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Quick: Get this Babka Out of the House!!!
...because i can't stop eating it! when i saw the article by my friend and esteemed colleague joan nathan in last wednesday's new york times, the texture and swirl of the crumb just drew me right in. i grew up on 95th street and central park west and my parents each went to eclair on a regular basis (eclair was mentioned in the article), my mother during the week to pick up my favorite whipped cream filled eclair and my father on sundays to pick up a babka.
in my bread book i have recipes for brioche and for kugelhopf, both of which are similar to babka but not the same thing. babka is somewhere between a rich coffee cake and a brioche. compared to my brioche it has about half the egg, two-thirds the butter, and about 1/3 cup more liquid. All this conspires to make a softer and lighter cake/bread.
i am a great fan of ann amernick whose new book "the art of the dessert"(john wiley 2007) contains this recipe. you can also get the recipe by going to www.nytimes.com and putting babka in the search box. you will find several choices of filling and topping. i used the cinnamon-raisin filling adapted from katja goldman, but soaked the raisins in rum as adapted from mrs. london's, saratoga springs, n.y. and i used ann's streusel topping with the cinnamon.
here are a few of my baking notes:
i like ann's use of part cake flour as it makes a more tender cake-like crumb but it also makes the dough fragile and prone to tearing so lift it carefully when placing it in the pan and if it tears as mine did, just pinch it together. it actually looks most attractive with some of the raisins and sugar spilling out and carmelizing on the crust. but i wouldn't try twisting it as indicated when placing it in the pan unless you use all ubleached all-purpose flour or you want it to break open.
those of you who prefer weight to volume, the all-purpose flour (be sure to use unbleached or the dough will fall apart completely) is 10 ounces/285 grams and the cake flour 3 ounces/85 grams. alternatively use a total of 13 ounces/369 grams unbleached all-purpose flour.
if you use instant yeast you can add it directly to the flour. use only 2 teaspoons and add the 1 tablespoon of water to the milk (which by the way i prefer to scald and then bring to room temperature before using).
i also increased the salt from 1/8 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon.
i used my nordicware "Classic Anniversary Bundt" which is non-stick and 15 cup capacity but the standard 12 cup bundt that's called for will work as it didn't come up to the very top of the pan. but the extra height did serve to shield the streusel topping so if using the 12 cup bundt you may want to tent it loosely with foil after the first 30 minutes of baking. by the way, i did not line the pan with parchment, but coated it with cooking spray and it released beautifully--even the escaped caramel part.
my instant read thermometer registered 188 after 50 minutes of baking. i unmolded the babka onto a rack as soon as it came out of the oven. almost all of the streusel stayed on what was now the bottom. as it was 11:00 at night, and i didn't want to ruin the crisp crust and streusel by covering it, i stayed up to watch "kinsey" on othe late show and by the time it was over the babka was completely cool! so i covered it with an inverted plastic box and dove into it this morning.
when you see the photos i took you'll understand just why it provided such a temptation. by the way, the little brass doorstop in the photo is an antique punch and judy. i usually move it away from the best light location for photos but this time it seemed appropriate as babka means little old-lady. actually just old lady or grandmother but in my era they were always little (now we take calcium pills)! bubba, alta bubba, babcha--they're all yiddish and polish variations which sound as endearing, comforting, and lovable as this recipe.
p.s. except for one piece, the missing part in the photo was all consumed by me withint 10 minutes!
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Comments
My mother used to make a honey cake. The recipe looked similar to the one Louise has except she used tea instead of coffee. She used to cook the honey and sugar together until it changed color and became golden brown. She would then add strong tea to the hot honey( this is rather dangerous and must be done slowly because it boils and expands rapidly) and then all the spices.Then cooled the mixture and added the rest of the ingredients. The cake was never overly sweet or sticky. Hers also contained nuts. I wonder if cooking the honey and sugar together made it less sweet?
Reply to this Posted by: Janina | September 27, 2008 4:10 PM #
thanks so much for posting this recipe louise. i realize now that my prejudice comes from having been subjected to a commercial variety--all i remember is sweet sweet sweet! funny bc my mother being a dentist we rarely had sweets so i guess once a year at new year's she went the other extreme. i must try your recipe!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | September 27, 2008 9:52 AM #
Louise Allen, check this out
Honey: Substituting honey for sugar seems to be a matter of taste. Some people use it cup for cup, others prefer 1/2 cup - 2/3 cup of honey per cup of white sugar. Reduce the amount of other liquids by 1/4 cup for every cup of honey used. Lower the oven temp about 25 degrees F to prevent over-browning and add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for each cup of honey to your batter.n (Honey is naturally acidic and the baking soda tempers it.)
