Recipe: Lemon-Cheese Babka

Lemon-Cheese Babka
Yield: 2 (8 inch) cakes
alt.bread.recipes/1999

I tried this recipe from the SOAR database for Easter and my husband and I ate the entire recipe in two days. We will be waddling around for a while, but it was delicious :-D

1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup very warm water
3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp grated lemon rind
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
1/3 cup warm milk
6 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup raisins
powdered sugar

CHEESE FILLING
8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp grated lemon rind

CRUMB TOPPING
3 tbsp flour
1/3 cup chopped nuts
3 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Sprinkle yeast and 1/2 tsp of the sugar over very warm water in a 1 cup measure. Stir to dissolve yeast. Let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Combine 2 cups of the flour, salt, lemon rind and the remaining sugar in a large bowl; make a well in the middle. Beat eggs and egg yolks in a small bowl just to mix. Pour eggs, yeast mixture and warm milk into well. Stir liquids into flour until smooth. Beat well.

Add softened butter gradually, beating well. Stir in 1 more cup of the flour. Beat until dough leaves the side of the bowl.

Knead on a lightly floured surface; until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Press dough into a buttered large bowl, turn to bring buttered side up; cover. Let rise in a warm place, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in volume.

While the dough is rising, make Cheese Filling: Beat cream cheese and cottage cheese in a small bowl with an electric mixer until smooth; beat in egg yolk and sugar. Stir in lemon rind.

Make Crumb Topping: Combine nuts, flour, butter, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Grease two 8 x 1 1/2 inch pans.

When dough has doubled, punch down, knead in raisins; divide dough into four equal parts; press two parts into the bottoms and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared pans; spread each with about 1 cup of the cheese filling.

Shape remaining dough into 2 (8-inch) circles; place on top of cheese filling. Press the handle of a spoon into dough around edges to seal.

Sprinkle half the crumb topping over each. Let rise in a warm place until dough reaches the top of the pans, about 1 hour.

Bake in a preheated 350 F degree oven for 40 minutes; or until the cakes sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack. (Place foil loosely over the crumb topping; invert onto rack, then turn right side up.)

Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.