A Chocolate Babka is one of those nostalgic cakes that practically tastes like my childhood. It is not a dish I crave a lot, but it is absolutely delicious and amazing.
My father would buy Babka every Friday when I was a child. He swore he only took one piece of the cake and the other piece that was missing was “just to straighten the cake”. Can you blame him for trying to keep up this facade? Who can stop eating Chocolate Babka once they have started?
For those of you who don’t know, babka is a Jewish sweet cake in a braid shape. It typically has a filling, like chocolate, cinnamon, fruit, or cheese. I love that you can prepare it either sweet or savory. Obviously, I opted for a sweet Chocolate Babka.
Additionally, I added in Halva Pieces for an extra twist. Halva is a sweet, fudge-like confection, made from sesame seed paste, sugar, spices, and nuts. It was the perfect addition to make this cake extra sweet. However, the nuts and spices give the kick an extra kick. This is one of the reasons I love to cook and to bake so much: you can always add your own spice and flair to your dishes. To me, adding a little savory to a sweet dish makes it so much more fun and creative. The versatility makes Babka the perfect cake-like treat.
Since we are all under quarantine here in New York and supermarkets are in limited supply, I was craving a comfort dish. As I was adding items to the cart, I suddenly craved Babka. The dough and chocolate mix is the perfect comfort food for any weekend. Plus, it is one of those cakes that you crave because of a sweet memory you have and wish to pass down to your own children.
Ingredients for My Chocolate Chip Babka Recipe:
Here is everything you need to stock your kitchen to make the perfect cake.
Dough Ingredients:
- Flour
- Active Dry Yeast
- Sugar
- Room Temperature Water
- Two Eggs
- One Egg Yolk
- Salt
- Softened Butter
Filling Ingredients:
- Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Ground Cinnamon
- Cocoa Powder
- Melted Butter
- Halva Pieces
Glaze Ingredients:
- One Egg White
I love this recipe because it is easy to make and so delicious. The chocolate babka dough is simple to execute and only needs one hour to rest and rise. Since this recipe is enough for two cakes, I made one with chocolate and cinnamon, and the other with chocolate and halva. The great thing about Babka is that you can fill it with almost anything you like. There are so many options and ways to get creative. For an extra fun dish, considering trying things like date spread, Nutella, chocolate, fruit, cinnamon, halva, or even Oreos.
As I was making the Chocolate Babka, the smell in my house was amazing! I could not even resist cutting a small piece before the cake cooled off. I was so happy with the results, I sent my husband to drop off the cake at my parent’s front porch. They already had eaten a piece when I called to see if they received it. Everyone is obsessed with this sweet treat.
Like I mentioned, this dish is pretty easy to make and you can make other components, like the filling and the glaze, while you are waiting for the dough to be ready. I love when recipes allow you to do this and use your time productively.
Rolled in Dough – Kid’s Bake Edition:
Since this treat is so nostalgic and family-oriented, it only makes sense to let the kids pitch in! Since the recipe makes two cakes, you can have one designated for your kids, if you want! Here is how they can pitch in:
- Mix the filling ingredients (that is, if you trust them not to make a mess).
- Roll out the dough.
- Roll the dough into their desired shape.
- Put the butter and chocolate filling on the dough.
Now, you are officially ready to get started and start baking! Check out the recipe below for the Chocolate Babka with a Twist — added Halva pieces!
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Chocolate Babka with a Twist
- Prep Time: 1.75 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 2.25 hours
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Jewish
Description
A classic Chocolate Babka with a unique twist for an added sweetness and taste: halva pieces! Add halva pieces into your chocolate mix and the results will blow you away!
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients:
- 4 1/2 cups of Flour
- 1 tbsp of Active Dry Yeast
- 1/2 cup of Sugar
- 1 cup of Room Temperature Water
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1/2 tsp of Salt
- 5 tbsp of Softened Butter
Filling Ingredients:
- 2 cups of Sugar
- 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbsp of Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 cup of Cocoa Powder
- 2.5 tbsp of Melted Butter
- Halva Pieces
Glaze:
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- In a mixer fitted with the dough attachment, add flour, and yeast. Mix them together.
- Add sugar, milk, 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk, salt and butter to the bowl. Knead this for 5 minutes at medium speed.
- Once the dough is smooth and sticks to the bottom of the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until it has doubled in size. This will take 1-2 hours.
- In the meantime, make your filling. In a bowl, mix sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Add in halva pieces, if you wish.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, place it on a floured surface and divide it into two. Roll out the dough as thinly as you can into a rectangular shape. Spread half the melted butter on the dough and dust with your chocolate filling. Make sure to cover the dough. Repeat with the second half of the dough.
- Slowly roll the dough into a long log, and fold it into your shape. Twist the dough into itself, like a screw. Transfer the cakes to a greased pans or on parchment paper and let them rest for 20 minutes.
- Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk the egg white with a fork until it foams up and brush the Chocolate Babkas. Bake for 25 minutes (until the cakes are browned).
- Once they are browned, cover with aluminum foil and lower the temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for another 20-25 minutes.
- Let cool, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake
- Calories: 2498
- Sugar: 254.6g
- Sodium: 808mg
- Fat: 52.2g
- Saturated Fat: 30.1g
- Carbohydrates: 484.8g
- Fiber: 17.1g
- Protein: 47.2g
- Cholesterol: 277mg
Keywords: babka, chocolate babka, halva babka
Are you craving more and more sweets and treats? If you love chocolate like us, check out our Pecan Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake, our Banana Chocolate Chip Bars, and our Chocolate Cookie Balls.
Want to learn more about Jewish cuisine? Feel free to check out our Light and Airy Challah Recipe, our Classic Hamantaschen, and our Eggplant and Cheese Bourekas.