The Best and Easiest Chocolate or Cinnamon Babka

Forget your fear of yeast doughs! This chocolate or cinnamon babka can be thrown together in just minutes, is moist and gooey, and is nearly margarine free!

The first time I made babka, I felt like crying happy tears. You see, in the past, I was deeply intimidated by recipes that required yeast. If I saw a recipe for bread, challah, cinnamon buns… no matter how badly I wanted to make them, I just opted for store-bought or begged a friend for homemade goodies. I don’t even remember when it was that I finally started making my own babka, but it’s been years now and I am more than happy that I was able to get over my fear of yeast! 

The first babka recipe that I made successfully was huge. It called for five pounds of flour and a ton of margarine. As much as I was thrilled to be able to make babka, I did not always want to make so much and I certainly did not love using all that margarine. I try to avoid using margarine as much as possible; I don’t like the flavor it gives baked goods (even though I know that’s almost an oxymoron!), and I don’t like the way it makes me feel after eating it. But I would make this five-pound, margarine-heavy babka regardless, since I was too afraid to adapt the recipe. At some point, I became comfortable enough working with yeast that I learned how to play around with recipes, and thus this yummy, perfect small-batch babka with minimal margarine was born! 

Now that I’ve mastered the art of easy babka making (I think I deserve a PhD in babka!), it takes me just minutes to throw it together. I make it all the time and it always gets rave reviews. 

I love the way a chocolate or cinnamon babka looks sitting on my counter. Of course, what’s best is that first warm piece when the chocolate is still gooey and the top is crispy and your fingers get all sticky from it! 

One year, I decided to give out babka for mishloach manos. It was a huge job, but I was happy to do it as the ingredients are relatively inexpensive. After that first year, I somehow became the “babka lady,” and since then I’ve been giving out babkas every Purim! (My mishloach manos list has grown and this year I made about 70 babkas!) Every year I say never again and then the next year I’m back at it…because I love it and my friends love it. I actually have one friend whose husband requests I come as early as possible so he can have his coffee with a slice of my babka on Purim morning.

Here’s a little time-saving hack: Sometimes, when I’m making babka, I don’t even make babka dough — I just use a piece of challah dough. The dough is sweet enough and with all the chocolate, you don’t notice the difference. 

I like to use good-quality cocoa. For many ingredients, it doesn’t really matter what brand you buy, they’re really all the same, but when it comes to cocoa, it really does make a difference. I love using Hershey’s Cocoa or Trader Joe’s. It’s not a must to use one of those brands, but I do see a difference in quality. 

Adding confectioners’ sugar to the filling is a relatively new trick I’ve discovered that adds a delicious sweetness and texture that regular sugar does not. Having both in the filling really takes it to the next level. 

If you are one of those people who love a super-gooey and chocolatey babka, you can certainly double the filling. However, the baking time will need to be a bit longer. If you like a drier babka, you can add less chocolate filling. There really are no absolute rules. 

I’ve also included a recipe for cinnamon filling so that you can also make a cinnamon babka out of this dough. In my family, there is quite the debate between cinnamon and chocolate when it comes to babka. I personally am on the fence. I think I like cinnamon better, but chocolate always goes much faster when I make it, so that’s what I tend to make more.

Making the perfect “babka shape” is easy with a bit of practice. (Also, since you are covering with crumbs, it doesn’t need to be perfect!) Here are a few pics to show you how:

Speaking of cinnamon, check out another amazing and easy yeast dough baked good — my cinnamon buns! 

The Best and Easiest Chocolate (or Cinnamon) Babka

Forget your fear of yeast doughs! This chocolate (or cinnamon) babka can be thrown together in just minutes, is moist and gooey, and is nearly margarine free!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 Tbsp dry yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp margarine, melted
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour

Chocolate Filling:

• 2 Tbsp oil, for drizzling
• ¼ cup cocoa
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

Cinnamon Filling:

• 2 Tbsp oil, for drizzling
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1-2 tsp Union Apple Crisp Blend* or cinnamon

Crumb Topping:

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Mini chocolate chips (only for chocolate-filled babka)

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine yeast and water. Add sugar, margarine and egg and mix well. Add flour and mix until it forms a smooth dough.
• Knead for about 2-3 minutes more; don’t overmix or dough will become tough.
• Cover dough with a towel and let rise for a half hour.
• In a small bowl, combine desired filling ingredients (chocolate or cinnamon) besides oil and mini chocolate chips (if using).
• In another small bowl, combine crumb ingredients, mixing until it forms coarse crumbs.
• Preheat oven to 350℉.
• Divide dough into two balls and roll one out on a floured surface into a large rectangle.
• Drizzle dough with half the oil, then sprinkle with half the filling mixture.
• Roll up rectangle the long way, jelly-roll style.
• Shape log into a "U" shape and then twist as pictured.
• Place in a small loaf or oval pan. Sprinkle with crumbs and mini chocolate chips (for chocolate babka).
• Repeat with remaining ball of dough.
• Bake 25-30 minutes, depending upon how well-done you like it.

Notes

Freezes amazing.

*You can purchase my Union Apple Crisp Spice Blend here, or just use cinnamon.

Recipe by Faigy Murray | https://mykitchenmystudio.com/best-chocolate-or-cinnamon-babka/