Chocolate Babka (Chocolate Yeast Cake) is one of the best examples of the wonderful things you can create with yeast. Somewhere between bread and cake, it combines a light, tender enriched dough with indulgent swirls of rich chocolate.
My Love Affair with Yeast
My affair with yeast started during the COVID lockdown, when bakeries closed and home baking suddenly became the thing. I joined the challenge of baking bread at home—and there was no turning back. It was my first real encounter with yeast, and it opened the door to a whole new world of baking.
Yeast-based bakes quickly became some of my favourites, extending well beyond breads and buns to sweet yeast cakes.
What Is Babka?
Babka has its roots in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. Traditionally made with enriched yeast dough, it is rolled around a sweet filling, then shaped or twisted to create its distinctive layers before being baked until beautifully golden.
Chocolate and cinnamon are among the best-known fillings today, although countless other flavours can be tucked between those delicate layers.
The Beauty of Enriched Yeast Dough
One of the things I love most about yeast dough is just how versatile it can be. Small changes to the basic ingredients can transform a simple bread dough into something wonderfully rich and tender.
Adding butter, eggs, milk and sugar creates an enriched dough with a light, almost cloud-like crumb—the perfect base for a great Chocolate Babka (Chocolate Yeast Cake).
Is Chocolate Babka Difficult to Make?
While a beautifully twisted babka may look impressive, it isn’t nearly as difficult to make as you might think. Handle the dough gently and give it sufficient time to rise, and you’ll be rewarded with a fragrant, beautifully layered cake threaded with irresistible ribbons of chocolate.
This Chocolate Babka (Chocolate Yeast Cake) recipe is a wonderful example of just how simple it can be to produce a delicate enriched dough. Wrapped around generous layers of chocolate and filling the kitchen with an incredible aroma as it bakes, this babka is simply irresistible.
Ingredients:
For the Syrup
¼ cup caster sugar
½ cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Dough
500 g all-purpose flour
7 g dry yeast
100 g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
100 ml lukewarm milk
100 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the Chocolate Filling
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbsp caster sugar
¼ cup finely chopped nuts
Method:
Prepare the Syrup
Place all the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved and the ingredients are well combined. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Mix the Dough
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast and sugar using a fork. This helps break up any lumps and aerates the flour slightly.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the lukewarm milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Using the dough hook, knead on medium-low speed for 1–2 minutes, until the dough just begins to come together.
Cut the softened butter into small pieces. With the mixer running, gradually add the butter, a few pieces at a time. Continue kneading for about 2 minutes, or until the butter is fully incorporated into the dough.
Add the salt and continue kneading on medium-low speed for another 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly by hand and shape it into a smooth ball.
First Proof
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel or cling film, and leave to proof in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Transfer the risen dough back to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead it with the palm of your hand for about 1 minute, then return it to the bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Chilling the dough allows the butter to firm up, making the dough easier to roll and shape.
Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to come closer to room temperature. Divide it into two equal portions and roll each piece into a rectangle.
Add the Filling
Sprinkle the cocoa powder and sugar evenly over each rectangle, followed by the finely chopped nuts. Roll each rectangle tightly from one long edge to form a log.
Rolling the Babke
Using a sharp knife, cut each log in half lengthways to expose the chocolate layers. Place the two halves in an X shape, with the cut sides facing upwards, then twist them around each other to create the characteristic babka shape. Repeat with the remaining log.
Transfer each shaped babka to a well-buttered loaf tin.
Second Proof
Place a small bowl of boiling water on the bottom shelf of the oven and turn on the oven light only—do not turn on the heat. Place the babkas on the upper shelf and leave to proof for about 40 minutes, until visibly risen and puffy.
Bake the Cake
Remove the babkas and the bowl of water from the oven. Preheat to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F
Bake in the preheated oven for 25–28 minutes, until beautifully risen and golden brown.
As soon as the babkas come out of the oven, generously brush the tops with the cooled syrup, allowing it to soak into the warm cakes. Leave to cool in the tins briefly before transferring to a wire rack.
