Chocolate Babka always reminds me of holiday time!
maybe because back in my bakery days we made dozens and dozens for Easter weekend
this recipe is great any time of the year and it’s really easy to make too!
*I don’t usually make you read a story to go with my recipes….but
my introduction to that Babka life started when I was very young
my step mother was Polish and her mother made Cheese Babka almost every weekend!
I was completely in love the first time I tasted it
Lord have mercy when I learned there was a chocolate babka variation!
the charm of a Babka dough for me is that it can’t decide whether it wants to be a cake or a bread!
it’s a very rich dough that is loaded up with vegan butter similar to a Brioche!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE THIS VEGAN CHOCOLATE BABKA RECIPE
Notes for Success:
This recipe makes 2 standard sized loaf pans or 1 loaf pan PLUS 1- 6-cup capacity bundt pan
Be sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before mixing the dough, the vegan butter should be super soft
If you do not have aquafaba you can replace it with more plant milk with no other changes to the recipe
Vegan Chocolate Babka
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 4½ cups All Purpose Flour 560g
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar 100g
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- ½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Warm Plant Milk 118ml
- 3¼ teaspoons Dry Yeast
- 1 cup Plant Milk 237ml
- 2 Tbs Flax Meal 16g
- 1 cup Vegan Butter soft 227g
For the Chocolate Filling:
- 5 Tbs Water 77ml
- 10 Tbs Granulated Sugar 140g
- 8 Tbs Cocoa Powder 44g
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1¼ cups Mini Vegan Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- First combine the flax meal with the first measure (1/2 cup) of warm plant milk & whisk smooth.
- Add a pinch of sugar to the other measure of plant milk (1 cup) then add the dry yeast & whisk smooth *If using instant yeast skip this step & add it to the flour
- Let both mixtures stand for 5 minutes to thicken & the yeast will get frothy
- Combine the flour, sugar, spices & salt into the work bowl of your electric mixer
- Once the flax paste is thick & the yeast is frothy add both to the flour mixture & start mixing with a dough hook
- Mix just to combine everything together, about 1 minute or so and you will have a shaggy looking dough
- Add the softened butter & mix well.
- The dough will look very mushy and like it is not coming together, you may have to help it with a spatula & it will eventually come together.
- I added another approximately ¼ cup of flour to help it form a soft ball of dough that no longer sticks to the sides or bottom of the bowl
- Continue mixing with the dough hook for 8 minutes on medium speed then turn the speed down to low and mix for another 4 minutes
- Turn the dough out into a lightly oiled bowl, cover & rest for approximately one hour in a warm spot to double in size
- In the meantime prepare the chocolate schmear by bringing the water & sugar to a boil then add the cocoa powder & cinnamon, whisk smooth set aside to cool
- Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface & roll to approximately 12" x 18" (the same size as a half sheet pan)
- Pour the entire chocolate schmear over the dough & spread evenly
- Sprinkle the *optional chocolate chips then roll up the dough jelly roll style.
- Cut the log in half so you have 2 logs of dough each approximately 9" long. Then cut each log in half lengthwise to expose the filling
- Twist the cut logs & place into the greased pans
- Cover once again & let them double in size
- Brush with your favorite wash or use aquafaba then bake in a preheated 335°F oven for 10 minutes then turn the oven down to 300°F for another 35 minutes, or when they reach 200°F internally with an instant read thermometer.
- Allow to cool in the pans then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely
Video
Notes
Dear Gretchen, it’s the best babka! or as my neighbor said “sister you nailed it! And no way it’s vegan”. Thank you for another fantastic delicious recipe ❤️ one question, how do you prepare the just egg? Thank you, yamit
YAY! awesome! thankyou! I don’t understand your question though? “prepare Just egg?”
Hi Gretchen! Wow! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I did not know that type of cake. Since it is just my husband and myself, can it be frozen? Let’s say divide it in portions… ?
Thanks a million! Looks so good! ????❤️
Hi Gretchen,
Is the yeast active or instant? If active, how do I use instant instead?
Thank you
I use dry active not instant, but you can add the instant yeast directly to the dry ingredients if that is what you prefer using. I’m old school & have always used dry active.
Gretchen, I know I’m in the minority, but I’d rather leave the chocolate out and have a simple babka. ???? How could the recipe be tweaked to exclude the chocolate?
No I think you are the majority! LOL
Instead of the chocolate filling I have listed here just use my cinnamon roll filling here!
Hi, I am very excited to make! I do not have a mixer with a dough hook though. Can I still use it or should I use something else? Fox processor or by hand?
Yes! You can definitely mix by hand! Alternatively you can cut the butter through the dough in the food processor and then knead by hand to develop the dough
Question: How would you tweak this recipe to make just a Brioche bread? I LOVE all your work! TIA
Hi Heather thanks! You can just make the dough & leave out all the rest (the chocolate schmear etc)