Ingredients
3 tsp instant dried yeast
¾ cup warm milk
3 eggs
⅓ cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups plain flour plus extra for dusting
200 g butter, at room temperature
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup Dutch cocoa
½ tsp ground cinnamon
125 g good-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
Extra 80 g butter, at room temperature plus extra for greasing
ICING
20 g butter, at room temperature
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1½ Tbsp water
⅓ cup Dutch cocoa
Method
- Put yeast, milk and 1 tsp of the sugar in a small bowl and stir until yeast is dissolved. Set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes or until foamy.
- Put yeast mixture, eggs, remaining sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high, using paddle attachment, until combined. Reduce speed to low and, with motor running, slowly add 3 cups of the flour, beating until smooth. Alternate adding butter and remaining flour, a little at a time, beating until combined and a soft dough forms.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Return to bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 50 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, grease two 16cm 6-cup capacity kugelhopf tins with melted butter and lightly flour. Combine brown sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, chocolate and extra butter in a medium bowl, then set aside.
- Press air out of dough with your fist, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Cover 1 half loosely with plastic wrap and set aside. Roll remaining portion of dough into a 25 x 40cm rectangle.
- Using a palette knife, spread ½ of the chocolate mixture over dough, leaving a 1.5cm border down 1 long side.
- Roll up dough from 1 long edge to edge with border.
- Put log in 1 of the prepared tins. Press gently to form an even ring in tin. Repeat Steps 5-8 with remaining dough and chocolate. Set tins aside in a warm place for 40 minutes or until risen to tops of tins. Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. (Cover loosely with foil if colouring too much.) Allow to stand in tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Meanwhile, to make icing, put all ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Stir mixture until shiny and smooth. Drizzle icing over babkas and serve.
