Well, I don’t know how your 2019 ended, but I came back from Paris, and what do you know?

Mariah was #1 on the billboard hot 100 [totaling 19 singles; a record for a solo artist]

And she even stayed at the top spot in the first week of 2020 [which makes her the ONLY act to have scored #1 singles in 4 different decades!].

and if that’s not enough,

then a few days ago, Nigella celebrated her 60th birthday, and in an interview to The Sunday Times Style, she said:

“The two great enemies of happiness are self-consciousness and pressure to conform, and the older one gets, the easier it is to throw off those shackles”

Which is kinda funny because it depicts pretty accurately the very existence of this blog, and my choice in baking & pastry [as a profession] in general.

Although, I’m not really sure how hard it really was for me to to release myself from said shackles when i was younger, but i don’t want to presume and say that i was never somehow, somehow, chained; because even if I’m not aware of it, that doesn’t mean it never happened, and if it DID happen then I’m very much open to admit it. Either way, there are far more interesting things in the world than trying to retroactively analyze almost 32 years-

I mean, for the love of god and nicole scherzinger, the pussycat dolls are reuniting!

And the Jersey Housewives are crazier than ever!

And AJ and the Queen is finally available!

And Mariah is about to release her memoir!

And even the butter crisis is over!!

So I don’t know about you all, but after the first week of the first decade,

my glass is half full.

and here’s the perfect little nosh to accompany it:

Chocolate Fudge Babka

Even though I called this cake a “babka”, the dough for this cake [which I found here, on the online version of Hashulchan] is, technically, a pressburger dough. The classic description for this dough is somewhere between a yeast dough and shortcrust pastry [or pâté sucrée], but it’s easier to think of it as a rich, dense, yeast dough, like my Diasporean Rugelach [which is why I almost named this cake Diasporean Babka!], and that’s part of its charm.

Which is why I also like to pair it with rich, fudgy fillings; in this case I used the chocolate filling from my go-to babka recipe, which is based on Melissa Clark’s recipe from the NYT; only I prefer to use chocolate with around 66% cocoa solids [which is the lower end of the recommended cocoa percentage, because this dough needs a bit more sweetness than regular yeast dough], and I replaced the white sugar with dark brown sugar, to get a fudgier result. But it’s still pretty perfect with plain old white sugar.

Basically, when you braid a yeast cake and expose its filling, you don’t need to brush it with egg wash before baking, but I do like to do it here because it gives a beautiful shine. Also, pressburger dough doesn’t need a lot of sugar syrup because it’s a moist and rich cake, but I do like to use a bit more than normally, to make it extra fudgy and delightful.

One major weakpoint in pressburger dough is the baking, because it browns fairly quickly. But the color needs to be really bronzed for it to bake properly all the way through [although even if a tad underbaked it’s still delicious, and some even prefer it that way], so don’t be afraid to get a lot of color. But, if you’re worried about scorching- just tent it with foil or parchment when necessary.

From this recipe, I like to make 2 round, 18-cm [7-inches] babkas, but because you don’t have to use a pastry/cake ring, you can really do any size you want. But if you want your babkas to look just like mine- then stick with the dimensions in the recipe. And although you can definitely do this babka in a single day [it’s quicker than my usual babka recipe], I usually make the dough & filling on one day, then continue on the next.

About the cheese in the dough: in Israel, Gvina Levana is a soft, white, smooth, creamy cheese, with a neutral flavor and a very slight tanginess. It comes in various fat percentages, but the ones that work best in this recipe is either 5% or 9%. If you can’t find Gvina Levana, a lot of countries make their own version of it, so try searching for either quark, fromage frais, fromage blanc, tvarog, weißkäse, etc.

