In Poland, a traditional babka is a yeasted recipe, but this one is a very simple no-yeast bake, enriched with eggs. The yeasted (and sometimes plaited) babka originated in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe in the early 19th century. They were a cross between a bread and a cake. Unlike the twisted-loaf shape of a Jewish babka, the Polish ‘cake’ version is baked in a bundt tin. This one has a luxurious, glossy, chocolate glaze. 

Serves 8

Ingredients:
125g butter, at room temperature, plus 1 tbsp melted for greasing

100g cornflour, plus 1 tbsp extra for dusting

150g caster sugar

60ml vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

3 tbsp natural yogurt

125g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp cocoa powder

For the chocolate glaze:

2 tbsp butter

100g good-quality dark chocolate,

chopped

100g icing sugar

1 tbsp runny honey

2 tbsp boiling water

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C Fan. Brush the inside of a 2.4 litre bundt tin with the melted butter, then dust with the tablespoon of cornflour.
• In a bowl or a stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and oil together for 3–4 minutes until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, and beat slowly. Add the vanilla bean paste and yogurt. Using a metal spoon, fold in the self-raising flour, cornflour and baking powder.
• Divide the mixture in half, add the cocoa powder to one half and mix until combined.
• Using a large spoon, spoon some of the vanilla batter into the bottom of the prepared bundt tin, then add dollops of the chocolate batter. Finish with the vanilla batter.
• Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before carefully turning it out onto a serving plate.
• To make the glaze, melt the butter and chocolate in a pan, then stir through the icing sugar, honey and boiling water, and mix until smooth. The glaze will stay glossy if you eat it immediately, but will turn matt if left, therefore make and pour over the glaze when you are ready to serve the bundt.

Extract credit: The Sweet Polish Kitchen: A celebration of home baking & nostalgic treats by Ren Behan (Pavilion Books). [Image credit Nassima Rothacker.]