Recipe
Chocolate Babka
A richly swirled chocolate babka with a tender, buttery crumb and a deep cocoa filling, shaped as a twisted loaf for generous slices with coffee or tea.
Ingredients
Method
30 mins prep35 mins cook180 mins total
Warm the milk until just tepid. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the sugar and the yeast, then leave for 5–10 minutes until lightly foamy.
Mix the flour, remaining dough sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, eggs and melted butter, then mix to a soft dough.
Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave in a lightly greased bowl in a warm place for 1–2 hours, until doubled in size.
For the filling, melt the chocolate and filling butter together. Stir in the cocoa powder and filling sugar, then leave it to cool to a spreadable consistency.
Roll the dough into a rectangle, spread over the chocolate filling and leave a narrow border. Roll up from a long edge, split the roll lengthways and twist the strands together with the cut sides facing upwards.
Set the twist into a greased loaf tin, cover and leave to rise for 30–60 minutes. Heat the oven to 180°C fan 160°C/gas 4.
Bake for 30–35 minutes until risen and deeply golden. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool until just warm before slicing.
Notes
Let the loaf cool until just warm before slicing: cutting it too soon can compress the crumb and make the chocolate layers smear. Wrap leftovers airtight, or freeze in slices for easier serving.
About this recipe
Chocolate babka is a soft, enriched loaf made for slow mornings and generous slices. The dough is lightly sweetened, scented with butter and layered with dark chocolate, so each twist reveals a marbled ribbon of filling.
The key is to give the yeast dough time to rise before shaping, then let the finished loaf cool enough for the chocolate to set without losing its tenderness. Serve it in thick slices with coffee or tea; the loaf keeps well and can be frozen once completely cool. Its braided shape makes the loaf feel special while remaining straightforward to portion.
