Were you ever dreaming of making one of those delicious babka loaves? You’re in the right place to learn how to make a creamy, mouthwatering cherry cheese babka.
This babka is as delightful as it sounds, and I’m sure it’ll completely charm you with its rich, buttery brioche dough, creamy cottage cheese, and juicy, succulent cherries, all wrapped up in one gorgeous loaf.
If you’ve never made babka before, don’t sweat it. And don’t worry if you’re not a baking pro – this recipe is super approachable and totally worth the effort. The result is more than a delicious, sweet, and juicy babka that will make your taste buds do a happy dance.
JUMP TO RECIPEThe famous babka loaf
Babka has been stealing hearts for centuries, with its roots deep in Eastern European kitchens, originating in Jewish communities in Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine. The name “babka” actually means “little grandmother” in Polish. How cute is that? Besides the authentic goulash and Lazanki noodles, the adorable babka loaf is another favorite of our Polish culinary adventures.
Traditionally, babka was made from leftover challah and was usually filled with chocolate or cinnamon. But over time, these adorable loafs got filled with anything you imagine: chocolate, Nutella, cream cheese, poppy seeds and a variety of nuts. Today, we can even find savory babkas with pesto, onions and spinach.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when many Eastern European Jews sought better opportunities in the US, their culinary traditions came with them. Over time, babka was adapted and modified to suit American tastes. It became a famous loaf, sold in bakeries in Jewish neighborhoods, especially in New York.
Babka hit the big time thanks to “Seinfeld,” where a side-splitting argument over the superior flavor left fans craving a slice and dreading the infamous “lesser babka.”
Cherry cheese babka – messy but magic
The first time I attempted to make babka, I was struck by its demanding nature. It seemed to consume a tremendous amount of time – the dough required an overnight rest, and the rising process seemed interminable. When I finally transferred it to the loaf pan, it looked peculiar and messy, making me question whether the effort was genuinely worthwhile.
But guess what? I was wrong. This enchanting loaf is so tasty and cute when finally baked that it’s worth all the trouble. It’s much easier to make than it looks. Besides, it leaves your kitchen filled with an enchanting smell while baking.
Like traditional Eastern European bread rolls, cherry cheese babka is a beautiful and unique choice for special occasions and holiday celebrations, providing a memorable and impressive twist.
With its intricate swirls and vibrant colors, this dessert is a true feast for the eyes. Imagine how a simple, elegant bow or cute box could transform it into a heartwarming and unique gift.
What’s most magical about it is that babka is ready for endless customization. While cherry cheese is a fantastic filling, the potential for your creativity is boundless with different fillings and toppings.
What you need to make it
FLOUR – We used organic, unbleached all-purpose flour. We like it if it’s not bleached and produced without the use of herbicides and pesticides.
EGGS -The recipe calls for two eggs. However, you will need an additional egg for the egg wash. For best results, opt for quality eggs from free-range chickens.
MILK – 1/2 dl of milk was used to dissolve the dry yeast and help it grow. The natural sugars in warm milk activate the yeast faster, resulting in a better rise.
BUTTER – Butter makes the brioche dough rich, tender and flavorful. It creates that irresistible, melt-in-your-mouth texture, and you won’t forget that buttery taste.
CHERRIES – We used fresh cherries for this recipe. However, if you’re making babka outside of the cherry season, you can use cherry jam instead or substitute other fruits.
COTTAGE CHEESE – Full-fat cottage cheese makes this babka a bit messy to work with, but once baked, it results in a juicy, tender, cheesy delight that pairs wonderfully with cherries.
YEAST – Dry yeast was used in this recipe because it is more convenient. However, fresh yeast was usually used, so feel free to use it if you like it more.
VANILLA PASTE – This can easily be replaced with vanilla extract, sugar, powder or even better, vanilla beans. One vanilla bean equals about one tablespoon of vanilla paste. This will give your babka a more intense, fragrant vanilla flavor.
SUGAR – You can replace that with maple syrup, or, for a healthier alternative, use coconut sugar. It has a caramel-like flavor and can be used in a 1:1 ratio with regular sugar. Plus, it has a lower glycemic index.
SALT – Salt is a natural flavor enhancer. Quite interestingly, it actually increases the ability of your tongue receptors to notice sweetness.
Cherry cheese babka recipe
After testing multiple methods to prepare a brioche-like dough, we have somewhat simplified the whole process. The outcome is a soft, buttery, and fluffy dough that melts in your mouth when you take a bite while remaining simple to make.
