This Chocolate Babka recipe was developed after months of careful research. My goal was to produce a classic babka recipe that works every time. Learn to bake tender, delicious homemade chocolate-filled babka with this illustrated step-by-step tutorial.
When I started the process of developing this recipe, I realized that just good babka wasn’t enough. It had to be great babka, foolproof and irresistible with perfect texture and spot-on flavor. High standards? Maybe. But babka is labor-intensive. If you’re going to the trouble to make chocolate babka, it’d better be amazing.
Thanks to a gentle nudge by online friend and Kveller editor Tamara Reese, I decided to tackle this whole babka thing. My assistant Ashley and I spent days testing chocolate babka recipes to create our own “ultimate” version. After lots of trial and error– baking is a bit of a science, after all– we incorporated the textures and flavors we loved most. The result is the recipe you see here.
Babka is an Eastern European cake-bread. Modern babka is similar in texture to challah, but slightly more cake-like. The name comes from the Slavic babcia, meaning grandmother, which is closely related to the Yiddish bubbe. The word babka translates to “grandmother’s cake,” inspired by the shape of an old woman’s skirt. Babka was originally baked in fluted Polish baking pans and typically made by grandmothers.
Jewish babka first appeared during the early 1800s when Polish housewives would prepare extra egg challah dough to be filled with cinnamon or jam, then rolled up and baked alongside the Shabbat challah. It was served to hungry children during busy Shabbat preparations or reserved as a special treat. Streusel toppings came along during the mid 1900s.
Here is our recipe for Chocolate Babka. After much consideration, we decided to give it a streusel topping– because, well, why not make a good thing even better?
Recipe Update: I originally launched this recipe in 2015. Since that time I’ve had multiple readers test it with great results. Throughout the years I have made some minor adjustments that help make this Chocolate Babka recipe even more bulletproof. I’ve incorporated those adjustments here, along with pretty new pictures and a few tips from Kelly Jaggers. Enjoy!
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Food Photography and Styling by Kelly Jaggers
Chocolate Babka
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 1 packet active dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp
- 2/3 cup whole milk warmed to 110 degrees F, plus 1 additional tbsp for egg wash
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar plus 1 tsp for yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flavorless cooking oil (grapeseed is an option)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks reserve 1 egg white for egg wash
- 2 1/2 - 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour (flour amount detailed in instructions below)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Chocolate Filling Ingredients
- 2 cups finely chopped, good quality dark chocolate (two 4 oz. bars of dark chocolate)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter cold
Streusel Ingredients
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cut into small pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- To prepare the dough: Start by dissolving the yeast in the warm milk along with 1 tsp sugar. If you do not have a thermometer, the milk should be warm to the touch but not hot. Whisk the yeast into the milk along with 1 tsp sugar to dissolve. Over the next few minutes, the milk/yeast mixture should become foamy as the yeast begins to grow. If it doesn't, this likely means that your yeast has expired or the milk was too hot, causing it to die. Get some fresh yeast and try again, otherwise your babka won't rise... and that would be a major bummer.
- While the yeast proofs, cream together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment.
- Once the butter and sugar are well combined, add the oil and vanilla extract and mix well at low speed. Add egg yolks 1 at a time and increase the mixer to high. Beat for an additional 2 minutes.
- Turn the mixer back to low speed and add 2 1/2 cups flour and 1 tsp salt, then add the foamy yeast mixture. Be sure to give the yeast mixture a final whisk before adding it in, especially if it is very foamy.
- Mix until just combined, then replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook. Continue to mix, adding 1 tbsp of flour at a time, just until a soft dough forms. The amount of flour you need will vary based on humidity and altitude; best to add flour slowly and check texture as you go. You want a dough that is soft a pliable, not stiff. The dough should be tacky, but not wet or sticky, and shouldn't cling to the skin. Do not walk away during this part, you also want to keep an eye on the dough to make sure that you do not over mix it. It should be easy to form into a smooth ball.
- Once a soft dough forms that can easily be removed from the hook by hand, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead several times, or until you have a smooth ball of dough. Do not over-knead.
- Place the ball of dough into a greased mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. I usually let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight, but if you prefer you can let it rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or until it has just about doubled in size.
- To prepare the chocolate filling:In a mixing bowl, combine the grated or finely chopped chocolate, cinnamon and butter. Mix with hands until well combined, it should have a chunky texture. Set aside.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature, about 1 hour. Once the dough reaches room temperature, roll it on a lightly floured surface until you have a 14x18 inch rectangle.
