Nanin Voćni Kolač / Nana’s Berry Cake

Hot and lazy summer days call for lounging around, drinking something cold, and enjoying the shade. It also doesn’t hurt to have something sweet on hand, preferably something that doesn’t take too much time. Enter Nana’s signature berry cake. It’s more of a sponge cake dessert rather than a cake, but trying to find a direct translation for “kolač” wasn’t very successful.

This very simple kolač brings back many memories; of drinking a cold glass of homemade tart cherry juice, of the blazing August sun, of sitting on the porch as the radio played a tune in the distance. Every time I have this sponge cake I’m teleported back in time to my summer trips to Serbia and the special people I’ve enjoyed this with.

The great thing about this recipe is you can use any kind of berry you happen to have on hand. It works best with blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries. But if you happen to have some tart cherries on hand, those would work amazingly well. Similar to my jam roll, this dessert is a favorite of those that enjoy simple sweets.

A handful of ingredients, fresh berries, and a dusting of powdered and you have yourself a simple but delicious sponge that will please even the pickiest of eaters.

You’ll notice below that this time, I included the metric amounts a little differently, using “spoons” rather than milliliters or grams. This is because the original recipe was given to me with measurements in tablespoons, as in soup spoons, and I decided that I would include it that way as well. If you don’t want to break out your measuring cups, just grab a regular old spoon instead. 🙂

Nanin Voćni Kolač / Nana’s Berry Cake

Recipe by The Balkan HostessCourse: DessertCuisine: Serbian

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Best enjoyed with a tall glass of iced tea or homemade juice!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk (15 kašike/spoons)

• 4 large eggs

• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (10 kašike/spoons)

• 1 cup + 3 tablespoons flour (15 kašike/spoons)

• 1/3 cup oil (10 kašike/spoons)

• 1 tablespoon baking powder (1 kesica)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (1 kašicica)

• Powdered sugar for dusting

• 1/2 cup berries (100 – 150 g)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C) and spray a nonstick 8×8 square cake/brownie pan with baking spray (or use parchment paper). Set aside.
• With a hand/stand mixer, beat eggs and granulated sugar on medium speed until all the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to slightly thicken.
• Add flour, milk, baking powder, vanilla extract, and oil to the egg mixture and continue beating for another 10-15 seconds, until all ingredients are combined.
• Pour batter into baking pan and lightly tap pan on a hard surface to release any air bubbles. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes (set a timer!).
• After 5 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle berries on top of the cake. This slight pre-baking helps so they don’t sink to the bottom right away.
• Return baking pan to the oven and continue baking until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean (about 25-30 minutes).
• Remove from the oven, let cool to room temperature, and dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

Notes

• You can use any milk alternative for this dish, or omit milk altogether and use sparkling water.

I hope you decide to give this a try. If you do, I’d love to see your creation. Hashtag #thebalkanhostess or send me a DM on Instagram!

Happy Cooking!