Bake the Babka
Angie Hatfield Angie Hatfield

Bake the Babka

Babka has been on my list to make for months and months but every time I would think about it, I was a bit intimidated. I needed just the right time and mood for this undertaking. So, on a recent dreary day – April showers (with hail) no doubt – I decided why not? Today was a good day to bake babka! A brownie babka no less. I used the recipe from Buttermilk by Sam that consists of a vanilla challah dough and a brownie batter layer. Babka is a sweet yeast bread that’s braided and buttery and swirled with a gooey filling such as chocolate, Nutella or cinnamon. Typically baked in a loaf pan, whether babka is bread or cake is somewhat debatable. Some babkas are topped with a streusel or covered with a simple syrup, furthering said debate. But mostly you’ll recognize babka by its unique shape and pretty swirls. Or maybe because you remember this Seinfeld episode where Elaine “got the babka.” The good news is that although time consuming, it’s really not very difficult to make, and even better to eat.

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Fika with Cardamom Rolls
Angie Hatfield Angie Hatfield

Fika with Cardamom Rolls

A few years ago when I was on a work trip to Germany, I visited a college friend who lived in Munich. One afternoon as we walked around the city, she suggested we enjoy the German tradition of “kaffee und kuchen" (coffee and cake). This may have been my favorite moment of the trip! This afternoon ritual where friends, family or coworkers meet at a café or one’s house to enjoy coffee and cake while socializing is Germany's answer to Swedish fika. Both traditions are meant for slowing down and taking a break. Fika (pronounced fee-ka) is both a verb and a noun. In Scandanavian countries, cardamom buns or rolls are popular for Fika. Variations of these sweet buns gained popularity in the U.S. when in 2019 the Swedish bakery Fabrique opened its first United States location in Manhattan. In Finland, people enjoy a similar ritual of eating pulla, a buttery Finnish sweet bread scented with cardamom. In the spirit of Fika, I decided to make Finnish Cardamom Rolls.

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