Delicious Gluten Free Black Forest Babka Recipe: A Must-Try for Chocolate Lovers!

Recipe

Soft, buttery gluten free bread swirled with bright cherry compote and chocolate chips, this Gluten Free Black Forest Babka is an indulgent take on the the crowd-pleasing cake.

This combination of cherry and chocolate is an absolute winner, in my book. And combined with the most pillowy gluten free bread imaginable just makes it all the more irresistible! Even though it might look intimidating, this babka is surprisingly forgiving. Mine almost always looks like a complete mess when I put it in the tin, but it always comes out of the oven looking grand! Even it were to come out looking disastrous, this thing has three separate applications of chocolate in it. It can't possibly be bad.

How to Make Gluten Free Black Forest Babka

1. Make the Cherry Filling: the cherry filling for this babka is kind of a compote, with fruit being simmered with sugar and lemon juice to break the cherries down a bit. The biggest difference is using a cornstarch slurry to thicken the juices at the end of cooking to make sure the babka doesn't get too soggy.

2. Prepare the dough: if you've made any of my bread doughs before this one is pretty much identical at the mixing stage, with the only addition being some chocolate chips - application of chocolate number 1.

3. Proof number 1: drizzle the dough with a little olive oil to stop it from drying out, then proof it for 45 - 60 minutes or until it doubles in size. You can use a warm place if you have one, but room temperature is fine, too.

4. Shaping: Ok, now it gets messy! After a quick knead to knock the air out it's time to roll the dough out into a rectangle. I roll mine out to about 25 x 35cm, but you don't need to be exact. The cherry filling goes on first, leaving a small border around the outside, then chocolate application number 2 - more chocolate chips! Roll the dough up into a long sausage, pinching the free end to stick it to the roll. Then we need to cut the roll in half lengthwise to expose the filling, and flip the two halves over so the cut sides are up. Then lift and cross the two halves over each other two or three times to form a twist. Pinch the ends together and tuck them underneath the twist, then confidently lift it into the tin. It'll feel pretty gooey and disastrous at the time, but I promise it'll get better in the oven and come out with a magical swirl! If you're nervous about lifting the babka you can transfer it to the baking paper on the work surface, then lift the whole thing into the tin. Check the photos below for step-by-step instructions on how to shape a babka.

5. Proof number 2: the babka needs to be proofed again until it feels really light and fluffy when you gently prod it. It can be hard to tell with all the filling twisted through it, just do your best to judge it, and if in doubt give it another 10 minutes. I give mine anywhere from 50 to 70 minutes, but it varies a lot based on how warm it is.

6. Baking: this is the easy bit! The babka just needs a quick egg wash before going in the oven. It does take a while to bake, there's lots of filling to contend with!

7. Glazing: straight out of the oven and it's time to glaze! This sugar syrup glaze needs to go on the hot loaf to evaporate the water and leave a lovely shiny top.

8. Cooling: The babka does, unfortunately, need to cool completely before you cut it. With so much filling inside the dough does need the opportunity to set so it's not just a gooey mess when sliced. So try to be patient - it'll be worth it!

9. Chocolate Drizzle: chocolate application number 3! This one is optional because there is already quite a lot of chocolate involved here. But, I highly recommend it! It's a simple matter of melting some dark chocolate melts in the microwave and drizzling it over the top.

Spread the fillings

Roll the dough up

Pinch the edge to adhere

Cut the dough in half

Cross the two halves over

Transfer to baking paper

Ingredient Substitutions:

1. Cherries: you can use any frozen fruit you like instead of the cherries. You will lose the characteristic black forest flavour, but there's always room for creativity (and using up that bag of fruit getting in the way in your freezer).

2. Kirsch: the kirsch in this recipe is entirely optional. It does give the cherry flavour that little edge that you'll find in a black forest cake, but it'll still be delicious without it!

3. Sorghum Flour: if you can't get hold of sorghum flour, brown rice flour will do just as well here.

4. Butter: if you can't have butter you can use a dairy free alternative or olive oil instead.

5. Egg: any kind of milk can be substituted for the egg wash on top of the loaf.

How to Store Gluten Free Black Forest Babka

This babka will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. Refresh the slices in the microwave for 10 - 20 seconds until warm.