Description
This Blueberry Cream Cheese Babka is a rich, sweet yeast bread swirled with a homemade blueberry filling and a luscious cream cheese layer. It’s soft, tender, and perfect for breakfast or dessert.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup whole milk, warm
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
- 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar (for filling)
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (for cream cheese filling)
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
- 1 tbsp water (for egg wash)
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
- Add warm milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until dough starts to come together.
- Add butter, a few pieces at a time, mixing until fully incorporated and dough is smooth.
- Cover and let rise for about 1 to 1.5 hours until doubled in size.
- While dough rises, make blueberry filling by cooking blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch over medium heat until thickened. Let cool.
- Make cream cheese filling by mixing cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Once dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into a rectangle (approx. 12×16 inches).
- Spread cream cheese filling evenly over dough, then spread blueberry filling on top.
- Roll dough tightly from the long edge into a log, then slice the log in half lengthwise.
- Twist the two halves together with cut sides facing up and place into a greased loaf pan.
- Cover and let rise for about 30-45 minutes until puffy.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush top of babka with egg wash.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- If using frozen blueberries, no need to thaw before cooking.
- Babka can be made a day ahead and stored at room temperature.
- Leftovers can be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Jewish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 60mg