If you google your question you will find the info you need - good luck. If I remember correctly, the original honey cake recipe called for shortening, which I don't use and so I converted to oil.
It would be interesting to hear how you resolve this problem.
L'Shana Tova
Reply to this Posted by: Louise | September 27, 2008 7:00 AM #
I love it - there is another Louise on this blog!!
I made a delicious sweet challah with vanilla yesterday. People could not stop nibbling it all night. However, I need help with making 2 adjustments.
1. The recipe calls for 3/4 cup sugar and I prefer honey in challah. How do I adjust the recipe from from sugar to honey?
2. The recipe also calls for 1/2 cup butter (which is melted by adding hot water) - but I am kosher and often can not use butter. How do I adjust the recipe from butter to oil - and which oil should I use?
Thanks, Louise
Reply to this Posted by: Louise Allen | September 27, 2008 6:44 AM #
louise, yummy recipe, sounds almost like a carrot cake. thanks for sharing!
Reply to this Posted by: hector | September 27, 2008 1:10 AM #
I forgot to mention that honey cake tastes better after mellowing for a few days but I have some friends who cut it open as soon as it is cool and a sister who waits maybe 24 hours - my husband and I wait at least 5 days altho 7 is better - but I bake something else so we aren't tempted.
Reply to this Posted by: Louise | September 26, 2008 10:30 PM #
Honey Cake
1/2 cup oil (I use Canola)
1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
2 eggs, separated
1 cup double strength coffee
2-1/2 cups flour`
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Mix and sift dry ingredients. Blend oil, sugar and egg yolks together. Add honey. Add dry ingredients alternately with coffee. Fold in beaten egg whites. Bake in greased and floured pan.
Bake 55-65 minutes in 350 degree oven
Longer baking may be necessary.
This recipe will make one bundt pan or two 8 inch loaf pans, which is what I usually do as I bake six loaves each time.
Enjoy.
Reply to this Posted by: Louise | September 26, 2008 10:24 PM #
louise, just type it as a comment the way you did this one. i'm sure everyone would love to have it!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | September 26, 2008 10:16 PM #
I have a wonderful honey cake recipe which I have been using for 60+ years and would be more than glad to share if I knew how to do it. Alternatively, you could send me your email address and I will be glad to forward it to whoever might want it.
Reply to this Posted by: Louise | September 26, 2008 6:08 PM #
Hi,
This month's Gourmet magazine has a recipe for honey cake. It might be what you are looking for.
Reply to this Posted by: Anonymous | September 26, 2008 4:40 PM #
i'm sorry, i never did like the honey cakes my mother purchased for new years. of course i have a wonderful cake with honey buttercream but i know what you're lookingi for is the traditional one and i can't help you there. maybe another blogger has a recipe they're fond of and will share.
shana tova!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | September 26, 2008 4:08 PM #
Hi Rose,
As you know, the holidays are coming up and I searched your Cake Bible and couldn't find any recipes for a honey cake anywhere. I LOVE your cakes and wish you could help me with a honey cake recipe. I would be forever greatful...
Shana Tova
Reply to this Posted by: Jennifer | September 26, 2008 4:00 PM #
Marc, have you googled for a Russian type coffee cake - there are quite a few - good luck and let us know if you make one that turns out to be what you are looking for. I worked at Zabar's many years ago and remember it well - now in North Carolina with no possibility of anything like it unless it would come from my kitchen.
Reply to this Posted by: Louise | April 3, 2008 2:19 PM #
Dear Rose:
Your books are my "bibles". I am now the proud nieghborhood baker of wonderful rich Chalah thanks to you and your recipe and the Harvest King Flour. It has been a 15 month odyssey with great success and almost 15 lbs in weight gain.
Who can resist eating a rich, almots cake like Chalah?
I am now working on the Babka recipe from NY Times with your note/comments and have had good results.
