Ingredients:
Dough:
250 g of soft butter, taken out of the fridge in advance to reach room temperature (I used 200 g)
200 g of sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
3/4 tsp of vanilla extract (or 1 packet of vanilla sugar)
350 g of flour (a little less was used)
2 tsp of baking powder (or 1 tsp of baking soda, dissolved in sour cream)
160 ml of 12% cream at room temperature (liquid homemade sour cream)
200 g of berries (currants, blueberries, etc.) in the dough + 1 tbsp of flour for dusting (I added poppy seeds, raisins, and chocolate)
Powdered sugar for dusting
Preparation:
1. Sift the flour and mix it with the baking powder.
2. Cream the butter with the sugar at high speed using a mixer for 4 minutes. Reduce to low speed and add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix.
3. Add half of the flour to the butter mixture and mix quickly. Add the sour cream (I used it with baking soda, so I didn’t add baking powder), and mix. Gradually add the remaining flour and mix well. The dough should be as thick as very dense sour cream.
4. Dust the berries with flour and add them to the dough, gently mixing with a spoon. I think you could also substitute dried fruits instead of berries. I added 2 tbsp of dried poppy seeds, a handful of raisins, and 50 g of chocolate cut into small cubes.
5. Transfer the dough to a greased silicone bundt pan and bake in a preheated oven for 65 minutes at 180°C (350°F). (It baked for me in 50 minutes at 200°C (400°F)). Let the babka cool.
6. Remove from the pan and generously dust with powdered sugar (this way, you can slightly reduce the amount of sugar in the dough). Alternatively, you can glaze it: mix 3 tbsp of sugar, cocoa, milk, and 50 g of butter. You can also add a bit of rum flavoring for a taste reminiscent of the candy “Romashka.”