Babka - with two different flavours! - From France, With Love

Babka - with two different flavours!

Babkas are big projects. Keep that in mind as this is a big recipe!

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time40

Waiting (proving/cooling/chilling)6

Course: Baking, Breakfast, Snack, sweet

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keyword: almond, apricot, babka, chocolate, cinnamon

Servings: 4 greedy people

Author: Adapted from the recipe by Honey & Co.

100 g unsalted butter
100 g sugar
Seeds of ½ vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract – keep your empty vanilla pod afterwards!
2 eggs
140 g ground almonds
75 g plain flour
A splash of milk
5 tbsp apricot jam stir first to soften it
50 g flaked almonds

Using a food mixer with a dough hook, or in a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Heat the milk until lukewarm (test it by dipping in your (clean) finger) and add the dried yeast. Stir to dissolve and pour it into the dry mix.
Add the egg and butter, a small chunk at a time, letting each piece incorporate into the dough which should form a ball and come away from the sides of the bowl. Knead it for 5 minutes on medium speed, or by hand for 10 minutes, until smooth and soft.
Place it in a greased bowl and cover with cling film or a clean tea towel then leave it in a warm room for two hours to rise.
Next, put it in the fridge for an hour so the dough can become firm before you roll it out.
While waiting, grease a 2lb loaf tin with butter and line the base and the top and bottom sides with baking parchment, making sure you have a few centimetres of overhang so you can get the babka out!
Meanwhile, make your chosen filling:

Put the butter and sugar in a saucepan and let the butter melt and dissolve the sugar. Stir in the chocolate, cocoa powder, cinnamon and espresso until it is smooth and combined. Leave at room temperature to cool before use.

Using an electric whisk, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat again to combine. Pour in the almonds and flour and stir together until smooth, adding a little milk if the mixture is too stiff to spread.

Roll your prepared dough into a long rectangle measuring roughly 30 by 50cm. Dough doesn’t always go in the direction you want so patch it up here and there when necessary.
Spread with a layer of your chosen filling – if trying the apricot filling, first spread thickly with frangipane (you won’t need all of it) then top with the jam, then 40g flaked almonds.
Gently fold over one of the long sides by a centimetre then roll it all the way until it makes a long sausage.
Now, using a sharp knife (not a serrated one as it will drag) carefully cut it in half lengthways. You will see layers of filling and dough inside.
Place one half over the other in the centre, creating a floppy cross. Gently cross the strands of the bottom half, then the top half.
Carefully lift the braid and squash it into the loaf tin. It will fit! It just takes determination.
Leave the babka to prove for an hour or two – it will noticeably fill out the tin. If making the mocha babka, pop it in the fridge once proved to set the filling.

Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/410°F. Bring it to temperature and, if you want, brush the babka with a bit of egg wash. For the apricot babka, sprinkle with the remaining flaked almonds and place on a baking tray.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes, then turn it around and bake for another 10 minutes so it cooks evenly. Lower the temperature and bake it for a final 15-20 minutes at 190°C/170°C fan/375°F.
While it is baking make the quick sugar syrup: put everything a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Let it bubble for a minute then turn off the heat and leave it to cool.
At last, when your babka emerges from the oven, baste it with sugar syrup which should sizzle and hiss very satisfactorily.
Leave it to cool in the tin (I know, more waiting!) as it will fall apart if you remove it while warm. When it is finally ready, slide a knife around the edge of the tin and lift it out with the baking paper.