Chocolate krantz Babka Cakes

I think there is nothing better than a good warm slice of chocolate krantz babka cake! I can have this cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had trouble making a real good chocolate krantz babka cake. I never could shape the loaves properly, the filling always spilled all over the kitchen counter while I made the cake. Basically, as much as I love eating chocolate babka, I can honestly say, baking it at home was disastrous for me.That all changed a few weeks ago. I was flipping the pages of Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi book JERUSALEM and found their recipe for chocolate krantz cakes, it was Friday night and I decided to give it a try. Cause what can be better than having a chocolate krantz babka cakes for brunch the next morning? The original recipe was absolutely one of the biggest surprises I had, I managed to make a really good looking cake and it was delicious. I had a few reservations about the recipe though, the original filling was a bit hard to spread on the rolled dough, and I like my chocolate babka to be more chocolaty and less nutty. Also if you have kids or plan to make this cake for an event where there will be kids, subtracting the nuts is just safer for everybody.I wasn’t too sure about posting the recipe for this one, after all, I mostly adjusted it to my liking. But I posted it on Instagram and got so many requests for the recipe I figured I will post it, with all the changes I made to the original recipe.

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Chocolate krantz Babka Cakes

These chocolate krantz babka cakes are adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi Cookbook JERUSALEM. Some of the tips are adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 2 loaves

Author Neta

Ingredients

• For the dough
• 4 1/4 cups 530 grams plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 cup 100 grams granulated sugar
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 tsp fine sea or table salt
• 150 grams/5.3 oz.unsalted butter at room temperature or you can just give it a warm up in the microwave
• Vegetable oil for greasing
• For the filling
• 130 grams/4 1/2 oz. dark chocolate
• 120 grams/4.2 oz. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup 50 grams powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup 30 grams cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vegetable oil I used canola
• For the syrup
• 1/3 cup water
• 6 tbsp sugar

Instructions

1. For the dough
2. Stir together flour, sugar, and yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs and 1/2 cup water, mixing with the dough hook until it comes together; this will take a couple minutes.If it doesn’t come together at all, add extra water, 1 tbsp at a time until the dough forms a mass.
3. Keep the mixer on low, add the salt, then the butter, a spoonful at a time, mixing until it’s incorporated into the dough. Keep mixing on medium speed for 10 minutes until dough is completely smooth; The dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl. If not, you can add 1-2 tbsp extra flour to help it along.
4. Grease a large bowl with oil and place dough inside, cover with plastic and refrigerate. Leave in the fridge overnight.
5. For the filling
6. Place chocolate and butter in a medium bowl, melt together in 30-second intervals until smooth.
7. Stir in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vegetable oil, keep stirring until smooth and spreadable.
8. Make the loaves
9. Line 2 9X4 inch loaf pans with parchment paper.
10. Work with half dough each time, leaving the other half in the fridge to chill. Roll out on a floured surface to about a 10-inch width and as long in length, as you can when rolling it thin, about 10 to 12 inches.
11. Spread half the chocolate filling on the rolled dough, leaving about 1/2 inch margins. Brush the far away edges of the dough with water. Roll the dough into a tight log, tightening the edges into the log. Transfer the log to a lightly floured baking tray and place in the freezer for 15 minutes this will make it easier to cut in half. Repeat with second dough.
12. Trim the last 1/2-inch off each end of <g class="gr_ gr_269 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="269" data-gr-id="269">log</g>. Cut the log in half lengthwise and place each half next to the other on a flat surface, cut sides up. Pinch the top ends gently together. Lift one side over the next, making a twist while trying to keep the cut sides facing up. Transfer the twist into the prepared loaf pan.
13. Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rise for another hour at room temperature. Repeat process with the second loaf.
14. Pre-heat oven to 375°F/190°C. Place loaves on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, a tester inserted into babka should come out easily and cleanly.
15. While baking, make the syrup. Boil water, and pour over sugar, stir until sugar dissolves. As soon as the babkas are baked, brush the syrup all over each. Let cool for about 10 minutes in <g class="gr_ gr_268 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="268" data-gr-id="268">pan</g>, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before eating.

DID YOU MAKE THESE Chocolate Krantz Babka Cakes?

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