Loving a yummy, twisty, yeasty masterpiece for your next (Easter) bake? Then this vegan nut babka recipe is about to become your new BFF! Forget about dry, flat, crumbly attempts – this one's all about pillowy-fluffy dough, gooey filling, and oh-so-pretty show-stopping swirls.
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Easter Treats
Easter's hopping around the corner, and you know what that means: TREAT TIME!
But what kind of treat? What's gotta be on your table for Easter brunch?
For me, it's all about that yeast-braid goodness (or babka as it is called outside of Germany or Romania)!
In Germany, they keep it classic with a plain one, but coming from Romania, my fam always went for the nut-filled or cinnamon-swirled kind. No Easter Sunday was complete without a slice of that sweet, yeasty magic – especially after a loooong night at church!
Imagine: Orthodox midnight Easter service, the whole town (literally everyone, regardless of their religion or level of religiosity) on its feet, gathered outside the church. Me, tired, buzzed, and so, so looking forward to the sweet reward afterward. #WorthIt
Babka? Nut Braid? Yeast Dough?
Welcome to the glorious land of terminology confusion. Everyone is welcome! Everyone's invited! It's a happily inclusive land (duh! - or dough!? - that's where the "happy" comes in).
The names for our favorite braided treats are as diverse as the fillings themselves.
"Babka" can be called a whole lotta different things depending on where you're from. We love them ALL- the terms and the babkas.
These beauties are said to have originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine, but they quickly conquered the rest of Europe (especially Eastern Europe) and then, well, the entire world fell in love with their fluffy, swirly goodness.
In Germany, they call it a Hefezopf (sweet yeasted braid) or Nusszopf (nut braid) – talk about keeping it literal and straightforward!
Romanians, on the other hand, have a special term for their braided doughy love: cozonac. It can be filled with all sorts of goodies, from nuts (cozonac cu nucă) to Turkish delight - yesss, it's a thing! - (cozonac cu rahat).
Today's babka recipe version is a classic baking style for Germany and Romania (and I believe, Italy as well, with their Easter Pannetonne). It features a rich dough swirled into several strands that form ... a CLOSED braid.
That's right, unlike the more common open-stranded babkas you see everywhere (esp. in American babka recipes), this recipe features a closed braid. Think of it as the "no-stress, all-reward" version of this iconic treat. No cutting of the braids lengthwise. No spilling of the filling. No fuss, just pure deliciousness!
Woooahh! So. Much. Term. Talk.
This makes me curious: What do you call your sweet yeasted braids in your neck of the woods?
My Yeast Dough Nemesis
I L-O-V-E a good yeast dough.
But here's the thing (and this is hard to admit for a baking enthusiast like me!), for years, I was the queen of failed yeast doughs.
I mean, I followed all the rules: lukewarm milk (don't wanna kill the yeast party!), warm, cozy rising spot... I even tried some bribery with singing, dancing, and maybe a teeny tiny prayer. (hey, you gotta try everything, right?!).
Nada. Zilch. Yeast and I just weren't meant to be.
The Miracle
Then, cue the office hero Elena! At an office party, colleagues were RAVING about another colleague’s – Elena - vegan babka.
So I, totally not knowing her at the time, emailed her like a madwoman begging for the recipe.
Bless her kind soul, she sent it right over, even with some "fail-proof!" words of encouragement (girl, little did she know...). Apparently, this nut babka recipe was her tried-and-true champion – success guaranteed!
Skeptical but hopeful, I gave it a whirl. Aaaand … IT. WAS. A. HIT!
Elena, you beautiful baking fairy, you BROKE MY YEAST DOUGH CURSE!
So, here you go, Elena's amazing nut babka recipe in all its glory.
Get ready to bake, get ready to devour, and get ready to celebrate Easter (or any day, really) with a smile on your face and a happy tummy! And remember, every bite is a sweet victory. You did this, YOU made this beautiful babka.
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By Elena Frommhold
What could be better than having guests in the afternoon and enjoying a cup of tea or coffee together? Also having a delicious vegan cake to enjoy together!