PREPARING THE DOUGH
STEP 1: To begin, heat milk to just above room temperature in a pot. Then, add a suitable amount of sugar to the milk and pour in the dry yeast. This step will activate the yeast, ensuring a smoother and more effective incorporation into the dough. The yeast mixture will need about 10 minutes to become foamy.
STEP 2: Whisk two large eggs with 1/4 cup of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla paste in a large bowl.
STEP 3: Add flour, a pinch of salt and butter. The butter should be at room temperature to ensure it will fully fuse with the flour. If you’re making a recipe with cold butter, knead all the other ingredients first and add the butter at the end.
STEP 4: Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it becomes soft, elastic and smooth. This will take at least 15 minutes.
If you’re using a food processor or a stand mixer with a dough hook, allow it to knead for at least 20 minutes on low speed. If the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, use a spatula to remove it. You might also sprinkle it with a little bit of flour.
Add a tablespoon or two of milk if the dough seems too sturdy.
When finished, you should get a smooth ball of dough:
STEP 5: Transfer the dough ball to a greased bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic foil. Allow it to rise, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 12 hours. It’s best to leave it resting overnight.
This is how it will look in the morning; it will double in size.
STEP 6: You can prepare the cherry sauce in advance or the next day; however, it must be chilled before it is rolled into the babka.
Wash the cherries and remove the pits. Place the cherries in a saucepan or skillet, sprinkle with sugar and simmer until the cherries soften and the sugar starts thickening the sauce. This will take about 20-25 minutes.
Set aside to chill thoroughly; it’s best to cool it down in the refrigerator.
STEP 7: Whisk the egg with sugar in a bowl and add the cottage cheese. Adjust the sugar to taste; you don’t need to use much because the cherry sauce is already sweet enough. Mix it thoroughly so that all the ingredients fuse well.
It’s best to make the cheese mixture right before assembling the babka or to store it in the refrigerator before use.
ASSEMBLING THE BABKA LOAF
STEP 8: Now it’s finally time to roll out your babka dough! Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll it into a rectangle using a rolling pin. The rectangle should be about 12″x 16″ wide and long (30 x 40 cm).
STEP 9: Spread the cheese mixture onto the dough using a spatula or a kitchen knife. Then, add the cherries and the sauce on top.
STEP 10: Roll the dough up along the long edge. Cutting the roll can get very messy, so we recommend returning it to the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before splitting it in half. Believe me, the chilled dough will be much firmer, and it will be much easier to assemble your babka.
STEP 11: Finally, cut the dough roll in half using scissors or a sharp knife. You can cut the roll all the way up or leave the upper part untouched; transferring the loaf into the baking pan might make it a bit easier.
STEP 12: Turn the halves out with the cut layers facing up. Now swirl, twist the halves, and fold over the ends to tie it all up. Yes, this part gets a bit messy, but the result is worth it!
Prepare a loaf pan covered with parchment paper and transfer the loaf to the pan. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect right now; it will look completely different when the babka rises and is baked.
STEP 13: Cover the loaf with a kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm place until it doubles in size. Since your dough is probably still pretty chilled, the dough rise might take a bit longer, about 2 to 2,5 hours.
To speed up the process, place the covered loaf in the preheated oven at 120°F (or about 50°C).
STEP 14: Once your babka loaf has risen, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Then, quickly prepare the egg wash by mixing an egg yolk with 2/5 cups of milk, and brush the mixture evenly on the surface of your babka using a pastry brush.
BAKING
STEP 15: Bake at 375 °F/190 °c for about 35 – 40 minutes until it is browned on the surface. Stick a skewer inside toward the end of baking to ensure it’s baked enough in the middle. It should come out clean or with a few crumbs.
If your babka is becoming too dark on the outer side and still hasn’t been baked on the inside, cover it with parchment paper or aluminum foil. When baked, it should be a deep golden brown color.
STEP 16: While your loaf is baking, prepare the sugar syrup by combining four tablespoons of water and two-thirds cup of sugar and bringing it to a boil. Stir the mixture until all the sugar is dissolved. When baked, immediately while your cherry cheese babka is still hot, glaze the top with the hot mixture.
STEP 17: Let your loaf cool down for about 20 minutes, then remove it from the pan and cool it to room temperature on a wire rack. As you can see, this is the hardest part of the recipe – to resist eating it right away!
