See that beautiful swirly brioche bread in the picture above? You may know it as “Babka” or maybe “Krantz cake”. One thing’s for sure: it’s ultra-delicious and may soon be in your tummy.
Like many other traditional recipes, Babka uses butter, eggs, and quite a bit of white sugar. We’re changing that! Let’s do one below Healthy scratch cake that is sugar free, without egg, non dairy And vegan.
But first, why does it have two names? Is it Krantz cake or Babka? We answer that according to the recipe in the FAQ section.
At Foodaciously, our mission is to create recipes that are allergen-free, diet-friendly and optimally healthy. Few things give us more satisfaction than turning an unhealthy but delicious recipe into an equally tasty but much more nutritious alternative. This Chocolate Krantz Cake turned out amazing: it’s spongy on the inside, slightly crunchy on the outside, and so very chocolatey. And all that with half the sugar, 30% less fatAnd three times less saturated fats than other non-vegan babkas. Hooray!
We made it healthier by using dark chocolate, dates instead of sugar, and oil instead of butter. Dates have the dual benefits of being a sugar substitute and being high in fiber. We got even more dietary fiber by using wholemeal flour.
The recipe is not difficult at all. The “hardest” part is shaping the babka vertebrae. But we tested a simple method and shared all the details below. You’ll have so much fun making it and eating it, I promise.
frequently asked Questions
Babka vs Krantz Cake: Are They the Same?
Some people call it babka, others Krantz cake. What’s the story behind this beautiful swirling challah bread?
This sweet casserole has its origins in the Jewish Diaspora.
Jewish communities in Poland and Ukraine developed this type of bread in the 19th century[1]. There people called it “Babka” which means grandmother in Polish – isn’t that cute?
This type of braided bread is also famous in West Jerusalem, but people there call it Krantz (קראנץ) cake (עוגת).
Secret revealed! Two cool names for the same beautiful dessert.
How do you adjust the size of the rectangular dough base to fit your loaf pan?
Follow these instructions to calculate the correct size of your dough rectangle to fit your mold:
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Measure the long side of your loaf pan (e.g. 20 cm / 8 inches).
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Multiply this number by 1.5 (e.g. 20cm x 1.5 = 30cm or 8 inches x 1.5 = 12 inches).
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Use this number as a reference to measure the long side of the dough rectangle (e.g. make the dough rectangle 30cm or 12 inches long).
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To calculate the short side of the dough rectangle, multiply the length by 0.7 (e.g. 30cm x 0.7 = 21cm or 12 inches x 0.7 = 8.5 inches).
Of course, if your loaf pan is twice the size of ours, you’ll need to double the amount of ingredients as well.
Is traditional babka made from chocolate?
As we learned in the brief historical digression above, Babka is of Polish-Ukrainian origin.
In the 19th century, chocolate wasn’t as easily accessible and cheap as it is today. So the traditional babka wasn’t famous for the lavish entwining of chocolate strips.
Instead, the original filling was either jam or cinnamon (Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, Gil Marks [2]). So the traditional babka was more like a modern cinnamon or jam roll.
Is classic babka vegan?
The traditional Jewish babka wasn’t vegan, but it came pretty close! Contrary to more modern interpretations of the recipe, the babka was then parve [3] (A Jewish term meaning made without milk or meat or their strict derivatives). However, eggs are allowed in Parve cooking practice and were actually used in the babka dough.
So no, the traditional babka wasn’t vegan; however, it was dairy free. These days, most babka recipes you’ll find vegan, use butter, eggs, and sugar.
For a fully vegan and sugar-free option, check out our recipe above.
Can I make babka without butter?
You can and you should. Not only is it healthier this way, but it’s also the traditional way of making wreath cake/babka [4].
Classic Jewish Babka was parve, meaning it contains no milk. Instead of butter, the original Babka bakers used oil, and we borrowed their wisdom in our recipe above.