Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake Babka

Fluffy brioche filled with a classic cinnamon roll filling, topped with a coffee cake streusel and a cinnamon roll glaze, this Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake Babka is sweet and fluffy and so delicious.

Can you make this Babka in advance?

Yes! Because of the crumb topping and the glaze this babka stays moist and fluffy for a good amount of time. That being said I wouldn’t bake it more than one day in advance. It is also delicious freshly baked so if you want to prep anything ahead of time you can make the dough the night before and store it in the fridge to then shape and bake in the morning.

Why is it called coffee cake if there’s no coffee?

Coffee cake was originally given that name because it is meant to be eaten while drinking a cup of coffee usually in the morning or as an afternoon snack. In the US coffee cake is now mostly used to describe a cinnamon brown sugar spiced crumb cake so the crumb topping from a coffee cake was added to the top of this babka.

What is the filling in Babka Bread?

Traditionally there is a chocolate babka and a cinnamon sugar babka. This one is a play on the classic cinnamon sugar babka but the dough is a bit thicker and fluffier and the crumb and icing toppings aren’t traditional.

How do I know when the dough is finished kneading?

This dough should pass the window pane test which means that when a golf ball sized piece is torn off, you should be able to stretch it gently until light passes through but without it tearing. I usually check it once all of the butter has been fully kneaded into the dough.

You may also like…

• Cinnamon Roll Wreath
• Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls
• Cardamom Babka

Tips for making a Cinnamon Roll Babka

• Make sure the egg and butter are both at room temperature and make sure the salt doesn’t directly touch the yeast.
• To cut down on time in the morning, I recommend making the dough the night before. Once the dough is fully kneaded, immediately wrap it up flat on a quarter sized baking sheet, and then store itw in the fridge for anywhere from 1 hour to overnight. In the morning take the dough out of the fridge and continue with assembling!
• This dough takes a while to knead and it is quite soft. Don’t be scared to turn up the speed a little once it has come together but know that it will take a bit and it’s ok if it’s still a bit sticky once done kneading.
• When making yeasted dough, ensure that you allow your mixer to fully knead the dough, until it forms a smooth ball and the sides of the bowl are cleaned. This will happen twice while kneading the dough, once before the butter is added and once after.
• When rolling out the dough, try to make it as rectangular as possible. This will help when it comes shaping and cutting the twist. I use a bench scraper to keep reshaping into a rectangle as I roll it because it can be tricky to reshape at the end.
• Depending on where the heat in your oven comes from, make sure to bake the babka in the middle. If you have heat coming from the top and bottom make sure to place it just below the center rack.
• I recommend lining the loaf pan with parchment paper to prevent it from sticking and to make it easier to lift out.

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour will work for this! I have not yet tried any other flours with this recipe.
• Sugar: This recipe uses granulated sugar in the dough, filling and the crumb topping. Brown sugar is also used in the filling and the crumb topping and powdered sugar is used for the icing on top.
• Yeast: In this recipe, instant yeast is used. However, if you are using active dry, simply whisk it in with the warm milk and let it sit for 10 minutes first and then add in the remaining ingredients.
• Salt: Fine sea salt is used to balance out the sweetness and enhance the flavors.
• Milk: The dough use milk as the liquid in the dough and the icing; however, it will also work with non-dairy milks such as almond milk.
• Eggs: I use standard large eggs from the store. There is one whole egg in the dough.
• Butter: The butter adds moisture to the dough, the filling, the crumb topping, and the icing! I recommend salted for this.
• Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is what really gives this loaf all of it’s flavor so try to make sure your cinnamon is relatively fresh.

How to make a Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake Babka

Brioche

• Add in the flour, ground sugar, and yeast, and whisk to combine.
• Sprinkle in the salt. Then add in the egg and warm milk.
• Use a dough hook to knead everything together on medium low speed for 15 minutes until the dough has smooth edges and the bowl is clean.
• Add half of the butter in and knead again until incorporated (about 5 minutes). Add in the second half of the butter and knead once more until smooth. The dough should pass the window pane test *see notes section for more info.
• Line a quarter sized baking sheet with a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a rough rectangle that is about an inch thick. Top the dough with another sheet of plastic wrap.
• Immediately place the dough on the sheet pan into the fridge for at least an hour or up to overnight. I usually keep it in there for about 2 hours but make it work in your schedule!
• Alternatively you can let it sit somewhere a little warm, covered with plastic, in the mixing bowl, for about 45 minutes until it has doubled in size.

Filling

• Add the butter, both sugars, ground cinnamon, salt, and a splash of vanilla into a small mixing bowl and stir together until smooth.
• It should be a spreadable consistency but not soupy. If it seems to soft, put it in the fridge and stir it every 5-10 minutes until it has thickened. If it’s too firm it’ll be difficult to spread on the dough so just microwave it in 5 second intervals, stirring in between until spreadable.

Crumb Topping

• In a medium bowl add in the soft butter, both sugars, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Use a fork to stir together until smooth.
• Pour in the flour and use the fork to rub the flour into the butter mixture until fully combined.

Assemble

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Or just below if the heat comes from the top of the oven.
• Line your loaf pan with a parchment paper sling that reaches from one long side to the other.
• Once the dough has chilled (it won’t grow much but should be a little puffy), or doubled in size at room temperature, unwrap it and tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
• Roll it out to a 10″ x 18″ rectangle. Try to keep the dough as right angled as possible while rolling it out and use flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
• Spread the cinnamon sugar butter over the entire surface of the dough.
• Roll the dough up, starting with one short side. Roll it up tightly but make sure not to squeeze out the filling.
• Once fully rolled, seal the edge of the dough to the roll by pinching the dough to the roll. Give the roll a few squeezes while also ever so slightly stretching it out.
• Use a long sharp knife to cut the roll in half lengthwise. Open the two halves so that the cut sides are face up. Cross the two halves over one another creating an X.
• Then, twist the two halves together keeping the cut sides face up. Pinch the ends of each half together to keep it from untwisting. Then twist the other half together and repeat pinching the ends.
• Tuck the ends under the twist and lower it into the pan. You will have to scrunch the twist together a little to make it fit which will make the twist fatter. Gently press the twist down so that it reaches the sides of the pan.
• Cover the pan with plastic and set aside for at 30-45 minutes to proof until puffy.
• Once puffy crumble and gently press the crumb topping onto the top of the babka.

Bake

• Place the loaf pan on a quarter or half sized baking sheet into the preheated oven. Close the door and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes have passed, rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 25-30 minutes. If you feel like it’s starting to brown too much, tent a piece of foil over the top.
• Make the glaze while the babka bakes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the butter with powdered sugar and milk.
• If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar, if too thick add more milk. It should be quite thick because the warmth of the babka will sort of melt it.
• The twist should be a deep golden brown once done baking. Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Drizzle the top with the glaze and then wait 5 minutes before lifting the babka out of the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack.
• Allow the babka to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into it (if you can).

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