STEP 18: When your babka is finally cooled to room temperature, carefully slice it, serve and enjoy! I guess by now, you’ll be happy to admit that all that mess was really worth the trouble!
Tips and tricks for a perfect cherry cheese babka
- Choose the suitable flour. We used organic bread flour with high protein and high gluten content. This will make your babka soft, fluffy and chewy. Bread flour typically contains around 12-14% protein, whereas all-purpose flour has about 10-12%. The protein in flour is crucial because it forms gluten when mixed with water. The increased gluten content in bread flour provides the dough with more strength and elasticity, which is particularly important in enriched doughs like babka,
- Ensure that butter is at room temperature when incorporating it into the dough. This will make it much easier to work with and help it fuse with the flour much better.
- Knead or mix the dough long enough. With patience, the texture will be much smoother and more elastic.
- Give it time to rest. The secret to a good dough is giving it enough time, preferably overnight. The slow fermentation process and cold proofing will improve the texture and make the shaping easier. Your loaf will be tenderer, airier, and more flavorful.
- Prepare the cherry filling the night before. This will make your morning process easier and ahead of time.
- On the other hand, it’s best to prepare the cheese mixture right before assembling the babka. Ensure the cheese is chilled to prevent it from running from the sides of your loaf.
- Instead of fresh cherry filling, you can use a premade cherry jam. Make sure it’s thick enough and contains pieces of fruit. Otherwise, it might dissolve into the dough while baking and will be hardly visible when the loaf is done.
- Use cream cheese instead of cottage cheese. This could make the whole process less messy, but it tastes different. However, it’s not a bad option.
- Chill the loaf again before splitting it in half. I love to put the whole loaf in the freezer for 15 minutes before splitting it. It will become more sturdy and prevent the filling from leaking when braiding the babka loaf. Also, it makes it easier to reload it into a pan.
- Check if it’s baked in the middle. Sticking a toothbrush or a skewer in the middle will tell you if your babka is baked enough. If done, it should come out clean.
- Cover it with parchment paper or aluminum foil while baking. This way, you can continue baking it while the foil prevents the dough from burning at the top.
- Don’t skip the sugar syrup. Hot sugar syrup poured over the hot cherry cheese babka loaf helps to keep it soft and moist for longer while giving its surface a sweet, crispy, and shiny crust. Brushing the syrup on with a pastry brush instead of pouring it over distributes and absorbs it more evenly.
How to store it
Babka tastes absolutely best when served fresh, and guess what? It’s usually hard to store it because it doesn’t last long enough to be stored!
However, make sure your babka is not warm before storage. It’s best to wrap it in parchment paper before storing it in a plastic bag or container; this will keep it fresh and prevent it from drying up. Babka will last for up to three days when stored at room temperature.
To hold it longer than that, wrap it in aluminum foil and/or freeze it in an airtight container. It can be frozen for up to a month.
Leftover stale cherry cheese babka can be used for french toast, monkey bread or bread pudding.
Cherry cheese babka FAQs
If your babka didn’t rise, here are a few reasons you should check:
- If the yeast was expired or inactive.
- If your babka is too wet or dry, it might hinder the yeast activity and make it harder for the dough to expand.
- If you gave it enough time to rise in a warm, draught-free environment, it should be fine. Babka dough usually needs longer to rise, about 2 to 2,5 hours.
- And lastly, if your babka was kneaded long enough to ensure a proper rise.
Bread dough, including babka, won’t bake well if the oven is too hot. It will usually burn on the outside but still be soft and wet on the inside. To prevent burning on top, it’s best to check the oven temperature and cover the loaf with aluminum foil and parchment paper at the end of baking.
Your babka could collapse when it’s over-proofed, which causes the dough to rise too much and then collapse during baking. Another possibility is that the oven temperature was too low, preventing the dough from setting properly. You should refrain from opening the oven in the middle of baking; it might lower the needed temperature. Additionally, it’s possible that you didn’t bake it long enough; this causes it to collapse as it cools. And finally, make sure that you don’t use too much filling, which can make the dough too heavy and unstable.
Certainly! To make your babka gluten-free, use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend. Consider adding an extra egg or a bit of psyllium husk to improve the dough’s elasticity. Gluten-free babka might have a slightly different texture compared to traditional babka.
Absolutely! You can replace the cherries (following the same procedure) with other fruits. The berries are especially tasty: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries will make your babka extraordinarily juicy and delicious. Consider sprinkling it with nuts on the top, too.
