Chocolate orange babka
Make a chocolate orange babka for a showstopping treat at Christmas. Babka is an enriched bread dough usually made in a loaf tin, but we've shaped it as a wreath
Maple pecan plait
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- Easy
- Serves 4
Skip to ingredients
- 150g pecan nutsroughly chopped
- 50g buttermelted
- 50g light brown soft sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 eggbeaten
- 320g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
For the icing
- 25g icing sugar
- 1 tsp maple syrup
Nutrition: Per serving
- kcal797
- fat58g
- saturates19g
- carbs54g
- sugars28g
- fibre5g
- protein10g
- salt0.95g
Method
step 1
Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Set aside 2 tbsp chopped pecans and tip the rest into a bowl. Mix in the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup, most of the beaten egg and a pinch of flaky sea salt until everything is well combined.
step 2
Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Unravel the pastry onto the parchment and spoon the pecan mixture in a thick strip down the centre of the pastry. Use a sharp knife to make 7-8 diagonal cuts down each side of the filling creating strips that you can fold over it. Alternate from left and right, crossing the strips to create a plaited effect. Brush the pastry with the remaining beaten egg then scatter with the reserved pecans. Bake for 25 mins or until the pastry is puffed up and deep golden. Once baked, allow the plait to cool slightly on the baking tray.
step 3
Meanwhile make the icing by mixing the icing sugar and maple syrup, and enough water to achieve a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the icing over the cooled pastry before serving. Cut into slices to serve.
