Eggless Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake
This Eggless Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake is a cross between a babka and coffee cake. This yeast dough has layers filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans, and it's topped with a sweet glaze. This nostalgic holiday breakfast was something we had every holiday season, and it makes the best brunch for Christmas day.
If you love brunch, try some of my other favorites like Peppermint Mocha Coffee Cake, Maple Pumpkin Spice Baked Donuts, Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls, and Eggless Blueberry Babka Coffee Cake.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Eggless Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake
- Ready In: 3 hours 55 minutes
- Makes: 12 servings
- Main Ingredients: butter, yeast, all purpose flour, cinnamon
- Flavor Profile: cinnamon, brown sugar and hearty pecans
- Dietary Info: eggless, no seed oils
- Difficulty: Medium
- Why You’ll Love It: light, pillowy cinnamon-roll like coffee cake
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Yeast Dough: You will love this recipe because it's not your traditional coffee cake! This Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake is made with a yeast dough and it's filled with cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans.
- Babka: Just like traditional babka, the dough is cut, swirled, and spiraled together to create an amazing swirl with every slice. This is a round babka coffee cake that you can cut just like a cake!
- Eggless: While most enriched yeast doughs have eggs, this one is free of eggs but it is still incredibly light and fluffy!
- Nostalgic: For me, this is the best cinnamon pecan coffee cake recipe out there as it so nostalgic and reminds me exactly what we had from a bakery growing up. I think of this as a Christmas coffee cake, because that was the only time of year we had it.
- Brunch or Dessert: This Eggless Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake can double as brunch or dessert! That makes this the best round babka to make for the upcoming holidays as you can enjoy it for brunch or with a warm cup of coffee.
What is babka?
Babka is a swirled bread that is made up of an enriched yeasted dough. This typically means the dough has butter, eggs, milk, and sugar in it along with the flour. Babka was derived from Challah bread, (which is why its made with a sweet enriched dough) and it was usually made when there was leftover Challah dough and other ingredients.
The inside of babka can be filled with anything from cinnamon and sugar, jams, chocolate, fruit, and more. Once the dough is filled, it's rolled up to enclose the filling. Then it's cut down the center to reveal the filling, and then twisted and baked so you can see the beautiful swirls. You can make more traditional babka in a loaf pan, but I also love making round babka, like this!
While I'm calling this an Eggless Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake, it's not a traditional coffee cake at all! But, this was what I knew coffee cake as from childhood. This version doesn't have a moist cake, crumb topping, crunchy crumbs or streusel crunch. Instead, this texture is light, fluffy and more pastry like with cinnamon, pecans, and a sweet glaze.
Ingredients
- Yeast: I use RedStar Organic Instant Yeast.
- Cane Sugar: You'll need a little organic cane sugar to activate the yeast for this round babka.
- Milk: Use whole milk for the best flavor. I have also tested this with coconut milk if you want nondairy milk.
- Honey: Because this is eggless, I use a little honey inside the dough for sweetener and structure.
- Powdered Sugar: I use organic powdered sugar for the glaze. This provides a little sweetness to go with the fluffy dough.
- Dark Brown Sugar: I use my Homemade Dark Brown Sugar, but store bought also works. Dark brown sugar mixes in with the spices inside each and every swirl of this babka.
- Chinese Five Spice: This is my secret ingredient in perfectly spiced babka. This organic Chinese five spice is made up of five spices: cinnamon, fennel seed, cloves, star anise, and white pepper. Not all Chinese five spices use the same five spices though, so I recommend using this one. This spice mix is amazing blend of sweet, cozy, and a little savory. It really makes this babka!
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker's Tips
- Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
- Make sure your yeast is fresh, if it's not bubbly, then it's not good and you should get fresh yeast before beginning the recipe.
- While I provide time estimates for dough rising, it's always best to look for visual signs that your dough has risen. This can take less time or more depending on your temperature or climate.
- If you don't have dark brown sugar you can make your own with my Homemade Dark Brown Sugar recipe or you can use light brown, but the flavor will not be as rich.
- If you don't have pecans you can omit them or you can even use almonds or walnuts.
- Make sure to store this in a cake dome so it stays fresh for days.
How to Make Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake
Step 1
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the instant yeast, 1/2 teaspoon cane sugar, and water.
Step 2
In a small pot, add the butter, milk, and honey and melt over medium heat until the honey and butter are completely melted.
Step 3
Add the dry ingredients: all purpose flour, remaining 57 grams cane sugar, salt and Chinese five spice to the stand mixing bowl with the yeast mixture.
Step 4
Pour the melted butter and milk mixture into the mixing bowl and mix on low until a smooth dough forms. This will take bout 2 minutes.
Step 5
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise for 2 to 3 hours, until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 6
To make the topping: In a small bowl, add the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix together.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 12 x 9-inches.
