Honey babka cake perfect Ukrainian dessert for Easter table
We're knee-deep into the season of Lent.
Christians everywhere have given up and added to, for the purpose of a more focused and meaningful experience. As we look forward to the day of celebration (Easter) next month, we can not help but think about the human suffering among our friends in Ukraine.
I wanted to pay homage to our friends by bringing you a recipe that originated in Ukraine. This recipe for honey babka cake is from Olgainthekitchen.com. Olga Nagorna, who runs the site, emigrated from Ukraine in 1999. This cake was one her mom made growing up.
She admits that most people think of babka as a yeast cake, but this recipe has no yeast and is a lot less intimidating.
“I kept the original name on my blog, maybe someday I will rename it since people think of babka as a yeast bread,” she says.
This honey cake is absolutely lovely and a perfect cake for Easter, or anytime really. It's also easy to make. I made it myself and it's divine.
This cake pairs some unlikely ingredients together, but it yields this velvety, spongy, honey-laden cake.
The harmony these ingredients bring to the dessert table can be a metaphor for us: Different peoples and different cultures coming together as one, while preserving our unique identity.
After all, wouldn't Jesus want that?
Ingredients for Babka Honey Cake
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
8 eggs – room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup honey – microwaved for 30 seconds
16 oz sour cream – room temp
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
Frosting Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese – room temp
8 oz cool whip – frozen
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large, 11-by-17 baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside (make sure the baking sheet has an edge of approximately 1 inch to prevent the batter from running out).
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, granulated sugar and salt until light and fluffy (8-10 mins on high).
In a small bowl, combine and stir in baking soda and white distilled vinegar — it will fizz up. Microwave honey, then add the baking soda/vinegar mixture, honey and sour cream to the batter. Beat on low for 30-40 seconds just until combined (do not over-beat it).
Sift flour into the batter, and with a mixer on low, beat just until the flour is combined. The batter will be runny and lose the fluffiness a bit, but make sure to not over-beat it otherwise the cake texture will turn out hard and won't be as fluffy.
Pour all the batter at once into the prepared baking sheet and level to the edges with a spatula. Bake for 30-32 mins, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Place a cooling rack over the baked cake and flip over the baking sheet. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake.
Place a large cutting board onto a cake and flip over again; let the babka cool. (Do not leave the cake upside down on a cooling rack for long, or it will leave cooling rack squares on top of the cake and might break/mush the top of it). Once cooled, cut off edges with a sharp knife, and cut whole babka into even squares, to about 1 1/2 to 2 inches, or your desired size.
To make the frosting: In a medium bowl, combine and beat cream cheese and powdered sugar for about 1 min on low-medium speed. Add cool whip and continue beating on high until frosting is thick, for about 5 mins.
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a Wilton star tip attached. Pipe the frosting onto each square. Enjoy right away or refrigerate and keep enjoying for next three to four days.
Cooks Note: The piped option makes for an eye-catching presentation, but you can choose to place the icing on the whole cake.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Honey babka cake a sweet way to honor Ukraine this Easter
