Chocolate Babka

Vegan, cholesterol-free, and thoroughly delicious, this chocolate babka won a blue ribbon at the 2001 Monmouth County Fair.

Be sure to read through the entire ingredients list before you start as some ingredients are needed in more than one part of the recipe.

 
Yield 3 loaves
Time 3 hours
Tools
  • 3 loaf pans
  • parchment paper
  • small saucepan
  • whisk
  • small bowl
  • 2 large bowls
  • damp towel or plastic wrap
  • food processor
  • 2 medium bowls
  • 2 forks
  • pastry brush
Ingredients Dough

  • 1½ c soymilk
  • 2 packages yeast
  • ½ t sugar
  • 1½ cups soft silken tofu, blended until smooth
  • ¾ c sugar
  • 6 c flour
  • ½ t salt
  • 2 sticks margarine (16 T), at room temperature, cut into small pieces

Filling

  • 24 oz dark chocolate chips or bars, coarsely chopped
  • 1 c sugar
  • 2 T cinnamon
  • 1 stick margarine (8 T), at room temperature

Topping

  • 1½ c confectioners sugar
  • 1½ c flour
  • 1½ sticks cold margarine (12 T)
Directions Grease 3 loaf pans and line the bottoms and sides with parchment paper. Set aside.

Warm the soymilk until it feels just slightly warm to the touch (100 to 110 degrees). Stir in yeast and ½ t sugar, and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In the small bowl, mix the tofu with sugar, then whisk in the yeast mixture.

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt, and stir in the tofu mixture. When it’s completely incorporated, mix in margarine until you can no longer see little pieces of it. The dough will be very soft and sticky at this point. Knead for a few minutes, until it feels smooth. Transfer to a clean bowl. Cover lightly and place in a warm place to rise until doubled, about an hour.

Meanwhile, place chocolate, cinnamon, and sugar in the food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl, and mix in the margarine with a fork. Set aside.

In the other bowl, combine confectioners sugar and flour. Cut in the cold margarine until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

When the dough has risen, punch it down and let it rest for 10 minutes, then divide the dough into thirds. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece into a 9×15-inch rectangle. Sprinkle a third of the filling evenly over the entire surface, leaving a ¼-inch border all around. Roll up the dough like a jelly roll, starting from the short end, and pinching and sealing the ends of the dough as you roll. When it is completely rolled up, pinch and seal the edge. Place in the prepared loaf pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Preheat oven to 350. Brush tops with water, and sprinkle a third of the topping over the top of each babka. Let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake for 50 minutes, then turn oven down to 325, without opening the door, and continue baking another 10 minutes.

The babka is done when the topping is golden, and when you tap the top of the babka and it sounds hollow.

Cool completely before cutting or serving.

Notes My thanks to the award-winning creator of this recipe for sharing it with us: Doris Lin, Director of Legal Affairs at Animal Protection League of New Jersey (APL).

© Doris Lin 2001

  Key to abbreviations and conversions