Tips for the Perfect Chocolate Babka
Use lukewarm, not hot, milk. The milk should feel pleasantly warm rather than hot. Milk that is too hot can damage the yeast and prevent the dough from rising properly.
Give the butter time to incorporate. Add the softened butter gradually while the mixer is running. The dough may look a little messy at first, but continue kneading and it will become smooth, soft and elastic.
Don’t be tempted to add too much flour. Enriched yeast dough is naturally soft and slightly tacky. Adding too much flour while kneading or rolling can result in a heavier, drier babka.
Allow the dough to rise at its own pace. Proofing times are a guide rather than a rule. A warm kitchen will speed things up, while a cooler room may mean the dough needs longer. Look at the dough rather than the clock – it should be noticeably risen and airy.
Don’t skip chilling the dough. Refrigerating the dough allows the butter to firm up, making the soft dough much easier to roll, fill and shape.
Roll the dough tightly. A snug roll helps create those beautiful, distinctive chocolate swirls when the babka is sliced.
Use a sharp knife when cutting the logs. A sharp knife makes it easier to slice each log lengthways without crushing the delicate layers. Keep the cut sides facing upwards as you twist to show off the chocolate swirls.
Be gentle when shaping. Don’t worry if the twist isn’t perfectly even. Babka is meant to have a wonderfully rustic appearance, and the dough will expand considerably during its final proof and baking.
An oven with only the light switched on, together with a small bowl of boiling water, creates a warm, humid environment that helps the dough rise. Make sure the oven itself is not switched on.
Apply the cooled syrup as soon as the babka comes out of the oven. The warm cake will absorb it beautifully, adding moisture, sweetness and a lovely glossy finish.
Let it cool completely before slicing. This allows the crumb to set and gives you cleaner slices with more defined chocolate layers.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Babka (Chocolate Yeast Cake)
Ingredients
For the Syrup
- ¼ cup caster sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Dough
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 7 g dry yeast
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 2 large eggs
- 100 ml lukewarm milk
- 100 g unsalted butter at room temperature
For the Chocolate Filling
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- ¼ cup finely chopped nuts
Instructions
Prepare the syrup
- Place all the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved and the ingredients are well combined. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Mix the dough
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast and sugar using a fork. This helps break up any lumps and aerates the flour slightly.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the lukewarm milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Using the dough hook, knead on medium-low speed for 1–2 minutes, until the dough just begins to come together.
- Cut the softened butter into small pieces. With the mixer running, gradually add the butter, a few pieces at a time. Continue kneading for about 2 minutes, or until the butter is fully incorporated into the dough.
- Add the salt and continue kneading on medium-low speed for another 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly by hand and shape it into a smooth ball.
First Proof
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel or cling film, and leave to proof in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Transfer the risen dough back to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead it with the palm of your hand for about 1 minute, then return it to the bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Chilling the dough allows the butter to firm up, making the dough easier to roll and shape.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to come closer to room temperature. Divide it into two equal portions and roll each piece into a rectangle.
Add the filling
- Sprinkle the cocoa powder and sugar evenly over each rectangle, followed by the finely chopped nuts. Roll each rectangle tightly from one long edge to form a log.
- Using a sharp knife, cut each log in half lengthways to expose the chocolate layers. Place the two halves in an X shape, with the cut sides facing upwards, then twist them around each other to create the characteristic babka shape. Repeat with the remaining log.
- Transfer each shaped babka to a well-buttered loaf tin.
Second proof
- Place a small bowl of boiling water on the bottom shelf of the oven and turn on the oven light only—do not turn on the heat. Place the babkas on the upper shelf and leave to proof for about 40 minutes, until visibly risen and puffy.
Bake the Cake
- Remove the babkas and the bowl of water from the oven. Preheat to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / Gas 4.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25–28 minutes, until beautifully risen and golden brown.
- As soon as the babkas come out of the oven, generously brush the tops with the cooled syrup, allowing it to soak into the warm cakes. Leave to cool in the tins briefly before transferring to a wire rack.