danish dream babka

crunchy, buttery coconut filling

toasted coconut pieces on top

continuing on my recent nordic theme, this is based on the danish dream cake (drømmekage) which is a vanilla sponge with this amazing crunchy coconut topping baked on top

stuff in as much filling as possible

it’s like the coconut version of toscakaka, now remixed into babka format

ingredients

bun dough

125mL milk

20g dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

4g instant yeast

230g plain flour

2g salt

0.5 tsp baking powder

1 egg

30g butter, browned and cooled

coconut filling

50g dark brown sugar

50g butter

75g desiccated coconut

5g plain flour

pinch salt

sugar syrup

30g white sugar

30g water

method

bun dough

add to the milk (125mL), brown sugar (20g), and vanilla paste (1) to a small jug and microwave until just warm and the sugar has dissolved

add the flour (230g), yeast (4g), salt (2g), and baking powder (0.5 tsp) to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer

mix in the egg (1)

mix to form a rough, shaggy dough

pour in the cooled, browned butter (30g)

knead until the dough is soft, supple, and passes the windowpane test (this will take about 10-15 minutes with a stand mixer, longer by hand!)

cover and let rise in a warm place for 60-75 minutes

meanwhile, prepare the coconut filling and sugar syrup (below)

tip the proofed dough out onto the work surface and pat down lightly into a rectangle about 1cm thick and about 2:1 aspect ratio

spread the coconut filling evenly across the dough

roll into a log

if the dough is too floppy and difficult to handle you can transfer it to the fridge for 5-10 minutes to solidify

cut the dough in half down the long axis, leaving about 3cm at one end uncut

twist the cut halves so they face upwards, and twist around each other to make a spiral

confused? this is a good photo showing the steps (except I keep one end whole to make it easier to handle)

tuck the ends under the spiral and gently place the babka in the prepared loaf tin

cover lightly and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes

towards the end of the proofing period, preheat oven to 180°C

transfer the buns to the oven and bake for 25 minutes

brush the babka with the sugar syrup as soon as it comes out of the oven

coconut filling

add the brown sugar (50g), butter (50g), and coconut (75g) to a small saucepan

cook over medium heat until the butter has melted and coconut slightly toasted

remove from the heat and let cool slightly

stir in the flour (5g) and a pinch of salt

set aside until needed

glaze

add the sugar (30g) and water (30g) to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments until the sugar has dissolved