This Chocolate Babka is made with sweet yeast dough and delicious chocolate filling, braided and baked until beautifully golden. This dessert is made from scratch, just like a Polish grandmother would make it!
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 and ¼ cup of flour and yeast. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine milk, sugar, salt and butter. Heat it up over medium-low heat until the butter is almost melted. Whisk until smooth. If the mixture gets too hot, check out my tips below for troubleshooting.
Add milk mixture to the flour and stir in with a wooden spoon until smooth.
Add beaten egg and stir in.
Stir in remaining flour and knead the dough for 1 minute on a floured surface.
Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough. Let it rise in warm, draft-free place until it doubles. See my tips below for my secret to creating a warm space for the dough to rise.
to make the filling:
Place chocolate and butter (both cut into chunks) in a microwave-safe bowl and heat up in 15 secon increments until almost melted. Stir until smooth.
Add cocoa powder and powdered sugar and whisk in until completely smooth. See my tips below!
Add cinnamon and vanilla and whisk in.
Let the filling cool completely. See my tips how to make it in advance.
assembly:
Roll out the dough. The thinner you roll it out, the more chocolate folds your babka will have. I don’t like to have too many, because it prevents the dough from baking properly. It is a yeast dough and you need to let it bake right.
Roll up the dough, starting at the long side, just like you would for making cinnamon rolls.
Slice the roll LENGTHWISE with a knife, and expose the cut side up.
Starting at the top, pinch two ends together. Then braid the halves.
Once you have one long braid, cut it in half.
Place each half in a loaf pan, lined with parchment paper. Let them rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350° F and bake babkas for 30 to 35 minutes.
Combine water with ⅓ cup of granulated sugar, whisk until the sugar dissolves while cooking it over medium heat. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, then cool while the cake is baking.
Brush with simple syrup while still warm.
Let your chocolate babka cool completely in the pan before slicing. Otherwise, your layers will fall apart because the filling will be too soft.
Notes
I highly recommend letting the butter and egg come to room temperature. If you use cold butter, the milk mixture will be too hot by the time the butter melts and it will destroy your yeast. If you forgot to take it out of the fridge, cut it up into chunks and let it sit on the counter while you get the rest of the ingredients ready. If your milk mixture gets too hot, pour it into another container and let it cool until warm to the touch and then add to flour and yeast mixture. Do not cool it in the fridge.
Every time, I make yeast dough (for pizza, focaccia or this babka), I heat up 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe container, until it boils. Then I quickly remove it to the side and place the bowl with dough (covered with plastic wrap) inside and shut the door. Do not turn it on! Just let it sit in the warm environment until it doubles in size. It works every time!!
You can make the filling a few days in advance. After whisking until smooth, cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place in the fridge. It will be good for 2 days. Take it out and let it come to room temperature so it’s spreadable. If it’s too cold, it will give you hard time spreading it over the dough.
To prevent babka from drying, I recommend brushing it with a simple syrup right after baking.
Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.