Colorful Easter Cream Cheese Babka
Easter Cream Cheese Babka is a braided yeast bread filled with pastel colored cream cheese layers and brushed with a light sugar syrup for a soft, festive finish.
Calories:
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 4 food coloring shades
Babka Dough
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar plus 1 teaspoon sugar divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup milk warmed to 100 to 110°F
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter very soft and cubed
Sugar Syrup
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract, divide into four bowls, tint, set aside.
- Warm milk to 100–110°F, mix with sugar and yeast, rest until foamy.
- Add eggs and vanilla, mix in flour, sugar, and salt until smooth.
- Mix in butter gradually until fully incorporated and sticky.
- Let dough rise until doubled, divide, chill briefly.
- Roll dough, section, spread colored fillings.
- Roll into logs, slice, twist into braids.
- Place in pans and let rise again.
- Bake at 350°F until golden and set.
- Brush with warm sugar syrup and cool.