This Neapolitan Ice Cream Babka has a chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla dough twisted together and topped with ice cream glaze.
This Neapolitan Ice Cream Babka brings the flavors of the popular ice cream into baked good form.
One might call Neapolitan the politically correct ice cream flavor.
Something for everyone.
Chocolate.
Vanilla.
And strawberry.
If you lived in a household of more than one kid this was usually the flavor in the fridge.
Or if you went to a kids party.
I always lucked out a kids parties because every kid wanted chocolate.
And so that got rationed.
But I wanted strawberry.
Which no kid ever seemed to want.
So I always got huge scoops of strawberry ice cream while other kids got tiny scoops of chocolate ice cream.
Ha!
Fools.
I actually made this recipe back in June.
When Seattle was having it’s super below average temperatures.
Some days it never even reached 60F.
Which for a girl who loves cool weather was the best.
It also meant that I got to bake bread in the middle of June.
But Mother Nature got us back by having unseasonable hot weather.
We broke the record for most days over 90F EVER.
Joy.
So the only part of this recipe I’ve been able to make right now is the melted ice cream. 🙂
I honestly thought I already posted this recipe.
But then realized that was just the Neapolitan Banana Bread Recipe.
Which is also good but its not a yeast bread (well, technically babka is cake).
What makes Babka a cake and not a bread?
Honestly, most people use them interchangeably.
Yeast cakes are a thing.
They were huge in Europe for awhile.
Still are in some places.
And just like most cakes they involve sugar.
But now they make savory babkas as well.
Which one could consider to be more of a bread.
Even on this blog I tend to call them cakes half the time and bread the other half. 🙂
Can I make this into one large babka?
Yes, you can.
You can just free form it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
I would suggest making it as a wreath.
Where instead of 17-inch long logs you have 34-inch long logs that you braid together and form into a wreath.
Or you can spiral it like one giant cinnamon roll.
That way the baking time would stay about the same.
I made the glaze thin because I wanted the color of the babka to show through.
Feel free to make yours thicker.
Just add more powdered sugar to do that.
You can also just make one glaze in the flavor of your favorite.
Just triple the glaze recipe for that flavor.
Note that if you go for chocolate the dark color of the glaze will not let the pretty colors of the babka shine through.
P.S. It’s a great day to buy my cookbook.
Want More Babka Recipes?
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Babka
Neapolitan Ice Cream Babka
Ingredients
- For the Dough:
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 package active dry yeast
- â…“ cup granulated sugar, plus 1 TBSP, divided
- 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, more as needed
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
- 10 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
- For the Vanilla Dough:
- 1 TBSP vanilla bean paste
- 1 TBSP melted vanilla ice cream
- For the Chocolate Dough:
- 3 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- For the Strawberry Dough:
- 3 TBSP freeze dried strawberry powder
- For the Icing:
- For the Vanilla Icing:
- 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 TBSP melted vanilla ice cream
- 1-2 TBSP milk
- For the Chocolate Icing:
- 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 TBSP melted vanilla ice cream
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1-2 TBSP milk
- For the Strawberry Icing:
- 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 TBSP melted vanilla ice cream
- 1 TBSP freeze dried strawberry powder
- 1-2 TBSP milk
Instructions
- For the Dough:
- In a small saucepan or a bowl in the microwave, warm the milk until it’s lukewarm but not hot (about 110 degrees).
- Add yeast and a pinch of sugar and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly foamy.
- In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, or in a food processor, mix together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, the salt, and the vanilla.
- Beat or process in the yeast mixture and eggs until the dough comes together in a soft mass, about 2 minutes.
- If the dough sticks to the side of the bowl and doesn’t come together, add a tablespoon more flour at a time until it does, beating very well in between additions.
- Add half the butter and beat or pulse until the dough is smooth and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Beat in the rest of the butter and continue to beat or pulse until the dough is smooth and stretchy, another 5 to 7 minutes.
- Again, if the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Divide the dough into thirds.
- Place one third of the dough back into the mixer and add the vanilla bean paste and melted vanilla ice cream. Mix until fully combined. Roll into a ball and set inside a medium butter greased bowl with a damp towel on top.
- Allow to rise until it has doubled, about 1 to 2 hours.
- Add another third of the dough and add the 3 TBSP freeze dried strawberry powder and mix until fully combined.
- Roll into a ball and set inside a medium butter greased bowl with a damp towel on top.
- Allow to rise until it has doubled, about 1 to 2 hours.
- Clean out the mixing bowl and add the last remaining third of the dough. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate chips and mix until fully combined.
- Roll into a ball and set inside a medium butter greased bowl with a damp towel on top.
- Allow to rise until it has doubled, about 1 to 2 hours.
- Press the dough down with your hands, re-cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight (or, in a pinch, for at least 4 hours, but the flavor won't be as developed).
- To Prepare the Babkas:
- Butter two 9-inch loaf pans, then line with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of paper hanging over on the sides to use as handles later.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and divide each third in half. So you will have two strawberries, two vanilla, and two chocolate.
- On a floured surface, place one strawberry dough ball and roll it into a 17-inch long roll.
- On a floured surface, place one vanilla dough ball and roll it into a 17-inch long roll.
- On a floured surface, place one chocolate dough ball and roll it into a 17-inch long roll.
- Place the three flavors next to each other so they are all lined up.
- Twist the thirds together as if you were braiding them, then tuck in the sides so it’s about 9 inches long.
- Place into a prepared pan.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until puffy (it won’t quite double).
- When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 350F.
- Transfer to oven and bake until a tester goes into the cakes without any rubbery resistance and comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
- The cakes will also sound hollow if you unmold them and tap on the bottom. An instant-read thermometer will read between 185 and 210 degrees.As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, use a skewer or paring knife to pierce them all over going all the way to the bottom of the cakes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
- For the Icing:
- For the Vanilla Icing:
- Whisk all the ingredients together and drizzle over the two babkas.If too thick add more milk. If too thin add more powdered sugar.
- For the Chocolate Icing:
- Whisk all the ingredients together and drizzle over the two babkas.
- If too thick add more milk. If too thin add more powdered sugar.
- For the Strawberry Icing:
- Whisk all the ingredients together and drizzle over the two babkas.
- If too thick add more milk. If too thin add more powdered sugar.
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