- Evenly sprinkle the chocolate filling over the dough, leaving an even 1-inch border around the edge. Then, starting with the long side, roll the dough into a tight log.
- Roll the log back and forth several times, gently spreading it out until the length of the log is about 20 inches.
- Twist the dough into a figure 8 and pinch the ends together. Sometimes using a bit of water will help the ends to stick. Line your loaf pan with parchment paper, then lightly spray the parchment with nonstick cooking oil spray. Transfer the dough to the lined loaf pan. Cover the pan with a tea towel, or loosely with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1 hour, or until the babka completely fills the pan. It will get pretty big!
- While the dough is rising, prepare the streusel by combining the ingredients in a mixing bowl until well combined and crumbly.Once the dough has risen, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using a very thin skewer, poke a few holes into the babka. This allows steam to be released during baking so that you aren't left with very large gaps between the dough and the filling.
- Brush the babka with an egg wash made from 1 egg white whisked together with 1 tbsp of whole milk.
- Sprinkle the streusel over the top of the babka. It will collect more in the crevices, but this is fine. Babka should have a rustic look.Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, then turn the pan 180 degrees and cook for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 185 degrees F in the thickest center part of the babka. The babka will be golden brown and should have a hollow sound when tapped.
- Allow the babka to cool before slicing. This is truly the hardest part of the whole process, but trust me - cutting into it while it’s still hot will leave you with quite a mess. The filling needs time to set up a bit. Even after cooling it will crumble a bit when you slice it. That's part of the charm. Serve with coffee or tea and enjoy your babka bliss!
NOTES
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Research Sources:
Marks, Gil. Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2010. Print.
Other Great Recipe Ideas
Hi, I look forward to making this recipe. However, I do not own a stand in mixer. Can i instead do this by mixing by hand?
Thanks,
J
Hi Justine– absolutely, I’ve been known to use a wooden spoon and mixing bowl here too. Enjoy!
I am trying this today…I just hope it comes out as good as my mom’s 🙂 I found confusing the cup measure though, how big was the cup you were using?
Hi
I’m planning to make this and that was my question, too. I plan to mix by hand. I’ve had great success with your other recipes so I can’t wait to try the product !!
Wish me luck !!
Thank you for the recipe. My dough is rising at this moment. Recipe writers assume that everyone in their audience is of a certain economic strata..at least middle class..and owns all of the equipment mentioned in their instructions. At the worst it is arrogant, at the least, it is narrow of thought and inconsiderate.
Writers should offer alternatives to standing mixers and the like
ie wooden spoon. I do not doubt that this could be done with out much alteration to the recipe. My result are usually quite good and delicious without expensive tools. My immigrant grandmothers,I know, used hand tools.
Thanks and regards,
Allen
Point taken Allen. 🙂 Many of my recipes do not require a stand mixer, and I try to keep things as simple as possible. I’ll certainly keep this in mind for the future!
I don’t own many fancy-schmancy kitchen tools (or any other fancy-schmancy things) either, but I really don’t think recipe writers are being arrogant or anything. A lot of people really don’t know what it is to be poor, but it usually isn’t that they don’t care. It’s pretty simple to translate most recipes into a form that works for a traditional (read: broke as a joke) cook. You’re right. If our grandmothers got by without $1000 dollar stand mixers, we probably can, too! Our right biceps will be lovely and toned, to boot, and think of the calories we’re burning. Enough for an extra slice of babka, I bet. I love this site. Give Tori a break and grab that wooden spoon!
Butter,milk. This looks like a great recipe but babka is special for shabbos. How can I make this recipe parave?
Hi Laura, I always make this dairy, but I think you could easily make it parve by using a good quality butter substitute like Earth Balance and subbing a non-dairy milk (soy, almond, etc.) for the milk. If you try it let me know how it goes!
Why not have a fish or dairy shabbos meal….or would this cause a riot in your house….maybe not if they had some delicious babka to sweeten them 😉
Hi Tori. I am planning to make this for sukkot, to try out my new stand mixer. I just have a question about the flour. Should this be a “strong” high gluten flour as it is a yeast dough or will normal plain flour suffice.? I am in UK so ingredients are sometimes a little different
Hi Jane, a plain all-purpose flour will suffice. Enjoy 🙂
I am updating having made and tasted my first ever chocolate babka! I decided to make it as it seemed such an intriguing recipe. I had never heard of a babka before, but it sounded really good. It was only when I was half way through making it when I had a flash back to a recipe my mum used to make . She found it in a magazine in the 1970s ( probably equivalent to finding a recipe on a blog these days!) Her recipe was for a Danish Christmas Kringle – they must be related. ..this was a yeast dough filled with cinnamon and butter, rolled into a free form pretzel shape rather than put in a loaf tin and with chopped almonds on the top rather than streusel! Very delicious too.
