Prep. time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Babka is a traditional Eastern European cake. The name means "grandmother" and refers to the curves of the dough created by the pan, evoking the pleated skirt worn by grandmas. 

It is usually served on Easter Sunday in Poland, but is also found in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania and Romania. According to the traditional recipe, the hole in the centre is not filled. The cake is simply covered with vanilla or chocolate icing and decorated with almonds or candied fruit, and sometimes flavored with rum.

Traditional babka is made with a yeast-raised brioche dough. This is a quicker and easier version.

Be careful not to overbake the cake; otherwise it will dry out quickly.

1. Preheat the ovent o 180° C/350° F.
2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until foamy, then add the vanilla sugar.
3. Sift the flour, potato stach and baking powder, then incorporate the dry ingredients into the egg yolk mixture.
4. Gently mix in the butter.
5. In another bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold into the batter.
6. Pour the batter into a Bundt pan or other high-sided round pan with a hole in the middle.
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 180° C/350° F, then reduce the temperature to 160° C/325° F and continue baking for about 40 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a knife blade into the cake; it should come out clean.
8. Dust the cake lightly with icing sugar or ice with a runny icing sugar glaze before serving.