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Dessert

Babka

This dessert, a cross between cake and sweet bread, is often baked for Easter.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

Babka

Oven350 °F (175 °C)
Time50 to 55 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the dough

  1. Grease the sides and bottom of two 10‑inch tube pans.

  2. In a shallow, medium bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.

  3. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 cup flour; stir to combine.

  4. Cover and let stand in a warm place 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.

  5. Heat milk and butter or margarine in a small saucepan until melted.

  6. Let stand until the mixture cools to warm.

  7. In a large bowl, beat eggs, egg yolks and remaining 1 cup sugar until pale and frothy.

  8. Add the cooled milk mixture, salt and the yeast mixture.

  9. Beat until smooth.

  10. Gradually beat in 4 1/2 cups flour.

  11. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

  12. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

  13. Knead the dough into a soft, smooth dough.

  14. Divide the dough in half.

  15. Arrange one part of the dough in each greased pan.

  16. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Topping and bake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).

  2. Lightly beat 2 egg whites in a small bowl until foamy.

  3. Brush the beaten egg whites on top of the dough.

  4. To make the topping, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl.

  5. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter or margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

  6. Evenly sprinkle the topping over the dough.

  7. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool and ice

  1. Cool the cakes in the pans 3 to 4 minutes on racks.

  2. Turn the cakes out of the pans and cool completely on racks.

  3. To make the powdered‑sugar icing, beat 2 egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy.

  4. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar, beating constantly.

  5. Beat for 10 minutes or until glossy.

  6. Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and beat 2 minutes or until the icing stands up in soft peaks.

  7. Frost with powdered‑sugar icing if desired.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

833Calories
27 gProtein
26 gFat
120 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  2. Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together124,287 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together78,219 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together92,116 recipes

    Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

  5. Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together106,462 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Active dry yeast
Ferments the dough so it rises and becomes light and airy.
All purpose flour
Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its structure.
Eggs
Add richness, structure and moisture to the soft dough.
Unsalted butter or margarine
Adds fat for a tender crumb and rich flavor.
Milk
Adds moisture and softness to the dough.
Sugar
Feeds the yeast, sweetens the dough and helps it brown.

The step that matters

Let the dough rise until doubled. Yeast needs enough time in a warm, draft-free place to build gas and stretch the gluten. Rising too short leaves a dense cake, while the dough must be warm enough for the yeast to stay active.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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