Since I have always appreciated a good nut braid, I wanted to try a vegan recipe.
I finally found a great recipe and changed a few things. The result is overwhelming! The cake is fluffy and juicy. It tastes phenomenal still slightly warm from the oven (I indulged in it before pouring the frosting over it).
The original recipe is from the German blog Kaffee & Cupcakes (discontinued). Compared to the original recipe, I mainly swapped fresh yeast for dry yeast, added chopped nuts to the filling (not only ground nuts), and I also added cinnamon to the filling and the frosting.
I am excited to share my recipe with you and hope it will lead to some nice afternoons!
🍽 Recipe
Best Vegan Nut Babka Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Yeast dough
- 200 g soy milk unsweetened (I used the brand Alpro)
- 1 cube of fresh yeast 42 g/ 1.5 oz
- 400 g flour all-purpose flour (regular white wheat or spelt flour)
- 60 g white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 50 g neutral oil e.g., rapeseed oil
Nut filling
- 200 g ground hazelnuts
- 100 g finely chopped nuts e.g. almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, ... or a mix
- 75 g white sugar
- 1 pack of vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon sugar
- 125 g soy milk unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Frosting
- 50 g powdered sugar
- a little water or soy milk
- sprinkle of cinnamon
Instructions
- For the dough, warm up the soy milk slightly (lukewarm!). Crumble the yeast into the milk and dissolve it with a whisk.
- Mix the flour with the sugar and the salt in a mixing bowl and form a hole in the middle.
- Pour the yeast milk and oil into this hole and stir carefully. Knead properly, with a dough hook or by hand. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. If it is too dry, add very little soy milk.
- Cover the dough with a clean, slightly damp dish towel and let it rest for 1 hour in a warm place (approx. 35 ° C / 95 °F). (I heat my oven a little, then put the dough in the oven and switch the oven off).
- For the filling, mix the nuts in a bowl with the sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, and soy milk.
- Grease a 35 cm / 14-inch rectangular loaf pan (e.g., with rapeseed oil) and flour.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured working surface and roll it out into a rectangle (1-2cm / 0.4-0.8 inches high). Spread the filling on the dough and leave about 2 cm/0.8 inches space at the top. Roll up the dough from the long side.
- Cut the roll lengthways and wrap the two strands around each other several times.
- If the roll is too long for the baking pan, cut it in half and then wrap the two already braided parts of the dough around each other again.
- Place the nut braid in the prepared baking pan, cover with a towel and let it rest until the oven is preheated.
- Preheat the oven to 180 ° C/350 °F top/bottom heat.
- Once the oven is fully heated, put the nut braid in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes until the surface is golden brown. Check the braid at the end of the baking time to make sure it doesn’t get too dark!
- Let the nut braid cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the frosting, mix the powdered sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Then add some water or soymilk in teaspoons (just a little at a time) until you get a thick, viscous frosting. You don’t want the frosting to be too runny. Pour the frosting over the finished nut braid with a spoon and let it dry.Enjoy.
Back to me, Ramona. Big hugs to Elena for sharing her amazing Babka recipe and basically becoming my yeast dough fairy godmother.
Now, tell me! What's the deal with your yeast dough? Total fail zone? Somewhere in between? (Let me know in the comments!)
Wishing you planty of sweet doughy delights,
Ramona
Psst ... you'll enjoy the Romanian Pear & Walnut Cake and Martisor: Spring's Lucky Charm Trinket.
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Katerina says
Ohh, this looks amazing and it totally reminds me of the delicious braids my Polish grandmother used to make when I was little. I am saving this and hoping to make it soon. Congrats on breaking the yeast dough ban - I was similar but in my case a simple pizza dough was my magic recipe!
Ramona says
Dear Katerina,
Thank you for your wonderful comment. I hope that making the nut braid and enjoying a piece of it will bring back some beautiful childhood memories with your Polish grandmother. 🙂
Thanks, and congrats to you too. It's always good to have a magic pizza dough recipe. Yum.
Have a lovely day,
Ramona