Impressive loaf but easy to make
I still had some frozen wild raspberries from two seasons ago in my freezer to use up. So, raspberry cream cheese babka was on the list! I like the sweetness from the cream cheese filling with the raspberry jam and the soft, buttery brioche dough makes it that much better.
If you don’t have the time or want to make your own fruit filling, feel free to use any prepared jam you want. Stick with jam over jelly though since the jam is thicker. I personally have not used a jelly before, but I don’t think it’s going to withstand the heat from baking before it turns back into a liquid. If you do try it and works out, let me know!
Raspberry Cream Cheese Babka
Raspberry Cream Cheese Babka
Ingredients
Raspberry Filling
- 4 cups Raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 115 grams White sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Cream Cheese Filling
- 250 grams Full fat cream cheese room temperature
- 100 grams White sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Brioche Dough
- 250 ml Whole milk warmed to 105-110 ℉
- 8 grams Active dry yeast
- 1 tsp White sugar
- 550 grams All-purpose flour sifted
- 70 grams White sugar
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 150 grams Unsalted butter soft and cubed into small pieces
Clear Glaze
- 50 ml Water
- 50 ml White sugar
Instructions
Raspberry Filling
- Combined all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer gently until it thickens, approximately 20 minutes. Pour the filling into a clean bowl and cover with cling wrap pressed right against the filling (to prevent a film from forming). Place in the fridge to chill while you continue.
Dough
- Add the milk to a medium sized sauce pan and warm gently on the stove top until it around 105-110 ℉. Pour into the bowl of your stand mixer and stir in 1 tsp of sugar. Add the yeast and allow to proof for approximately 10 minutes.
- While you are waiting, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a separate bowl.
- Once the yeast has been proofed, add your dough hook (or roller attachment if using an Ankarsrum) and start the mixer on slow speed. Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture and kneed the dough until it just comes together.
- Turn the mixer up to medium speed and start adding the cubed butter, slowly, a little bit at a time. The dough is going to start to look like a mess and you will think you have ruined it. Don't worry, keep going. After about 5 minutes, the dough will be back to a smooth ball and ready to rest.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to double in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Don't rush this. You need to let it double in size to help get a lighter loaf in the end.
Cream Cheese Filling
- While you are waiting for the dough to double, make the cream cheese filling.
- Add the softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla to a mixing bowl and using a hand-held mixer, cream the two together until fluffy. Cover and leave at room temperature.
After the Dough has doubled in size
- After the dough has doubled in size, lightly flour a clean work surface. Add the dough to the floured surface and lightly deflate it by patting it down. Divide the dough in half. Place half of the dough you are not using in the bowl and cover again with cling wrap.
- Take the first portion of the dough and flatten it into a rectangle to start. Using your loaf pan as a size guide, roll your dough into a rectangle that is as long/tall as your pan and approximately 12 inches wide. For me, my loaf pans are 9 to 9 1/2 inches in length so my rectangle is 9 x 12.
- Spread half the cream cheese mixture over the rectangle leaving a small border on one of the short ends. This is so that when you roll up the dough, you have a clean edge that will help stick the dough to itself.
- Take the filling out of the fridge and give it a stir. Use half the filling and spread that over the cream cheese mixture again leaving that one edge clean.
- Start at the short end that is opposite the clean short end and roll the dough into a log. Pinch the dough together to seal. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Repeat the above steps with the second half of the dough and allow it to rest in the fridge as well.
- While the dough is resting in the fridge, preheat the oven to 350 ℉.
- Prepare your loaf pans by lining them with a sheet of parchment that hangs over both sides. You will use this to help lift the babka out of the pans once they are done baking.
- Once the dough has rested in the fridge, place the log onto your clean work surface and with a very sharp knife, cut the dough in half, lengthwise leaving approximately 1/2 inch at the top intact.
- Turn the cuts so the filling faces up and twist the dough slices with about 3 cross-overs. It's going to be messy. Do your best. Once it's twisted, place the dough with the twists facing up in your loaf pans.
- Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Start checking for done at approximately 30 minutes. I use a cake tester and place the tester into a spot that is mostly dough, not filling. If it comes out clean, it's done.
Clear Glaze
- While the dough is baking, make the glaze.
- Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Place off to the side while waiting for the babka to bake.
- Once the babka is done baking, immediately brush each loaf with the glaze.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the loaf pans then using the parchment, lift the loaves out of the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Wait until they are cool before you slice and enjoy.
Notes
Looking for a quick bread that is delicious and does not require a proofing time? This Lemon Blueberry Loaf is great for breakfast, afternoon tea, or late-night snack.
I realize this is a long recipe but it actually is not that difficult to make. There are a few parts to it which adds to the length but as for difficulty, I would rate it rather low. Having a stand mixer is going to save your arms since I don’t even know how much kneading and mess it would take to get the butter kneaded into the dough. But hey, anything is possible, right?
I have made this with blueberries and strawberries and both are delicious as well. I hope you will give this a try!
