Sticky Toffee Babka

When we were in England a few weeks ago for my cousin's wedding, I did what any food-obsessed baker would do: I planned a sticky toffee pudding crawl through central London! Hours of research went into finding the city's most iconic versions, mapping out bakeries, pubs, and restaurants that locals swore served the very best. I regret absolutely nothing.

Well...almost nothing.

The only problem? We arrived just in time for an unexpected heat wave. Temperatures soared to nearly 95 degrees, and somehow the idea of sitting down to a warm date cake drenched in hot toffee sauce didn't have quite the same appeal when we were already melting. We still managed to enjoy a few incredible desserts, but I definitely didn't make it through my carefully curated sticky toffee pudding bucket list.

Now that we've been home for about a month and a half and I can't stop thinking about all the sticky toffee pudding I didn't eat. So instead of booking another flight across the pond, I decided to bring one of my favorite British desserts into my own kitchen with a little twist.

This recipe combines everything I love about classic sticky toffee pudding; the rich dates, deep caramel flavor, and buttery toffee sauce, with babka The result is a soft, swirled loaf that's cozy, indulgent, and perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. It's part British classic, part Jewish bakery favorite, and completely worth making, even if it's 95 degrees outside.

Dough

½ Cup milk, warmed

1 Tablespoon instant yeast

1 Egg

1 Egg yolk

¼ Cup sugar

½ Teaspoon kosher salt

2 Cups all purpose flour

1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon ground cloves

7 Tablespoons butter at room temperature

Filling

2 Cups dates, roughly chopped

3/4 Cup boiling water

1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter

3/4 Cup brown sugar

3 Eggs

2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 Teaspoon baking soda

1 Teaspoon baking powder

1 Teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 Teaspoon ground nutmeg

Toffee Sauce

1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 Cup brown sugar

3 Tablespoons heavy cream

Add the warm milk, yeast, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook. Let stand for five minutes or until the yeast begins to bubble. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and salt.

Mix in the flour, cinnamon, and chili powder until almost fully mixed. Add butter about 1 tablespoon at a time (make sure it’s at room temperature!) and mix until incorporated. The dough should be smooth and slightly sticky.

Turn out the dough and knead for just a few minutes until very smooth. Transfer to a greased bowl and let rise for 1 ½ - 2 hours until doubled.

Prepare the filling by roughly chopping the dates. Add them to a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Cover them for 10-15. minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). On low speed, mix in the eggs until fully incorporated. Again, on low speed, mix in the flour, spices, baking soda and baking powder.

Pour the dates and whatever water is left into a food processor. Process for 30 seconds until a smooth paste has formed. Pour into the mixture in the mixing bowl and mix until just combined.

Once the dough is done proofing, place on a floured surface and roll into a large rectangle. The dough should be as thin as you can get it. This ensures the most swirls inside the bread.

Using an offset spatula spread the filling over the dough in a thick layer. Starting on the edge closest to you begin to tightly roll the dough away from you until you run out of dough and are left with a log of dough. Pinch the ends together to ensure no filling leaks out while baking.

Fold the log in half and twist together to form the swirl.

Place the twisted babka in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Allow to rise for another half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake for 45-60 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing and serve with the toffee sauce.

To make the toffee sauce, melt the butter and sugar together over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream.