Polish Babka

Name: Polish Babka
Yield: Serves 8—10
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 10 ml/2 tsp easy bake (rapid-rise) dried yeast; 60 ml/4 tbsp vodka; 75 g/3 oz/½ cup raisins; 2.5 ml/½ tsp salt; 15 ml/1 tbsp grated orange rind; 2.5 ml/½ tsp saffron threads; 115 g/4 oz/1 cup icing (confectioners’) sugar; 15 ml/1 tbsp lemon juice; toasted flaked almonds; orange peel; pared orange rind or candied; 75 g/3 oz/½ cup dried sour cherries; 15 ml/1 tbsp grated lemon rind; 30 ml/2 tbsp water; 115 g/4 oz/½ cup butter, softened; 75 g/3 oz/6 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar; 3 eggs; 400 g/14 oz/3½ cups unbleached white bread flour

Preparation info

Serves
8—10

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook

By Jennie Shapter

Published 2010

About

Vodka is the surprise ingredient in this classic Polish cake, made at Eastertime. The dough is enriched with eggs and flavoured with citrus peel and raisins.

Ingredients

60 ml/4 tbsp vodka
2.5 ml/½ tsp<

Europe
Poland
Cake
Vegetarian
Eastern Europe

Method

Steep the vodka, saffron and citrus rinds together for 30 minutes. Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Tip the saffron mixture into the bread pan, then add the eggs and water. If necessary, reverse the order in which you add the liquid and dry ingredients.
Add the flour, covering the liquid. Add the salt in a corner. Make an ind