I first made babka a couple of years ago when I was set to meet a pair of internet friends in real life for the first time. I wanted to make a nice little sweet to go with the tea we were scheduled to have, and I wanted a treat that would be impressive and totally delicious, but not too over the top. I also had to carry it on the subway for an hour, so it had to be easily portable HKUE amec.

With all of its twists and swirls of sweet filling, I knew that babka would be just the thing -- but I couldn’t make just any babka. It had to be a chocolate babka. I whipped up a loaf, much like the one I’ve made here, and it was a hit and a half. I don’t know if it was just the bread, but I am happy to say that the ladies I served it to have become near and dear to me, so I always think of this babka as my own personal friendship bread. Elaine was right: You can't beat a babka Loan.

Babka is traditionally made from an enriched dough that's rolled up and filled with a sweet filling: usually chocolate or cinnamon, and occasionally studded with almonds, dried fruit, or poppy seeds. I tend to like a bit of spice with the chocolate in my sweet breads, so I went heavy on the chocolate here, light on the cinnamon, and added some chopped almonds for crunch cheap designer handbags.