Lemon Streusel Twisted Babka Recipes

LEMON STREUSEL TWISTED BABKA

Steps:

• Mix the water, egg yolks, yeast, sugar, salt, and melted butter in a 6-quart bowl or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
• Mix in the flour without kneading, using a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle), a danish dough whisk, or a spoon. The mixture will be quite loose because of all the yolks.
• Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises for 2 hours.
• The dough will be loose, but will firm up when chilled. Don't try to use it without chilling for at least 3 hours. Refrigerate the container and use over the next 5 days.
• To bake: Generously grease a parchment lined 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 -inch nonstick loaf pan. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a round ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
• Roll the dough out to a 1/8-inch thick rectangle, about 12 x 15 inches. As you roll out the dough, add flour as needed to prevent sticking. (I like to roll out the dough on a silicone mat.)
• Spread the lemon curd evenly over the dough. Sprinkle three-quarters of the streusel over the curd. Save some for the top.
• Starting with the long side of the dough, roll it up into a log. Pinch the seam closed. Stretch the log until it is about 2 inches thick. Cut the log in half, lengthwise. Twist the 2 long pieces together, with the cut side facing up. Form an oval with the ends together and place in the prepared pan.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 90 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with a rack placed in the center of the oven.
• Sprinkle the loaf with the remaining streusel.
• Bake the loaf for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown and well set.
• Allow to cool on a rack completely before eating.
• !Streusel topping
• Combine all the streusel ingredients in a bowl and mix until the butter is roughly incorporated. Don't overmix--you want a crumbly texture. Set aside.
• !Lemon Curd
• Whisk together the yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large metal bowl.
• Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water set up as a double boiler.
• Stir constantly with a rubber spatula until the lemon curd begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.
• Add the butter and continue to stir until it is completely melted and the curd thickens; it will be the consistency of smooth pudding.
• If there are any lumps, strain the curd into a container; then cover with plastic wrap.
• Set the container in the freezer until cool, and then refrigerate.

CHOCOLATE BABKA

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: In a small saucepan or a bowl in the microwave, warm the milk until it's lukewarm but not hot (about 110 degrees). Add yeast and a pinch of sugar and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly foamy.
• In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, or in a food processor, mix together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, the salt, the vanilla, the lemon zest (if using) and the nutmeg. (If you don't have a mixer or processor, use a large bowl and a wooden spoon.) Beat or process in the yeast mixture and eggs until the dough comes together in a soft mass, about 2 minutes. If the dough sticks to the side of the bowl and doesn't come together, add a tablespoon more flour at a time until it does, beating very well in between additions.
• Add half the butter and beat or pulse until the dough is smooth and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Beat in the rest of the butter and continue to beat or pulse until the dough is smooth and stretchy, another 5 to 7 minutes. Again, if the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Butter a clean bowl, form the dough into a ball and roll it around in the bowl so all sides are buttered. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place (inside of a turned-off oven with the oven light on is good) until it puffs and rises, about 1 to 2 hours. It may not double in bulk but it should rise.
• Press the dough down with your hands, re-cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight (or, in a pinch, for at least 4 hours, but the flavor won't be as developed).
• 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 milliliters water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
• Butter two 9-inch loaf pans, then line with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches 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 9-by-17-inch 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 inches 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 degrees. 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 degrees.
• 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.

STREUSEL-TOPPED LEMON TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°, In a small bowl, combine flour, confectioners' sugar and lemon zest; cut in butter until crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 1/2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Bake 10-15 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack., In a small bowl, beat eggs, sugar and lemon juice until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in flour, baking powder and lemon zest until blended. Pour into crust. Bake 20-25 minutes or until set., For topping, in a small bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over filling. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Remove sides of pan. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate leftovers.

CINNAMON STREUSEL BABKE

Steps:

• To make the dough:
• Combine the flour, caster sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and white sugar and allow to stand for 10 minutes or until frothy, to ensure the yeast is active. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and the yolk.
• In a small saucepan, warm the butter, cream and milk together until the butter is just melted; do not allow the mixture to boil. Set aside until it is lukewarm. Pour the yeast mixture into the well then add the eggs and the milk mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir to combine then gradually incorporate the flour until you have a rough dough. Using the dough hook attachment, knead on low-medium speed for 10 minutes or until you have a smooth dough that starts to come away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with baking paper and plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 3 hours or until doubled in volume.
• To make the cinnamon sugar:
• Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and set aside.
• To make the streusel topping:
• Rub together the flour, butter and sugar with your fingertips to make a fairly fine crumble. Set aside.
• To assemble and bake:
• Line a round 30 cm (12 inch) cake tin or a deep square 25 cm (10 inch) baking dish. When the dough has risen, punch it down by throwing the dough onto a lightly floured benchtop. Do not knead or add more flour, as this will toughen the dough. Divide into 2 equal pieces. Roll out 1 piece to a large rectangle, about 65 x 40 cm (25½ x 16 inches). Brush with half the melted butter, sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar and scatter over half the sultanas. Roll up lengthways to form a log. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Cut each log into 5 cm (2 inch) sections. Place these in a circular fashion into the prepared tin, starting from the outside, cut side up, leaving about 1 cm (½ inch) between each one. Once the pieces are all in place and evenly distributed in the tin, press down gently with your hand so they are all the same height. Brush with the extra melted butter and then sprinkle evenly with the streusel topping. Cover with a light tea towel and allow to rise for a further 2 hours or until almost doubled in volume.
• Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F/Gas 3). Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Serve warm or cover with a light tea towel until cool. If you wish, reheat it later, wrapped in foil.

LEMON-RASPBERRY STREUSEL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and extract. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Set aside 1 cup batter., Spread remaining batter into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Combine cream cheese and lemon curd; spoon over batter. In a small bowl, beat jam; stir in raspberries. Drop by tablespoonfuls over lemon mixture. Drop reserved batter by tablespoonfuls over top., For streusel, in a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and almonds. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter., Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack., Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over cake.