This weekend we are celebrating World Vegan Day, so we have teamed up with very talented Sanj Cooks who has created the Babka of all Babkas! These vegan Babkas incorporate our much loved Happy Hippy which is full of floral orange and geranium.

It is important to us to produce delicious chocolate for those avoiding dairy or who choose to live a vegan lifestyle. We probably have the most extensive collection of vegan chocolate bars and truffles around! We pride ourselves on our chocolate recipes and never compromise on flavour. View our vegan range here

 

 

Vegan Babka

What you'll need 

For the babka:

• 90g bar of Happy Hippy Dark Chocolate Orange & Geranium bar
• 40g dark chocolate chips
• 150 g of bread flour
• 160 g of all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 7 g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 200ml of almond or coconut milk
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the candied oranges:

• 2 large oranges
• 130g of white sugar
• 220ml water

Get making!

1. Mix the flour, salt, yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Pour in the almond or coconut milk (make sure this is not cold from the fridge, must be room temperature) and stir altogether with a large spoon. Then add the olive oil and combine.
3. When the mixture has mostly combined, turn the mixture out on to a work surface. Knead the mixture by holding one end of the dough in one hand and stretching it out with the other hand. Turn the dough 90 degrees and start again. Repeat this for approximately 10 - 12 minutes until the dough is smooth and has a slight glossy texture.
4. Put the dough in a large bowl, coat with a thin layer of olive oil and cover the bowl with a tea towel. Leave it in a warm place (such as inside a cupboard) for between 1 – 2 hours until it has doubled in size.
5. Slice the oranges in to thin wedges and scoop out the flesh and rind.
6. Put sliced oranges into a small pot with water and the sugar. Bring to the boil gently then simmer for another 1 hour until sugar syrup thickens. Set aside to let them cool. Once cool, chop them up into small pieces.
7. Gently melt both the dark chocolate over a pot of boiling water, frequently stirring. Add a few drops of coconut or almond milk if the chocolate begins to thicken too much.
8. Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Place the dough on the dusted work surface.
9. Punch down again to release any more air bubbles if needed. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough in to a rectangular shape about 11 x 15 inches (28 x 38 cm) in size. No need to be precise.
10. Generously grease a loaf pan (I used 5 inch/21cm long, 4.5 inch/11cm wide and 3inch/7cm high) with vegetable oil or sunflower oil.
11. Spoon the chocolate filling over the rolled-out dough, and spread it out with spatula all the way to the edges, until you get an even thin layer of dark chocolate sauce. Scatter a generous helping of the candied orange and reserve the orange sugar liquid to glaze the babka after baking.
12. Roll up the babka lengthwise, so that you end up with an 11 - 12 inch long log. Position the rolled-up log and cut it lengthwise in half. Turn each half of the log so that the cut side faces upwards and twist the two strands around each other to form a plait shape
13. Tuck the ends of the strands underneath the babka and transfer it into the greased loaf tin.
14. Allow the Babka to proof in a warm space for up to 1 hour. Brush the babka with a little coconut or almond milk.
15. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and brush the remaining orange sugar glaze.