At a glance
You're making a magical no-yeast cake with a dough-like batter that comes together in just 5 minutes. The main trick is spreading the batter on a tray, topping it with strawberries and a buttery crumble, then letting the oven do the hard work for about 30 minutes until it's golden and bubbly.
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Mix everything together
Mix all the batter ingredients together.
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Fruit and crumble
Pour the batter onto a baking tray and spread it out, then arrange the strawberries on top and sprinkle with the crumble topping and chopped almonds. You can top it with any fruit you like, possibly combined with curd cheese, poppy seeds, jam… there really are endless variations.
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Bake
Bake at 200°C until lovely and golden.
How it went
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Tips from the Yumsto kitchen
Why it works
Baking powder raises the batter with no yeast and no rising time, and the yogurt keeps it tender. The batter is fairly thick, so the fruit only partly sinks in, and as it bakes the batter bubbles up around it – hence the name. Butter, sugar and almonds on top bake into a crunchy layer.
Tips
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper so the fruit juice doesn't bake onto the sheet and the cake lifts out easily. The batter is thick, so spread it with a spatula dipped in water. Halve the strawberries and lay them cut side up so less juice runs into the batter. Test with a skewer in a spot without fruit – it should come out dry. If the top browns too quickly, turn the oven down to 180 °C to finish.
Variations
As the method says, any fruit works: blueberries, apricots, plums (halved, cut side up) or pitted cherries. Don't thaw frozen fruit – it releases more juice, and the cake will need a few extra minutes. All-purpose flour can replace the medium-fine flour, giving a finer crumb.
Storage
Let the cake cool on the baking sheet, cover with a dish towel and eat within 2 days. If you add a curd-cheese topping, keep it in the fridge.
Serving
Best served warm with a dusting of powdered sugar. Great with coffee, or as a sweet supper with a mug of milk.
Common questions
Why is it called bublanina?
As it bakes, the batter bubbles up around the fruit on top, so the finished cake looks dotted with bubbles.
Why did my fruit sink to the bottom?
The batter was too thin or the fruit too big and heavy. Cut large pieces smaller and lay the fruit gently on the batter without pressing it in.
What size baking sheet should I use?
A standard oven baking sheet. Spread out, the batter should be about a finger deep.
Can I use less sugar?
You can cut it a little; the cake will be less sweet and slightly paler. Sugar also helps keep the crumb soft.
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