For the dough:

• 8 grams [1 tablespoon] instant yeast OR 25 grams fresh yeast
• 60 grams [1/4 cup] lukewarm water
• 500 grams All purpose flour [3.5 cups + 1 tablespoon]
• 200 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 100 grams [1/2 cup] white sugar
• 10 grams salt
• 100 grams soft white cheese, 5% or 9% fat
• 2 large eggs

For the filling:

• 175 grams [3/4 cup] heavy cream [about 38% fat]
• 100 grams [1/2 cup] sugar, white or brown
• pinch of salt
• 170 grams dark chocolate [about 66% cocoa solids]
• 100 grams butter

For the egg wash:

• 1 egg
• pinch of salt

For the sugar syrup:

• 50 grams [1/4 cup] sugar
• 60 grams [1/4 cup] water

To make the dough

In a small bowl, whisk the water with the yeast. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour with the sugar and the salt. Add the cubed butter, and mix, using the paddle attachment, on low speed, for 5 minutes, until the butter is broken down and you get a sandy, mealy consistency. Add the yeast, water, cheese and eggs, and mix, on medium speed, for about 3 minutes, until a dough is formed. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook, and knead for additional 3 minutes, on low speed, until a soft dough is formed.

Take the dough out of the mixer bowl, shape into a flat rectangle, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours [I usually just leave it overnight].

To make the filling

In a medium pot, heat the cream with the sugar and salt, until it comes to a boil. Meanwhile, chop the chocolate and place nearby.

When the cream comes to a boil, mix it a bit, and let it simmer, mixing constantly but not vigorously, for about 5 minutes. If you are afraid the mixture will boil over- lower the heat a bit. After 5 minutes, remove from the heat, and add the chocolate. Wait 1 minute, then whisk until the chocolate is melted. Add the butter, then whisk again until the butter is melted, and the mixture is homogeneous.

Pour the mixture to a bowl [or a wide flat dish] and let it cool until it reaches room temperature, and has the consistency of a thick, luscious frosting [I like to make this the day before, so I keep it in the fridge, then take it out the next morning to slowly reach room temperature].

To make the cake

Line 1 half-sheet pan [or 2 smaller ones] with baking parchment, and if you want to bake the babkas in cake pans- then grease & line them as well.

Remove the dough from the fridge and cut in half. Return 1 half to the fridge, and work on the other half:

Roll it into a large rectangle, about 30×40 cm [12×15 inch]. Spread evenly with half of the chocolate filling, all the way to the edges, then cut in the middle to make 2 rectangles, each about 20×30 cm [8×12 inch]. Roll each rectangle from the longer, 30 cm [12 inch] edge into a tight roulade. You should now have 2 roulades. Yes? Yes.

Slice each roulade lengthwise to expose the filling, and place cut side facing upwards. You should now have 4 strands. Yes? Yes.

Now, What you should basically do is align the 4 strands in a simple basketweave- 2 horizontally and 2 vertically, so that each strand is over one strand and under another. Then, you should have 4 couples of strands, 1 in each direction. Then, in each couple just take the lower strand over the other [upper] strand. now you should get 4 new couples of strands- then do the same to them, and by that time you should have very little strand left. So just tuck the ends under, and shape into a round and that’s it!

If you got a bit confused- well you’re in luck, ’cause i made this video just for you:

Anyway, when your dough is braided and gorgeous, transfer it onto the lined sheet pan [and into the cake pan/ring, if you’re using it].

Now do the exact same thing with the other half of the dough, which is waiting in the fridge.

When both of your babkas are braided and placed on the lined sheet pan, cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 hour [they will not rise much]. About 20 minutes before the proofing time is up, preheat the oven to 170 degrees centigrade [340 Fahrenheit]. Meanwhile, make the egg was and sugar syrup.

To make the egg wash

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and salt together. Set aside.

To make the sugar syrup

In a small saucepan, mix the water and the sugar, then bring to a boil. When the syrup is boiling, let it simmer for 15 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.

To bake the babkas:

Remove the plastic wrap from the babkas, and brush gently with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for about 45-55 minutes, or until the babkas are very bronzed [if they are starting to get too dark on top- cover loosely with foil or parchment].

When the babkas are beautifully baked and bronzed- remove from the oven, brush with the sugar syrup- if you want the babkas to be really moist and fudgy- use the entire syrup for the 2 babkas; otherwise- brush just a little.

Let the babkas cool completely [in their pans or rings, if you were using them] on the baking sheet, before slicing and devouring. And tagging me on Instagram [@pitzpootzim].

[Just kidding, you can tag me anytime!]