Seinfeld taught me this about chocolate babka: A chocolate version is better than cinnamon, so much so that one cannot possibly go to a party with a cinnamon babka when one knows that a chocolate babka, the better babka, will be present.
But even though I’ve seen this episode, one of my favorites, dozens of times, Jerry and Elaine left out one important fact: what is a babka, exactly? Is it a bread or a pie? A pastry with a flaky dough and a creamy filling? A layer cake with fluffy frosting?
I found out years later, when I wandered past a bakery in Grand Central Station that had a typewritten sign advertising its chocolate and cinnamon babkas. This was the first time I had ever come across a babka in real life. I snatched a chocolate loaf (yes, a loaf!), took it home, and immediately cut myself a slice.
What I remember about that slice is that several kinds of chocolate – and lots of it – poked and protruded from the folds of a buttery pastry , a hybrid between a rich bread and a cake. When I cut a slice, the crumbly streusel topping on top cracked and slid onto the cutting board like ice snapping and falling from a mountain.
That was years ago. Then last week, after three months of not cooking anything more interesting than toast followed by a week of constant baking to make up for lost time, I really wanted to make a babka for the holidays. So I did.
Chocolate Babka
I found a Martha Stewart recipe for this Jewish dessert on The Smitten Kitchen. Making it was a five-hour project that turned out to be a lot of fun.
First, I made the yeasted dough and went through the rising and punching down stages that often come with making bread.
For the chocolate filling, I used chocolate bars, which I chopped into small pieces, then, at The Smitten Kitchen’s recommendation, pulsed in my Magic Bullet-like appliance until I had tiny chocolate bits. I stirred in cinnamon and cut in butter to make glossy crumbs as a shiny as fresh asphalt.
Then it was time to put everything together. I rolled out the dough, spooned on and spread out the filling, and rolled up the pastry like jelly roll. I twisted and folded the roll in all sorts of ways, which made the dough crack and the chocolate ooze out of the folds. Sometimes, I repaired the cracks; others, I let the chocolate run free.
For the final flourish, I patted on a powdered sugar, butter, and flour streusel topping, a white, fluffy coat to accessorize an already rich dessert.
This recipe makes three babkas, which I brought to my family’s Christmas party. Even though the babka slices had to compete with chocolate chip and sugar cookies, Rice Krispie treats on a stick, and the best red velvet cake I’ve ever had, they were still a hit.
If you make your own babka, here’s four tips that may help with the process:
- On chocolate: I used the best quality chocolate I could find in Whole Foods, which happened to be bars of El Rey dark milk chocolate and dark chocolate. In my Magic Bullet, I had to pulse the chocolate in nine batches, so it took a while. If you have a food processor, I’m sure the process will be much faster.
- On the chocolate/cinnamon/butter filling: This recipe makes a lot of chocolate filling and streusel topping. I didn’t use all of it, and my babkas still had more chocolate in them then I would have liked. If you like a babka that has more pastry and less chocolate, I would leave out some of the filling.
- On the streusel topping: The streusel topping will not stick very well to the top of your babka. I learned afterwards that this is ok. If the crumbs roll off of the dough and surround the babka in hills of topping, the streusel will still crisp up and be perfectly delicious.
- On baking pans: The recipe says to bake the babkas in three bread loaf pans. I only had one bread loaf pan, so I used a circular pan and a square pan too. Two of my loaves had more of a circular shape, but they baked up just as nicely.
Did T.V. or other pop culture ever introduce you to a dish that you had to make?
All I know of babka I learned from that same Seinfeld episode. Kudos to you for jumping in with both feet and making it…you’re a braver woman than I am.
I remember drooling over this recipe on the SK site, but I never got around to making it. Now I’m drooling again!
Five hours? But worth every minute to get three yummy home baked chocolate babkas. Way to go, Jennifer!
Your babka looks beautiful! I’m inspired to try it myself.
@Wendi: It wasn’t too hard actually. Just time-consuming. Here’s to Seinfeld for teaching us both about the babka!
@Beth: With so much chocolate, butter, and sugar, the babka is definitely drool-worthy.
@Barbara: Thanks! The babka lasts a really long time, which is nice. I still have some left actually, though I think it’s getting a bit stale. I’m going to try warming it in the oven to see if that helps.
@Victoria: Let me know if you make one!
How beautiful! It looks delicious.
That is one amazing and beautiful pastry!! I may well try to make it — spectacular photos! As for anything in TV or pop culture inspiring me? I don’t know why but every single time I see spaghetti and meatballs in cartoons, I want to make them — they always look SOOOO delicious!
this looks amazing, will have to make a chocolate day if it takes 5hours. chocolate day for me!
HI Jen! SO excited to see this post! It looks amazing and I’m glad you posted it! I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a dish that I wanted to make on a show, but I sure did want Carol Brady’s kitchen when I was a kid! (along with Alice)
@Savory Simple: Thanks so much – for the compliment and for visiting!
@Julia: Ha! The spaghetti and meatballs in Lady & the Tramp do look tasty.
@Stella: Thanks for stopping by! You may be able to make the babka more quickly than me. I tend to dawdle in the kitchen. Let me know if you try it.
@Ann: I can’t think of what Carol Brady’s kitchen looked like. Good memory! I’ll have to look for a photo.
Larry David’s ex-wife was on Anderson Cooper yesterday discussing her new book on the importance of family dinners. She informed the audience that although divorced Larry and her still have regular family dinners with their children. I wonder who brings the Babka?
@Ryan: Good question, Ryan! Too bad you weren’t interviewing Larry David, so you could find out what they eat at their family dinners.
Oh, this looks good, Jen! My partner Jon and I make challah as Christmas gifts; this year we modified it a little to include a poppyseed filling. Jon is now the bread king of our house and made buns to go with our soup last night. I’m passing this post on to him *right now* as this definitely needs to go on our “to bake” list. Happy New Year!
@Lisa: Yum! Challah with poppyseed filling sounds amazing. Jon must be a good baker. I’ve never made challah bread myself, but I’ve heard it’s quite a project. Let me know if you try the babka; I’d love to hear how it turns out.
I understand your quest. Years ago after that episode of Seinfeld I also went in search of Babka and the quest to find the recipe that would quench the need to taste one. I found a recipe and went through the risings etc, that took a day and a night before baking it. It was baked in an angel food cake pan and I don’t know that it was the same as Seinfeld’s but it satisfied our curiosity. Funny enough I was thinking of making one at Christmas but never found the time…now I can’t wait to try your recipe!
@lifeinarecipe: How funny that you were inspired by the same Seinfeld episode. You should give Martha Stewart’s recipe a try – it’s a good one.