“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” — Amy Poehler.
Question: What do you do when you proudly share your new chocolate babka recipe, and all your friends ask you for cinnamon?
Answer: You make a recipe for cinnamon babka.
You inspire and challenge me almost daily. I marvel at your capacity for kindness. The way you share your support with me and with each other and the caring you show to all others who cross your paths. Each of you, uniquely, is a beacon of light in your families, communities, and the world. So what do you do when people like that ask you to create something? You do your very best to honor their requests.
This recipe is for you. Like the chocolate version, It makes eight thick slices and is fabulous warmed up!
Yield: 8 slices
Serving size: 1 slice
Ingredients for the cake batter:
- 4 oz (113.4g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 2/3 cups (185.92g) of freshly shredded, low moisture, whole milk mozzarella cheese
- 1 tbsp. (14.2g) unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tbsp. (28.35g) egg white powder
- 1 tbsp. (15g) pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp. (7.2g) baking soda
- 2 tbsp. (30g) heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup (55g) granular erythritol
- 3 tbsp. (21g) coconut flour
Ingredients for the cinnamon filling:
- 4 tbsp. (31g) ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup (96g) powdered erythritol
- 10 tbsp. (142g) unsalted butter, melted
Ingredients for the glaze:
- 1/2 cup (120g) powdered erythritol
- 1 tsp. (5g) pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. (30g) heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 tbsp. (22.2g) water
Directions:
- First, make the cake batter as follows.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180 °C)
- Place the butter and cream cheese into the bottom of a heat-proof bowl. Place the mozzarella cheese on top of the butter and cream cheese in the bowl. Set aside for now.
- Place all the remaining ingredients for the batter into a clean bowl.
- Stir this mixture enough to make the dry ingredients wet. Scrape down sides as necessary. It’s okay if the mixture is lumpy.
- Using a rubber spatula, scrape the mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until smooth.
- Grab the previously set aside bowl with the mozzarella, cream cheese, and butter. Place it into the microwave oven. Microwave it at one-minute intervals, mixing with a large spoon after each time. Repeat once or twice until the mixture has melted and resembles a smooth taffy.
- Carefully transfer the cheese mixture into the food processor bowl with the egg mixture.
- Process on high until you have a smooth, thick batter.
- Carefully remove the blade from the bowl of the food processor and pour the batter into a large silicone loaf pan. If you don’t have a silicone loaf pan, you can pour the batter into a regular loaf pan lined with parchment paper. If using a lined conventional loaf pan, brush the paper with melted butter or coconut oil before adding the batter. Use a rubber spatula to ensure you get all of the cake batter into your pan.
- Set the pan aside for now.
- Now it’s time to make the cinnamon filling. Add the cinnamon, powdered erythritol, and melted butter to a small bowl. Mix well.
- Spoon the cinnamon mixture evenly across the top of the babka batter. Pull a knife gently through the cinnamon and the batter to create the cinnamon swirls. First, pull the blade through the batter several times in parallel lines, horizontally, and then do the same vertically.
- Place the babka into the center of the preheated oven. Bake for about 80-90 minutes until the top is brown, the cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out dry.
- Place the baked babka onto a metal rack to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Remove it from the pan and return it to the rack to finish cooling.
- While the babka is cooling, you can make the glaze.
- To make the glaze, place all the glaze ingredients into a bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, blend until a smooth glaze forms. If your glaze is too thin, add another tablespoon of erythritol to the bowl and mix again.
- When the cake has completely cooled, use a spoon to spread the glaze onto the cake decoratively. Use as much or as little as you prefer.
- Store your babka in a covered container or wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator.
