Chocolate Babka

A couple of days ago, my little guy and I made Chocolate Sauce for our Banana Pancakes. Today, we made Chocolate Babka to utilize the leftover sauce!!

This yummy dessert is dangerously inhalable!! It is the love child of two of my most favorite things: Bread + Chocolate!!

My sous-chef thoroughly enjoyed making this yummy dessert!! It's the perfect recipe for beginners --- very EASY to make and requires very few ingredients. 😉

You can make this recipe entirely by hand, but letting the stand mixer do all the heavy lifting is always easier. Once you have let the dough rise for an hour, transfer it to a generously floured surface because it's time for some rolling pin action!!

Roll out your dough into a rectangular shape, and flatten it until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Then spread your Chocolate Sauce on the dough evenly.

Then sprinkle whatever toppings you want over the sauce. We used cacao nibs and chopped pecans --- literally and figuratively, go nuts!!! 😜

Roll up the dough into a log. Then cut up the log lengthwise, and braid or intertwine the two halves. Place the twisted/braided dough into a loaf pan and top with more chocolate sauce or brush the top with maple syrup.

Set aside for another 30 minutes to let the dough rise again, then pop it into the oven!!

Just 35 mins later, you will have a fluffy, yummy, healthy, chocolatey dessert that will impress your family, and will make you feel like an accomplished baker for having produced such a masterpiece!

Not a fan of Chocolate or simply out of Cocoa powder???

Use oil-free peanut butter and homemade jelly!! Or perhaps use date paste and generously sprinkle with cinnamon!! So many options 😋😋😋😋

Chocolate Babka

Yield: 8 slices

Prep Time: 25mins

Cook Time: 35 mins

Total Time: 2 hours

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INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)

• 1/4 cup date water (may sub with plain water + 1 tsp coconut sugar)

• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

• Pinch of salt

• 1 heaping tsp yeast

• 2-4 tbsp of unsweetened nondairy milk, start with 2 tbsp and add more as needed if dough is too dry

• 1/2 cup Chocolate Sauce

• Optional toppings: cacao nibs and chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine date water, applesauce and 2 tbsp of milk; microwave x 45 secs.

2. Add yeast to applesauce mixture and set aside x 5-10mins.

3. In a stand mixer bowl with the hook attachment on, combine flour and salt.

4. Pour the applesauce mixture slowly into the stand mixer bowl.

5. if the dough is too dry, add more plant milk --- 1 tbsp at a time.

6. Once the dough forms into a nice ball, cover the bowl with a towel and let sit for 1 hr to rise.

7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape until about 1/4 in thick.

8. Spread your sauce evenly and add whatever toppings you have/like --- we used our leftover Chocolate Sauce and topped with cacao nibs and chopped pecans.

9. Roll the dough into a log, cut the log lengthwise and braid/intertwine the 2 halves.

10. Fit braided dough into an 8x4 loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

11. You can brush bread top maple syrup but I simply added more chocolate sauce in the crevices -- because there's no such thing as too much chocolate!

12. Bake at 375 x 35 mins.