MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Chocolate Babka - Part Two
 Categories: Breads, Chocolate, Dairy
      Yield: 12 Servings

           DIRECTIONS CONTINUE

  Prepare The Filling:

  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cream, and
  salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar completely
  dissolves, about 5 minutes. Scrape mixture into a bowl. Stir in
  chocolate, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Let cool to room
  temperature. Filling can be made up to a week ahead and stored,
  covered, in the fridge. Let come to room temperature before using.

  Prepare The Streusel:

  In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir
  in melted butter until it is evenly distributed and forms large,
  moist crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips. Streusel can be prepared
  up to 3 days ahead and stored, covered, in the fridge.

  Prepare The Syrup:

  In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 2/3 cup (158 ml) water.
  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then simmer for 2 minutes,
  stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.

  Butter two 9" loaf pans, then line with parchment paper, leaving 2"
  of paper hanging over on the sides to use as handles later.

  Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. On a floured
  surface, roll one piece into a 9x17" rectangle. Spread with half
  the filling (there's no need to leave a border). Starting with a
  long side, roll into a tight coil. Transfer the coil onto a dish
  towel or piece of plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer for
  10 minutes. Repeat with the other piece of dough.

  Slice one of the dough coils in half lengthwise to expose the
  filling. Twist the halves together as if you were braiding them,
  then fold the braid in half so it's about 9" long. Place into a
  prepared pan, letting it curl around itself if it's a little too
  long for the pan. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let
  rise in a warm place for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, until puffy (it won't
  quite double). Alternatively, you can cover the pans with plastic
  wrap and let them rise in the refrigerator overnight; bring them
  back to room temperature for an hour before baking.

  When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 F/175 C. Use your
  fingers to clump streusel together and scatter all over the tops of
  the cakes. Transfer to oven and bake until a tester goes into the
  cakes without any rubbery resistance and comes out clean, 40 to
  50 minutes. The cakes will also sound hollow if you unmold them and
  tap on the bottom. An instant-read thermometer will read between
  185 and 210 F.

  As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, use a skewer or paring
  knife to pierce them all over going all the way to the bottom of
  the cakes, and then pour the syrup on top of the cakes, making sure
  to use half the syrup for each cake.

  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

  Recipe by Melissa Clark

  Recipe FROM: https://cooking.nytimes.com

  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

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