Anyway back to the babka ! The recipe although complicated was well explained and easy to follow. I used a sachet of easy bake dried yeast and want to point out to others that this type of yeast does NOT froth up in the milk. This gave me a very nervous hour or so before I was sure that my dough would rise. The result looked amazingly like the photos of babkas that I googled ( having never seen a real one) Most importantly it got a big seal of approval from the harshest critics- my husband and sons and they are already asking me to make it again! Thanks for a great recipe.
Wonderful recipe!!
Clear, easy to follow and delicious.
Thank you from Toronto, Canada
So happy you liked it Sandra!
Just made this for a temple event. It is wonderful. I have not had a bad meal or dessert from this site yet. I have told all my friends. The babka was awesome.
Thanks Leej! Really appreciate you helping to spread the word. 🙂
I make desserts for shabbos-can you please provide parave substitutes in your recipes. I love to follow your blog but find that the desserts that look incredible are diary. Please help. Thank you
Wow, this looks amazing! I’m making pavlova at the weekend and will have egg yolks left over. Might just give this a go with them!
Any reason why this couldn’t be made pareve using soy or almond milk and margarine?
I have not tested it with non-dairy ingredients. It will probably work out okay, but I can’t promise because I haven’t actually tried it myself.
i haven’t had a chocolate babka since i left brooklyn and my husband has NEVER had one [he’s from NC] i am sooo making this! thank you tori!!!
Let me know how you like it Robyn! 🙂
OMG…………did my friends call you. I make babka with my challah dough and it is unreal but the husband has been hinting that i should try the real thing. Not one of my friends has a great recipe.
There is a woman in town that makes the babka dough, and I was going to purchase it during the week. She said that you can NOT substitute the eggs for the substitute but she was going to make mine with xylitol and white whole wheat flour.
I will make it this week and as always your recipes make me look like a star.
thank you again 0-)
Let me know how you like it Mashugana! 🙂
Tori
There is a little bit of the babka left. I had to change the menu for shabbos because I knew he would eat it up. It is delicious beyond delicious.
I used the xylitol and used light whole wheat flour (next time spelt) and it was fluffy and moist. I did not alter the butter, since I wanted it to work out. I used 3 in a half bags of Hershey Dark Choc with splenda and broke up the choc into pieces (which I happily noshed on). As for the brown sugar, I used Splenda brown sugar and added some extra xylitol.
I did not let anyone touch the babka till it cooled for a few hours as per your instructions and repeat and if you are lucky to eat it the next day it is even better.
To the readers, please do NOT make this will light whole wheat flour because it does have a different consistency and taste and I do know how to alter that
Glad you enjoyed it Mashugana, thank you for sharing your modifications! I’m sure they’ll be helpful for other readers.
Looking forward to the Cinnamon bobka recipe. My family is 50/50 Choc vs Cinn!
I made the coconut macaroons for Pesach again. Big hit & recipes with more Quinoa & veggies would be appreciated!
My mother made a very labor intensive rugelach haven’t made it in years just cinnamon “pinwheels”. No nuts or chocolate. Cream cheese dough I think , yeast etc. Do you have a go to recipe?
My go-to dough recipe is here: https://toriavey.com/rugelach/ Different filling, though.
Could the dough be prepped in a bread machine (manual cycle)?
Thank you for posting this recipe, Tori. I have always loved bobka but never made it before. I tried your recipe and it was fantastic. I gave some to a friend who thinks it rivals Zabars!
Have you tried making smaller ones? I am thinking of making another batch and making it into two smaller loafs to give to friends.
Rivaling Zabar’s is really something!! Thank you for the kind compliment. 🙂
What would be instructions for mixing dough in food processor. Thanks
this looks SOOO GOOD!! i’m pretty sure i could eat a whole loaf in one sitting :-O
thanks so much for the link love <3! i hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Of course! 🙂 Have a great weekend Molly.
Do you really mean 180 degrees — so the pan is in exactly the same position but the sides are reversed? What does this do? Thanks, D
Turning the pan around helps for more even heat distribution, so the babka bakes up evenly (and doesn’t get overly brown on one side).
Can this be made parve?
I have not developed a pareve babka recipe yet, Johanna.
Coming soon Elizabeth! 🙂
i am crazy about babka