Chcoclate Babka

Last week, I made a simple orange cake, it turned out very airy and high, and was very simple yet very tasty. Though that cake was very simple, it had one special thing about it. According to my father, this cake tasted just like the cake that his grandmother used to make. My great grandmother was known for her cakes, so this was one of the biggest compliment that I`ve ever got.

You must be confused here, and you`r probably asking yourselves whats the connection between chocolate babka and orange cake? Well, after that cake I decide to attempt to try one of my great grandmother famous cakes – the babka.

So, I`ve made this chocolate babka, that according to my father is different from his grandmother, but very delicious.

Though this was not like my great grandmother`s, this babka is outstanding. One of my favorite things about this cake is the dark chocolate vains that run  through the cake, and give it the most gorgeous look.

This dough is a brioche-like, it is very airy, and has a slight buttery taste to it. I recommend that you make this dough by using a mixer, since it turns out very sticky and wet. Don’t panic when it`s wet, and don’t attempt to add more flour, simply work with it with oiled or floured hands, and it will be just fine.

I made one big babka in a pan called the “wonder pan” which you could find only on Israel, this pan is very similar to a angel food cake pan or bundt pan. The instructions for the babka shape are written below, plus an idea for an alternative chocolate filling.

Mini Brioches Filled With Chocolate Truffle

Brioche is a very rich eggy bread, in the fine line between bread and sweet yeast cake. This is not very sweet, but the texture us so rich, and full of rich butter flavot (but not greasy!), that you will find yourself ignoring all the calories, and eating one after the other.

You may think that the brioche dough may be time consuming and hard to make, but, in fact, the mixer does all of your hard work, and after one night in the fridge, the dough is very easy to work with.

The thing that may be time consuming is making the chocolate truffles, but you can easily replace them with easier fillings like jam or Nutella spread.

Note: The recipe does not call for any liquids except the yolks. When I made the dough it did not form into a ball, but remained crumbly. I added about 1\4 cup of water, until the dough was a little sticky. I suggest that you make the recipe as it is, and if you see that you need to add liquids, add them, but do it slowly, just until you get a dough at the right texture.

Yeast cakes – it`s all about the dough (and the fillings…)

Making a yeast cake isn’t the thing that you make when you don’t have time and nerves. But, it’s the thing to make when you want your house to be filled with outrageously angelical smell, and you want to bake something that tastes like home.

This dough is so good, it comes out full of flavors but not too heavy. It is very comfortable dough to work with, even in the hot summer days.

The fillings that I wrote down here are just suggestions; you can fill the cakes with almost anything. These kinds of cakes are the right place to get creative.