🍫 Babka Cake
Babka is a sweet, braided cake of Eastern European Jewish origin, traditionally filled with chocolate, cinnamon, or fruit. It’s soft, rich, and often topped with a crumb or sugar glaze.
🧾 Ingredients (Classic Chocolate Babka)
Dough
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup warm milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs
Chocolate Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- Optional: ½ cup chocolate chips
Topping (Optional)
- Crumb topping: ¼ cup sugar + ¼ cup flour + 2 tbsp butter
- Or simple sugar glaze
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Make the Dough
- Mix yeast, warm milk, and a pinch of sugar; let it sit 5–10 minutes until frothy.
- Add flour, sugar, salt, eggs, and butter; knead into a smooth dough.
- Cover and let rise for 1–2 hours until doubled in size.
2️⃣ Prepare Filling
- Mix melted butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.
3️⃣ Shape the Babka
- Roll dough into a rectangle.
- Spread chocolate filling evenly.
- Roll the dough into a log and slice lengthwise.
- Twist the two halves together and place in a greased loaf pan.
4️⃣ Second Rise
- Let the shaped babka rise for 30–45 minutes.
5️⃣ Bake
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30–40 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
6️⃣ Optional Topping
- Sprinkle crumb topping before baking or drizzle a sugar glaze after baking.
💡 Tips
- For extra flavor, add cinnamon or orange zest to the filling.
- Let babka cool slightly before slicing to maintain the shape of the braid.
- Babka can be reheated lightly; it’s also delicious toasted with butter.
If you want, I can also give a quick 1-hour “no-knead” babka recipe that’s faster but still fluffy and chocolatey.
