babka

American  

[bahb-kuh] / ˈbɑb kə /

noun

1. a sweet, spongy yeast cake with raisins, traditionally made in the form of a high cylinder, either solid or with a hole, often glazed, and sometimes flavored with rum.

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Etymology

Origin of babka

< Polish, diminutive of baba baba

Explanation

Babka is a sweet, braided yeast bread that originated in 19th-century Eastern Europe. Its many buttery layers and chocolate or cinnamon filling make babka a delicious treat. Eastern European Jewish communities invented babka, possibly to use up extra challah dough. It was traditionally made by spreading the dough with sugar, cinnamon, jam, or poppy seeds, rolling it, and baking it in a pan. Variations on this method include complicated braiding and weaving of the filled dough — and the 20th century saw the introduction of chocolate as a babka ingredient. Babka is a diminutive form of "grandmother," from the Yiddish bubbe.

Example Sentences

Popular items shipped at Thanksgiving time include bagels, smoked salmon, cream cheese and chocolate babka, typically ordered to be enjoyed the day after the feast and through that weekend, Russ Federman said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

No figgy pudding or, God forbid, baked ham, but black-and-white cookies, lox and bagels, brisket, latkes, babka and kichel.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2024

I think that babka spent the holidays going stale in the mailroom, being picked off by random employees or nibbled by mice.

From Salon • Dec. 9, 2024

Ariel says desserts like babka and cheesecake are popular too.

From Washington Times • Sep. 19, 2023

We milked first—since cows don’t celebrate Christmas—and then came in to a breakfast of eggs and grapefruit and cherry babka and hot tea.

From "Orbiting Jupiter" by Gary D. Schmidt