Chocolate babka
Our simple babka recipe – an enriched dough that falls deliciously between a bread and a cake – is filled with twists of rich chocolate spread. It's impossible to resist.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 110ml/3¾fl oz full-fat milk
- 40g/1½oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 7g fast-action dried yeast
- 80²µ/2¾´Ç³ú caster sugar
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp ground cardamom (optional)
- 1 large free-range egg, beaten
For the filling
- 60²µ/2¼´Ç³ú dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 60²µ/2¼´Ç³ú unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 30g/1oz icing sugar
- pinch salt
For the syrup
- 80²µ/2¾´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Method
To make the dough, place the milk, butter and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted. Do not let it come to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a freestanding mixer, add all of the dry ingredients and mix together. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk mixture and the beaten egg. Knead the dough on a low speed for 7–10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough will be a little tacky but it should not be very sticky when done.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and place in the fridge overnight. The next day, line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with baking paper, leaving enough overhang to help you lift out the babka later.
To make the filling, place all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring often until you have a smooth chocolate mixture. Pour the chocolate into a bowl and leave to cool and thicken to a spreadable paste. You can speed this up in the fridge, but keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get too hard.
Remove the dough from the fridge (at this point it won’t have risen much so don’t worry). Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a large rectangle approximately 30x40cm/12x16in. Spread the chocolate filling evenly across the surface, leaving a small border around the edges.
Starting from a long edge, roll the babka up tightly and place it seam-side down. Use a sharp knife to slice the babka in half lengthwise.
With both pieces facing cut-side up, place one piece on top of the other to make an ‘X’. Twist the pieces of dough together and tuck the ends of each side underneath itself. Place the babka in the loaf tin and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave the babka to rise for 1½–2 hours or until puffy and well risen.
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Bake for 30–35 minutes until deeply golden.
To make the syrup, heat 70ml/2½fl oz water with the sugar and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and set aside.
Generously brush the babka with the syrup, allowing it to soak in before adding more. Let the babka cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing from the tin to cool completely.