Cashew Caramel Babka

This Cashew Caramel Babka recipe is so special to me.

Cashew Caramel Babka

Well if you follow my instagram, you will know that I have been trying to perfect my Cashew Caramel Babka recipe for a while.

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I made this Cashew Caramel Babka 3 times in the past few weeks.

The first time I made it, it came out great, but it just wasn’t perfect. The bread wasn’t as fluffy as I would have liked, I think I had added too much butter to the dough. Excess fat can make your dough a bit heavy.

This is what the first attempt looked like.

Cashew Caramel Babka

So I made it one more time.

The second attempt, the bread itself was fine, but I made two mistakes.

First, I made the bread too short, because I made it into 3 loaves instead of 2. So it wasn’t tall and beautiful. And I was looking for a tall beautiful Babka.

The second mistake, I completely forgot to brush the syrup over the loaves when I pulled them out of the oven. And that step is so important, that skipping it, made a huge difference. Don’t get me wrong, every bit of it was eaten, but it just wasn’t the same without the sugar syrup.

Here is what the second attempt looked like.

Cashew Caramel Babka

During those two attempts, I took quite a few notes.

Finally, on my third attempt, I got some good results. Is it 100% perfect? Honestly, no! I believe it can still get better, but I believe that about just anything in the world. There’s always room for improvement.

In this case, I would like for my babka to have a bit more swirl to it, so I probably have to chop the cashews very very finely, so I can roll the dough tighter, and provide it with some more rolls.

But, I am going to call this a valiant effort. Because it was. And the bread tasted PHENOMENAL! I would seriously serve this to the Queen if she came over (could happen…).

Cashew Caramel Babka

Anywho, here’s my babka.

Now, some instructions on how to make this delicious, incomparable Cashew Caramel Babka.

First, spread the filling all over the dough.

Cashew Caramel Babka

Then, roll it tight into a log, and cut in half lengthwise.

Cashew Caramel Babka

Place both strands facing up.

Cashew Caramel Babka

Connect them on top, and braid.

Cashew Caramel Babka

Keep braiding…

Cashew Caramel BabkaAnd done.

Cashew Caramel Babka

Now, simply tuck the ends underneath the dough.

This recipe makes 2 loaves.

As soon as they come out of the oven, be sure to brush them with the sugar syrup. The syrup will make your Caramel Cashew babka shiny, glossy, soft, fluffy, and moist. Aren’t those like the best things a loaf of sweet bread could be?

This bread is completely hard to resist. Absolutely delicious!

I like to serve it the freshest possible, about a couple hours after baking. The fresh babka, while it’s still slightly warm, is probably one of the best treats in the world.

However, this Cashew Caramel Babka will keep very well if well packaged and stored, for a few days. I like to keep mine in the fridge and pull it out a while before eating, so the bread has the chance to soften up and come to room temperature.

And I am not going to lie, I’ve toasted a slice in the morning in a non-stick pan, yes I did. No regrets there.

And you may even freeze the babka if you want to, for up to 2 months, if well packaged.

Cashew Caramel Babka

I hope you liked today’s recipe. And I hope I’ve convinced you that you need this Cashew Caramel Babka in your life at all costs.

Cashew Caramel Babka

Cashew Caramel Babka

Caramel Cashew Babka. A nutty, sweet, and fluffy bread.
5 from 14 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting time 12 hours
Total Time 1 hour
Course Bread
Cuisine jewish
Servings 2 loaves
Calories 250 kcal

Ingredients
  

Babka Dough
  • 3/4 cup milk 170 grams, 6 oz
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 grams, 3.5 oz
  • 3 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 538 grams, 19 oz
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (113 grams, 4 oz)
Cashew Caramel Filling
  • 2 cups cashew nuts 300 grams, 10.6 oz
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (113 grams, 4 oz)
  • 1 cup brown sugar 200 grams, 7 oz
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Syrup
  • 1/4 cup water 56 grams, 2 oz
  • 6 tablespoons sugar 75 grams, 2.6 oz

