Chocolate Babka

It has taken me a while to get to this recipe for a super chocolate babka .

I had bought an unused, still with stickers, Oneida babka tin in a charity shop and wanted to try it out.

I looked up several recipes and tried then out.

The first one was like rubber, the second was dry as dust but finally the third one turned out well.

I have adapted this recipe from one that is found in the older Be-Ro(flour) recipes books.

This recipe just uses cocoa powder.

These books were ones I used as a child , they contain simple basic recipes for traditional British cakes & biscuits and are very easy to follow.

Cake Ingredients

• 400g self raising flour
• 450g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 50g cocoa powder
• 200g butter or block margarine
• 4 eggs
• 150ml evaporated milk
• 150ml water
• 2 drops of vanilla essence

Method

Grease the babka tin.

One tip I have learnt when using these tins is that it is best to brush them well with melted butter and then sprinkle dried breadcrumbs over the surface to prevent sticking  – I think this works better than flour.

• Pre-heat the oven oven to GM 4  – 180°C
• You need to use a large bowl for this cake mixture.
• Rub the butter into the flour so that the mixture is like breadcrumbs.
• Stir in the salt, sugar and cocoa powder.

• Lightly beat the eggs and add the evaporated milk, the water and the drops of vanilla essence.
• Stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients mixing thoroughly to give a thick batter.
• Pour the cake batter into the tin.

Bake for around 40 to 45 minutes, checking it is baked with a cake tester or wooden skewer.

Leave to cool in the tin and then turn out the cake onto a cooling rack.

Chocolate Icing Ingredients

• 60g butter
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons of hot milk
• 250g icing sugar
• 1-2 drops of vanilla essence

Method

• Heat up some milk in a small pan (I use a bit more than is needed and measure it out after heating).
• Melt the butter in a pan.
• Blend in the cocoa powder.

• Stir in the icing sugar, milk and essence (I add the sugar in stages -aiming  for a slightly runny icing) and beat until it is thick and smooth – adjusting with icing sugar and extra milk as necessary.

• Try and dribble the icing over the cake first, rather than spread it on with a spatula.  Then use a spatula to even it out over the whole cake.

 

 

 

 

 

The cake stand & pastry forks are Crazy Daisy (21st Century design) by Portmeirion

The tea service is Lyndale, by Royal Standard from the 1950s.

The green teapot is Cafe Culture by Maxwell Williams.

If you have any left after serving, then this cake keeps well if kept in an air tight container.

I use a plastic cake saver from Morrisons Supermarket  which is really useful (however a cake stand on a foot is too high – you have to use a lower stand or plate).

 

The plate is Beechwood by Royal Adderley, 1955  to 1964.