Babka or Bobka, also known as Baba, is the name of a sweet yeast cake originating from Central/Eastern Europe.
In Polish, babka initially means “grandmother,” but also “bundt cake.” The bundt cake, traditionally eaten at Easter breakfast on Easter Sunday, is traditionally called baba or baba wielkanocna. Many in Poland, however, still say babka wielkanocna. One possible explanation is that baba means “grandmother” in Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian, and the term therefore became established throughout Poland. The association with the grandmother likely stems from the shape of the cake: a cylinder with wavy sides, reminiscent of “grandmother’s pleated skirt.”
Babka is a soft, brioche-like yeast cake traditionally eaten at Easter breakfast on Easter Sunday in Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Albania. In Romania, it is also eaten at Christmas, New Year’s, and Pentecost. The Easter cake traditionally contains no filling but is covered with a vanilla, chocolate, or sugar glaze and/or decorated with almonds. Raisins are sometimes mixed into the dough.
Another version of babka originates from the Jewish tradition in Eastern Europe. It became very popular after 1945 in North American cities with large Jewish populations, such as New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Chicago, Miami, and Toronto. This babka is made from two intertwined braided loaves of yeast dough and is traditionally baked in a tall loaf pan. The cake is usually filled with cinnamon or chocolate and typically decorated with sprinkles. The similar cake kokosh (rugelach) is also very popular in Jewish bakeries.
