In today’s post we will learn how to make a delicious orange-glazed, chocolate babka, a breakfast cake (or really a treat to have any time of the day with a cup of coffee or tea) that is surprisingly easy to put together. The dough for this recipe is similar to a rich brioche bread, made with yeast, eggs and butter. It is a soft and slightly sticky dough, so it needs to be refrigerated for a short time, in order to make working with it easier.
Babka is an iconic Jewish and Eastern European sweet bread/yeast cake. The name is a diminutive of “baba” or “grandmother.” While there are other variations, today’s recipe highlights one laced throughout with swirls of a delicious chocolate filling then twisted into a simple braid and baked until golden perfection. While it is out of the oven, it is drenched immediately with an orange simple syrup. This orange-glazed, chocolate babka is a truly impressive, decadent holiday treat that everyone will love (and is especially timely for Hanukkah)!
The most popular version of babka has a chocolate filling and is baked in a loaf pan. With time and popularity, babka is now found with other fillings such as chocolate-hazelnut (e.g., Nutella), cinnamon and sugar, jam, or, dried fruit, and can occasionally include a streusel topping. No matter what the filling, they are always drizzled with a simple syrup as they come out of the oven, which keeps them moist for days!
This recipe makes two simple braids, but you can also shape all the dough into a pretty wreath, which will make it look really stunning!
How to make a delicious orange-glazed, chocolate babka:
- Make the brioche dough and divide it in half (to make two loaves). Then, make the filling my melting the butter and chocolate together and stirring in powdered sugar and cocoa powder until the mixture forms a spreadable paste
- To combine the dough with the filling, roll each half οf the dough out into a rectangle and spread half of the filling over each one
- Then, roll up the dough into a tight log to enclose the chocolate filling
- Chill the dough briefly to allow the filling to set
- Split the log in half lengthwise and then lay the two halves next to each other, cut-side up so the filling is shown
- Twist the two halves to form a simple braid and place each loaf in a cake pan
- Bake the babka then brush the top with the orange simple syrup, while it is still hot. Allow a few minutes to cool down before slicing
Waiting for the babka to cool, so we can slice it and enjoy it, is the hardest thing! While this recipe may be a little time consuming, there is really nothing hard about it. Just a bite into this delicious treat will make you realize that it was time well spend!
- For the Dough
- 4¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tsp. instant (or rapid rise) yeast
- --- --- grated zest of an orange
- 3 lrg. eggs
- ½ cup water, lukewarm (and up to 1-2 TBSP. extra, if needed)
- ¾ tsp. fine sea salt
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter (5.3 oz.), room temperature
- --- --- neutral oil, for greasing the pan
- For the Filling
- 4½ oz. dark chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp espresso powder (optional)
- For the Syrup
- ⅓ cup water
- 6 TBSP. sugar
- 1 TBSP. orange zest
- 1 TBSP. orange juice
- Make the dough: Combine the flour, sugar, yeast and zest in the bottom of the bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs and ½ cup water, mixing with the dough hook until it comes together (this may take a couple minutes). If it doesn’t come together, add a little extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms a mass. With the mixer on low, add the salt, then the butter, a spoonful at a time, mixing until it’s incorporated into the dough. Then, mix on medium speed for about 10 minutes until dough is completely smooth and it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, add 1 tablespoon extra flour to help this along.
- First dough rest: Coat a large bowl with oil and place dough inside, cover with plastic and refrigerate. Leave in fridge for 2-3 hours, preferably overnight. The longer the dough rests, the easier it is to roll it out. The dough will not fully double, so don’t worry if it doesn’t look like it grew by more than half.
- Make the filling: Melt butter and chocolate together until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar and cocoa; the mixture should form a spreadable paste. Add cinnamon or espresso powder, if desired.
- Assemble loaves: Coat two 9” by 4” loaf pans with oil or butter, and line the bottom of each with a rectangle of parchment paper. Take half of dough from fridge (leave the other half chilled).
- Roll out on a well-floured counter to about a 10-inch width (the side closest to you) and as long in length (away from you) as you can when rolling it thin, about 12 inches.
- Form a roll: Spread half of chocolate mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border all around. Brush the end farthest away from you with water. Roll the dough up with the filling into a long, tight cigar. Seal the dampened end onto the log. Transfer the log to a lightly floured baking tray and put it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This will make it much easier to cut cleanly in half. Repeat with second dough.
- Shape the dough: Gently cut the log in half, length wise, with a sharp knife and lay them next to each other on the counter, cut sides up. Lift one side over the next, forming a twist and trying to keep the cut sides facing out (because they’re pretty). Don’t worry if this step makes a mess, just transfer the twist as best as you can into the prepared loaf pan and nestle the trimmed ends of the log in the openings.
- Second dough rest: Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise another 1 to 1½ hours at room temperature. Repeat process with second loaf.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place each loaf on the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the thickest part will feel almost no resistance. If you babka needs more time, cover it with foil and put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes, then re-test.
- Make the syrup: While cakes are baking, bring sugar and water to a simmer until sugar dissolves and thickens slightly. Remove from heat, add the orange zest and juice, and set aside to cool for a couple of minutes. As soon as the cakes are out of the oven, brush the orange syrup all over them. The syrup acts as a preservative and will make the cakes glossy and moist. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. With a serrated knife, cut it into slices and enjoy!
The recipe makes two loaves. It is very easy to make only half the recipe in order to make only one loaf!
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Looks beautiful! I love the orange syrup idea!
Thank you so much Kathy! Orange and chocolate are a winning combination for sure!
A M A Z I N G ! ! ! This recipe is very easy and makes a great tasting chocolate babka. Thank you for sharing this incredible recipe!