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Cherry cheese babka
EQUIPMENT
- 1 baking pan
- 1 Rolling Pin
INGREDIENTS
- 3,6 cups bread flour (450 g or 15,90 oz)
- 2,5 cups cherries (500 g)
- 2,5 cups cottage cheese (400 g)
- 4 eggs
- ⅔ cups butter (150 g)
- 1,2 cups sugar (230 g)
- 0,4 cups milk (100 ml)
- 1 tsp vanilla aroma
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (7 g)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the milk just above room temperature, then add sugar and dry yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes until the yeast becomes active and a bit foamy.
- In a bowl, whisk together two eggs, 1/4 cup of sugar, and tsp of vanilla paste.
- Add flour, a pinch of salt, and softened butter. If using cold butter, add it after mixing all other ingredients.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for 15 minutes until smooth and elastic. If using a stand mixer with a dough hook, knead for 20 minutes. If the dough sticks to the edges, remove it with a spatula and sprinkle a little flour. Add a tablespoon of milk if the dough is too stiff.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 12 hours overnight.
- Prepare the cherry sauce by simmering pitted cherries with 1/4 cup of sugar for 20-25 minutes until the water evaporates. Cool completely before using.
- Whisk an egg with sugar and mix with cottage cheese. Adjust sweetness to taste.
- Roll out the dough into a 12"x16" rectangle.
- Spread the cheese mixture on the dough, then top with the cherry sauce.
- Roll it up tightly from the long edge and refrigerate for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Cut the roll in half, twist the halves, and shape into a babka loaf.
- Place the loaf in a parchment-lined pan and let it rise for 2-2.5 hours. To speed up the process, you can leave it the oven preheated to 50°C/122°F.
- When the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Brush the babka with an egg wash from an egg yolk and 2/5 cup of milk.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 35-40 minutes, checking doneness with a skewer. Cover the loaf with foil or parchment paper if it browns too quickly on the outside.
- While baking the babka, prepare a sugar syrup by boiling four tbsp water and 2/3 cup sugar. Brush the hot syrup over the loaf immediately after baking.
- Cool your babka for 20 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
NOTES
Nutrition
This babka was featured at Crazy Little Lovebirds, This is my everybody blog and Creative Jewish mom blog.
If you liked our cherry cheese babka recipe, please rate it in the comments below.
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Never tried my hand at Babka BUT with this cherry cheese you have convinced me to give it a try.
Found your post on A Stroll Through Life: Inspire Me Tuesday. My entries this week are numbered #40+41
Hope you will join/share M-Sat at https://esmesalon.com/tag/seniorsalonpitstop/
I’m really happy to hear that Esme!
This babka looks gorgeous! There’s an abundance of plums growing now so I might use the recipe to make it with cheese and plums. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Milo! It’s definitely worth to try with other types of fruits. You might want to try mixing it up with some dried nuts, like walnuts or hazelnuts, even toasted breadcrumbs might work well. Please let us know how it worked out!
This looks delicious!
Thanks Joanne!
I’d love for you to join us over at the Creatively Crafty Linky Party every Wednesday through Sunday
https://creativelybeth.com/creative-crafts-linky-party/
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Creatively, Beth
Thank you Beth, I’ll be more than happy to join!
I have never heard of babka before, but I’m polish, so this interests me. It looks incredible! Maybe this winter I’ll give it a try! Visiting from Crazy Little Lovebirds.
Thanks Amy, I’m kind of honoured to get a comment like this from someone polish 🙂 I hope you do give it a try. It looks so cute when baked and the taste is really good. How to stop eating seems to be the biggest problem with babkas 🙂
Mariama, this recipe sounds amazing! Honestly, as soon as I clicked on your page, I was struck by your gorgeous photos of this delicious baked creation. I’ve never tried this before, but I’m excited to try out new recipes! This sounds perfect! Thank you for sharing with us at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party #52.
Thanks Steph, I fell in love with babkas, they look and taste so good when baked and what I like is that you can pack one as a cute gift. It’s true your kitchen gets a bit messy when making it and you wait quite some time until it’s appropriate for baking, but the end result is really worth it.
Mariama, we’re delighted to let you know that your post will be featured tomorrow at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party #53! We enjoyed your post and are looking forward to trying out this recipe soon. Thank you for sharing it with us, and congratulations!
Awwww, thank you so much. I feel so honoured and so happy that you enjoyed it:) I hope many sweet cherry babkas will follow in your kitchen! Thanks!