This post has nothing to do with running. In fact this is not even close to a healthy recipe, but it is one of my favorites.

I’m sure there are many different cakes and breads that people refer to as “babka”, but this is the recipe that my Grandma has passed down to my mom, and she has passed down to me. After I started writing this I realized that I don’t know who passed the recipe down to my Grandma, so I’m going to find out next time I see her.

When I offer to bring dessert to a get-together, I get a request for this cake more than anything else I make. It lasts for days, it freezes and travels well and it is a delicious dessert and even better for breakfast the next day. My husband’s family fights over who gets to take the leftovers home. I love it so much that I wanted to share it with everyone. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Babka:

I cup unsalted butter

2 ¾ cups sugar

3 cups flour

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

6 eggs

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp lemon extract

½ tsp orange extract

1 cup sour cream

Cream together the sugar and butter. Add dry ingredients and blend until crumbly. Beat the eggs with a fork and add them slowly to the mixture and you blend (or add eggs one at a time). Add the sour cream and extracts and blend until you get a smooth creamy batter. Use an angel food cake pan (do not use a bundt pan, it won’t work out the same. Butter the cake pan and then sprinkle with breadcrumbs so the cake will come out of the pan.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake at 350 for 1 1/5 hours. Use a toothpick or skewer to test the inside of the cake to make sure it is baked all the way through.

Turn the cake out onto a plate and when it cools a bit, sprinkle with icing sugar. I slice this cake into one inch slices.

Tips: This cake is a great incentive to add an extra mile onto your run. 😉