Recipe courtesy of Gale Gand
Chocolate Babka
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 24 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 24 servings
- Calories
- 379
- Total Fat
- 15
- Saturated Fat
- 6
- Carbohydrates
- 53
- Dietary Fiber
- 3
- Sugar
- 23
- Protein
- 9
- Cholesterol
- 89
- Sodium
- 128
- Total: 4 hr 45 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Inactive: 3 hr 30 min
- Cook: 45 min
Ingredients
Sponge:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 ounces cake yeast
2 cups warm milk
Dough:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
10 egg yolks
2 eggs
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour, as needed
1/2 cup butter, clarified
Filling:
14 ounces almond paste
5 egg whites
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Directions
- Make the sponge: Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and warm milk; then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature 1 hour.
- Make the dough: In bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together the sugar, vanilla, salt, egg yolks and eggs until well blended. Fit the mixer with a dough hook, add the flour and sponge, and mix until combined; then drizzle in the butter. Mix with the dough hook until incorporated.
- Place it in a greased bowl, covered, and let it rest and rise until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and mix together the almond paste, egg whites, and butter. Add the chocolate and mix until combined.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly flour a work surface, turn out the dough and punch it down to release the built up gases. Divide the dough in 1/2. Cover 1 piece with a damp towel as you roll the other
- piece into a rectangle 8 by 14 inches and 1/4-inch thick. Let the dough rest while you roll the other out. Spread each with 1/2 of the filling, then roll them up jellyroll style and pinch the seams to seal them. Flatten the dough slightly with a rolling pin, then twist the dough 6 to 8 times. Allow the dough to rest a few minutes. Make spirals with the dough and place them in 2 greased 8-inch cake pans. (Alternatively, lay the dough straight out in 2 greased tube pans.) Cover each pan with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in volume, about 30 to 60 minutes.
- Bake the cakes for 45 minutes; then let cool in the pan.