Instructions
 

Day 1
    Babka Dough
    • Start by making the Babka dough the night before you are going to bake your bread.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk, sugar, yeast, flour, eggs, salt, and vanilla. Mix with a spoon or with the paddle attachment until incorporated.
    • Switch to the dough hook.
    • Knead dough for about 30 seconds on medium speed. Start adding butter, one tablespoon at a time with the mixer running.
    • It is going to look very messy, but don’t fret! Just keep kneading on medium speed for about 10 minutes.
    • You may add one or two tablespoons of flour if dough seems extremely wet.
    • Move dough to a bowl coated lightly with neutral oil. Place dough in the fridge overnight.
    Day 2
      Cashew Caramel Filling
      • Chop cashew nuts very finely. Mix with butter, sugar and nutmeg. Alternatively, I found a lot of success placing all of the ingredients in a food processor and just processing the nuts with the butter, sugar and nutmeg. You don’t want the cashews to turn into a paste, but you do want them to be very finely chopped.
      • Be sure to use roasted cashews, so if your cashews are raw, simply place them in a baking sheet and roast for about 10 minutes in a pre-heated 350F oven. Let them cool down before mixing with the butter and sugar.
      Shape Dough
      • Line two loaf pans with parchment paper. I have used two 9x5” loaf pans.
      • Remove dough from the fridge.
      • Divide into two pieces.
      • Roll each piece out into a 10x12” rectangle.
      • Divide filling between the two rectangles. Use a spatula to spread filling evenly on the entire surface of each rectangle.
      • Roll each piece into a log.
      • Split each log in half lengthwise. Refer to pictures above in the post for reference.
      • Each strand of dough should have the open side facing up. Also be careful not to let the filling spill out.
      • Braid both strands together. Pinch ends together, and tuck them under.
      • Place loaves in prepared loaf pans.
      • Let dough rise for 1-2 hours. Depending on how hot your kitchen is, it might rise faster.
      • The babkas will be ready to be baked when they have almost doubled in size, and when you touch the surface of the dough with your finger, the dimple springs right back up.
      • Pre-heat oven to 350F.
      • Before baking I like to brush my loaves with a very light egg wash. I mix 1 yolk with one teaspoon of water and gently brush over my babkas. I don’t like a very thick egg wash for this kind of bread, but a little bit will make it golden and pretty.
      • Bake babkas for about 30 minutes. Start checking at 15 minute mark, cover loaves if they are browning too fast on top.
      • To check, insert a toothpick and it should come out clean.
      • While babkas bake, make the syrup.
      • Bring water and sugar to a boil. Set aside.
      • Take babkas out of the oven. Immediately brush with the syrup, dividing it evenly between the two loaves.
      • Let loaves cool down before cutting. Though I love them when they are still a bit warm and all. Irresistible!
      Storage
      • The babkas will be the most delicious the fresher they are, which means the first day, and a few hours after baking specifically.
      • However, they will keep well for a few days. I would put them in the fridge, in a sealed zip loc bag after the first day. Just take them out of the fridge a little bit before consuming so they can soften up and come to room temperature. I won’t lie that I’ve been guilty of toasting one in my non-stick pan, in the morning. No regrets.
      Keyword babka, bread, caramel, cashew

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      37 Comments

      1. 5 stars
        This is an absolutely beautiful babka. I love the swirls and the addition of cashew makes it so unique!

      2. Hi there! I’m so excited to make this beautiful babka! I was just wondering if it is necessary to have it sit in the fridge overnight, or is it possible to do a shorter prove? Thanks so much!

        1. Hey there Talia, if you are going to do a shorter proof, I would suggest first letting the dough rise for about 45 min-1 hour at room temperature, after you are done making it. Then, you can place some plastic wrap over your bowl and put it in the fridge for at least 1 or 2 hours because the dough is just so much easier to handle when it’s cold. Thanks for writing. Have a great day and I hope your babka turns out delicious!! 🙂

      3. 5 stars
        Iade the dough last night and I’m excited to braid and bake it today. I’m just wondering if I can freeze half of the dough?

        1. This is the type of dough that I would absolutely try to freeze. I have never tried to freeze it, but I assume it could hold up nicely in the freezer for a little while, if well packaged! If you do experiment please let me know!! I think it will be alright!!

          1. Awesome! I’m looking forward to making this….I love in Hawaii and it’s a no-babka zone! I’ve made a halvah-nutella and a matcha-white chocolate pistachio so far.This is next!

      4. 5 stars
        I made one babka with the cashews and the other with pecans. My husband loved the pecan one best. This is a wonderful recipe that I tried because it looked good…. and it was even better!!

      5. I’m really excited to make this. It looks absolutely beautiful. I only have one bread pan and am wondering if the dough would be good in the fridge a few extra hours or even an additional day OR if you think all the dough would fit into a bundt? Thanks so much.

        1. the dough will be fine in the fridge for an additional day. and you could probably fit both into a 12 cup bundt pan, but you’d have some leftover dough which you could turn into small rolls.

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