Chocolate Espresso Babka

5 from 5 votes

Based on a classic chocolate Babka, this chocolate espresso babka is made with an espresso dough, a dark chocolate espresso filling, and an espresso glaze.

Prep Time1

Cook Time50

Resting3

Total Time4 50

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword: Babka, chocolate babka, chocolate espresso, espresso

Servings:

Calories: 614kcal

Equipment

9" x 5" metal loaf pan

Ingredients

Espresso Dough

350 grams all purpose flour
50 grams granulated sugar
1 tablespoon espresso powder
10 grams instant yeast
5 grams fine sea salt
1 egg standard large, room temperature
180 milliliters whole milk lukewarm
40 grams unsalted butter room temperature

Chocolate Espresso Filling

130 grams dark chocolate 60%-70%
1.5 tablespoons espresso powder
80 grams unsalted butter
4 grams fine sea salt
65 grams heavy cream
50 grams granulated sugar
24 grams cocoa powder

Egg Wash

1 egg standard large
1//4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water

Espresso Glaze

100 grams water
100 grams granulated sugar
1.5 tablespoons espresso powder

Instructions

Espresso Brioche

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the flour, sugar, yeast, and espresso powder 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.
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!

Filling

Finely chop the dark chocolate and set aside.
In a small pot, add in the sugar, butter, heavy cream, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder.
Place the pot over medium low heat and whisk frequently until the butter has melted and the cocoa powder has dissolved. Turn off the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate until smooth.
Pour the chocolate filling into a large shallow dish and place in the fridge to chill until thick but spreadable. Stir frequently to ensure even cooling.

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.
If not using this USA loaf pan, line your loaf pan with parchment paper.
Once the dough has chilled (it won't grow much but should be a little puffy), unwrap it and tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out to a 10" x 20" 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 chocolate filling 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.
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.

Bake

Make an egg wash by whisking an egg, a 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of water together. Brush the top of the twist with the egg wash.
Bake for 30 minutes. Then, rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes. If the twist is getting too dark, tent a piece of foil over the top of the babka.
Make the espresso simple syrup while the babka bakes. Combine water, espresso powder, and sugar in a microwave safe bowl or glass. Heat in 15-30 second intervals, carefully stirring in between until all of the sugar has dissolved.
The twist should be a deep golden brown once done baking. Take the pan out of the oven and spoon the simple syrup over the top.
Let the twist cool for ten minutes and then carefully loosen the twist from the sides of the pan with a wooden or rubber spatula.
Carefully tip the twist out, and place it upright on a sheet of parchment.
Allow the babka to cool fully before cutting into it (if you can).

Notes

Tips for making a Chocolate Babka

Make sure the egg and butter for the dough 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 and wrapped up on the quarter sized baking sheet, it can be kept 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.
Keep an eye on the filling as it heats, you want everything to melt but not burn, it doesn't really even need to bubble but it's ok if it does.
Chop the chocolate finely in order for it to melt as quickly as possible into the chocolate mixture.
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.
If you aren't using this USA loaf pan, I recommend lining the loaf pan with parchment paper to prevent it from sticking.

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