🍫 Babka Cake (Swirled Sweet Bread)
Babka is a soft, sweet yeast bread filled with chocolate, cinnamon, or other flavors. Here’s a straightforward chocolate version.
Ingredients (8 servings)
Dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup warm milk
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup butter, softened
Chocolate Filling:
- ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
Syrup (optional, for shine):
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Make dough:
- In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
- Add warm milk, eggs, and butter. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Cover and let rise 1–1.5 hours until doubled.
- Prepare filling:
- Mix chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, and melted butter into a paste.
- Assemble babka:
- Roll dough into a rectangle (~12×8 inches).
- Spread filling evenly.
- Roll tightly from the long side.
- Cut roll lengthwise and twist strands together, keeping cut sides up.
- Place in greased loaf pan.
- Second rise: 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
- Bake: 30–35 minutes until golden brown.
- Optional syrup:
- Boil sugar and water until sugar dissolves. Brush over warm babka for shine and extra sweetness.
Tips
- You can use cinnamon, Nutella, or fruit preserves for different fillings.
- Let babka cool slightly before slicing to keep the layers intact.
- For extra richness, add a simple glaze of powdered sugar + milk on top.
I can also give a quick no-yeast babka recipe that’s faster but still has chocolate swirls. Do you want that version?