I am looking for a recipe that can produce the rich Russian Coffee Cake sold by Zabars and I belive Fairway in NYC.
Can you or someone let me know either a "real" recipe or a cookbook that has some Russian type Coffee cake.
Best regards,
Marc
Reply to this Posted by: marc reynolds | February 11, 2008 4:24 PM #
thanks louise--i will try it. but i'm about to embark on massive copy editing for the new ms. so can't promise when. i'm certain it will be wonderful as you know how highly of think of marcy goldman!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | February 5, 2008 7:56 AM #
Boy - my house smells great. I just took out of the oven a chocolate babka and a chinnamon babka - here is a link to a picture of the chocolate babka:
http://www.flickr.com/send?photo=2243002053
Rose - I think you were using the NY recipe. Have you tried Marcy Goldman's? I would love to know your opinion of the babka. For those of you reading this blog, Marcy has a website -betterbaking.com - and she charges $1.50/per recpe. thanks and happy baking, Louise
Reply to this Posted by: Louise | February 4, 2008 11:33 PM #
yes!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | January 12, 2008 3:13 PM #
When making the Babka in the NY Times recipes they call for ound cake and sponge cake crumbs. Are they really needed?
Reply to this Posted by: marc reynolds | January 12, 2008 3:04 PM #
My question. I want to display cakes in my storefront but don not want to use icing or fondant that will attract insects etc.
thank you
Juliana
Reply to this Posted by: Juliana Almeida | January 11, 2008 6:40 PM #
PS - I would interested if you try Marcy's babka - how the recipe compares to the one in the NY times. I am always on the search for how to improve my recipes. thanks! Louise
Reply to this Posted by: Anonymous | December 24, 2007 8:18 AM #
Yes - I am lucky enough to have an autorgraphed copy of her new book. She has great recipes for the Jewish holidays. Your babka looked very good in the picture - but I think her recipe looks "lighter." And as I said, her shmear is unbelievable. She uses butter, chocolate, cocoa, sugar. I add a little expresso powder and a little cream. I also use a lot of shmear, so much that one time the babka could not hold its shape and fell apart - so now I cut back a bit. I have actually had babka classes fo 15 women at my house on the morning of Kol Nidre and every one left with a babka in a springform to bake for breakfast. Alot of fun. Louise
Reply to this Posted by: Anonymous | December 24, 2007 8:15 AM #
marcy's babka WOULD be terrific--she's a great baker (and good friend). did you know she just came out with a new book?
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 23, 2007 10:14 AM #
Babka is one my favorite things to bake. I love Marcy Goldman's recipe at betterbaking.com. It is fantastic. I make it in a spingform pan. Her shmear's are "to die for" - the only thing I do different is I add cream to the chocolate shmear. In fact I use her shmears as the filling in my rugelach and trust me - no one complains! Louise
Reply to this Posted by: Louise | December 23, 2007 5:13 AM #
i have this kind of filling in the bread bible for the kugelhopf. easiest to buy a sarah lee pound cake and turn it into crumbs!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 19, 2007 2:10 PM #
If you were to use the chocolate apricot filling from the recipe, would you use pound cake crumbs, and if so, where do you find such things?
Reply to this Posted by: Andrew | December 19, 2007 2:05 PM #
Your babka looks delicious! Thanks for all of your tips. I just may have to make this for my holiday party.
Reply to this Posted by: Christina | December 19, 2007 8:39 AM #
don't worry--THAT doesn't mean little old lady! it's something like candy or a treat! years ago a boyfriend from india bought me leo rosten's joy's of yiddish and i laughed my way through the entire book finally knowing the actual definition of all the words my grandmother used only in one context. when she called me kleine kinder i thought kleine meant sweet bc she said it with such affection. when i grew up and heard mozart's ein kleine nach music i announced that it meant one sweet night when all it meant was one short night. (when used for a child it means little though).
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 19, 2007 7:48 AM #
My mother's Jewish friends always called me their Bubbula when we visited them when I was a child!
Reply to this Posted by: Jeannette | December 19, 2007 4:26 AM #
Dear Rose
Bless you - I have been in babkha/baba mode for a number of weeks and this couldn't be more timely! I eagerly await the Christmas break (only 2 more days) to bake up a storm
Reply to this Posted by: Ros | December 18, 2007 7:26 PM #