Decadent Babka Chocolate-Raspberry Loaf Recipe

Typically, babka is a traditional sweet bread made with a rich dough that is made for Easter Sunday in order to celebrate the Christ rising. Nowadays, chocolate-raspberry babka is one of the most popular desserts all over the world. Here is my babka chocolate-raspberry loaf recipe:

Servings 2 loaves

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 1 cup warm water (around 115°)
• 1 ¼ tablespoon active dry yeast
• ½ cup (plus 1 teaspoon) sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 ½ cups flour (plus some more to dust)
• 9 tablespoons softened unsalted butter (plus more for greasing)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling and syrup:

• ½ cup raspberry jam
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup fresh raspberries, mashed
• ½ cup sugar, divided

Instructions:

To make the dough:

• In a bowl, combine water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and yeast until it starts to foam, around 10 minutes. Add flour and salt into it; set aside.
• Apply eggs and remaining sugar to yeast, whisk to incorporate; make a well in the middle of the flour and apply the yeast mixture. Combine to form a dough; turn out onto a lightly floured surface, apply butter and combine to incorporate and form a smooth dough.
• Apply in a greased bowl then cover with plastic wrap; allow to rise at a room temperature until doubled in size, around one hour.

To make the filling:

• In a small bowl, combine cocoa powder and jam together; using your fingers, apply butter until crumbly and moist; set jam mixture aside.
• In another bowl, combine ¼ cup sugar and chocolate; set aside.
• Grease two 9 by 5-inch loaf pans; leave aside. Split dough into two balls; working with one dough ball at a time and on a floured surface, roll dough into a 12 by 10-inch rectangle, around 1/8-in. thick.
• Apply 1/2 of jam mixture over dough, parting ¼ inch border around the edge; dash ½ of the chocolate mixture over the top. Roll dough up tightly starting at one of the short ends; slice in ½ lengthwise, parting ½ inch of dough connected at the top. Twist together the strands and pinch at the end in order to seal. Place in prepared pan; then repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
• To finish, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at a room temperature to double in size, around 40 minutes more.

To make the syrup:

• In a saucepan over high heat, combine 2 tablespoons water, remaining ¹⁄₄cup sugar, and raspberries; reduce heat and simmer until dissolved, around 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and let stand 10 minutes; then strain through a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids.
• Preheat oven to 350°F/ 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Bake the loaves until golden, around 47 to 60 minutes. Remove and immediately brush with syrup; let the babkas cool in their pans for 25 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool entirely. Slice and serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!