Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake
• German Strawberry Cake
• German Poppy Seed Cake
• Bibinka Filipino Coconut Rice Cake

This post was first published September 2015 and updated January 2021

This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare 2021 week 5