Babcia Rosner’s Easy Babka
350° oven
Prepare a babka or bunt pan by buttering
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup flour
1 Stick sweet butter
4 Eggs separated
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 Teaspoon vanilla
¼ Teaspoon almond extract
1 Cup golden raisins (soaked in water to soften then drained)
Fresh lemon rind from ½ a lemon
Confectioner’s sugar for garnishing (optional)
Cream butter and sugar. Add baking powder, vanilla and egg yolks. Combine. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until very stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into butter mixture until almost fully incorporated, taking care not to fully deflate the whites. Gradually add flour. After flour is fully incorporated, add almond extract, raisins and lemon rind. Batter will be sticky. Scoop batter into buttered pan and bake 30-45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cook in pan for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Garnish with sifted confectioner’s sugar.
Babcia Rosner’s Easy Babka
Juliet Rosner’s great-grandmother, Manci, was born in Vienna, Austria in 1909. Vienna is known for many things, including its fabulous desserts. That’s why a dessert buffet is called a Viennese Table!
Manci (or Babcia, as we called her) grew up in a hotel and café that her parents owned in the heart of Vienna. The wonderful aroma of fresh-baked delights prepared by the café’s bakers always surrounded her. This babka recipe dates back to Babcia’s own mother and has been lovingly prepared since the 1800’s. It was a specialty of the house at the family café. Babcia would bake it whenever she wanted make a special treat her family.
This is not the conventional yeast-based babka that is traditionally served as an Easter treat. It is more like a quick bread, which makes it very easy to prepare and appropriate for any occassion. Don’t be fooled by its simplicity, however. Each bite reveals layers of tasty flavors from vanilla and sweet fruit to tangy citrus and almond. Enjoy!
- Rosner Family