Using a spatula, spread the butter onto the dough. Then top it with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Then sprinkle the pecans on top.
Step 7
Starting at the longer side, roll the dough so it is completely rolled into a log. Pinch the dough to seal it and put the seam side down. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough log in half lengthwise to expose the rolled inside. Twist the halves together, leaving the cut side up.
Spiral the dough into a circle and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 40 or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
Step 8
To make the glaze: In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and water and whisk together until you have a smooth glaze. Add into a pastry bag with a tiny hole, or just drizzle the glaze over the top of the babka with a spoon. Store under a cake dome for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQ's
Technically babka is a bread. It’s uses yeast, therefore putting it in the bread category. It is an enriched bread (which means it has sugar, butter, and eggs) and it is sweet in comparison to traditional bread. It was first created in the Jewish community when bakers would have leftover scraps of Challah, they’d fill it with jam and roll it up to make babka. Because babka is filled with sweet things like chocolate, cinnamon, or jam it can be more in the dessert category than in the bread category.
Coffee cake is technically any cake you eat with coffee. And, because I make this into a round babka and slice it like cake, I call it coffee cake as this was how I was introduced to coffee cake as a kid.
Yes, you can definitely make this Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake ahead of time. If you make it the day before, just be sure to store it in a cake dome so it stays moist. If you don't have a cake dome, then let the glaze set and then wrap the entire circle in plastic wrap. This is how it used to come from the bakery we got it from when I was a kid.
Yes, if you want to just make the dough in advance you can do that. Do everything down to cutting the babka dough and swirling it into a circle and placing it on the baking sheet. Then, cover that baking sheet with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out and stick it in the fridge. The next morning, preheat your oven and remove the babka from the fridge. Then, bake as instructed. It may need a few extra minutes.
I highly recommend you high tail it to the store then and pick some up! Chinese five spice is pretty common and you should have no problem finding it at your local grocery store. But, if you just refuse to do that, you could substitute cinnamon, allspice, or cloves. All of those spices would be good – they’re just not as good!
The trick to perfect babka swirls is slicing the dough down the center and twisting it. The tighter and more twists you make, the more swirls you'll get.
If your yeast was expired the dough won't rise. Be sure to make sure your yeast is fresh and it helps to keep the dough in a warm place for rising. If your kitchen is too cold, it will hinder rising. You can set dough by your oven (if it's on) or by your fire place or pellet stove!
When it's doubled in size. While I provide a time range, always be sure to look for visual signs the dough has doubled in size before moving on. It may take longer if your kitchen is colder, so be sure to keep dough in a warm place so it rises well.
If you didn't let the dough rise properly, it can be dense.
It's best stored under a cake dome so it stays soft and fluffy.
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Eggless Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Small Pot
- Stand Mixer
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
Dough
- 10 grams instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon cane sugar
- ¼ cup warm water
- 57 grams salted butter
- 1 cup milk
- 7 grams raw honey
- 446 grams all purpose flour
- 57 grams cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice
Filling
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 113 grams dark brown sugar (packed)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 127 grams pecans (chopped)
Glaze
- 142 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the instant yeast, 1/2 teaspoon cane sugar, and water.
- In a small pot, add the butter, milk, and honey and melt over medium heat until the honey and butter are completely melted.
- Add the dry ingredients: all purpose flour, remaining 57 grams cane sugar, salt and Chinese five spice to the stand mixing bowl with the yeast mixture.
- Pour the melted butter and milk mixture into the mixing bowl and mix on low until a smooth dough forms. This will take bout 2 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise for 2 to 3 hours, until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make the topping: In a small bowl, add the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix together.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 12 x 9-inches.
- Using a spatula, spread the butter onto the dough. Then top it with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Then sprinkle the pecans on top.
- Starting at the longer side, roll the dough so it is completely rolled into a log. Pinch the dough to seal it and put the seam side down. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough log in half lengthwise to expose the rolled inside. Twist the halves together, leaving the cut side up.
- Spiral the dough into a circle and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 40 or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
- To make the glaze: In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and water and whisk together until you have a smooth glaze. Add into a pastry bag with a tiny hole, or just drizzle the glaze over the top of the babka with a spoon.
- Store under a cake dome for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
- Make sure your yeast is fresh, if it's not bubbly, then it's not good and you should get fresh yeast before beginning the recipe.
- While I provide time estimates for dough rising, it's always best to look for visual signs that your dough has risen. This can take less time or more depending on your temperature or climate.
- If you don't have dark brown sugar you can make your own with my Homemade Dark Brown Sugar recipe or you can use light brown, but the flavor will not be as rich.
- If you don't have pecans you can omit them or you can even use almonds or walnuts.
- Make sure to store this in a cake dome so it stays fresh for days.
- High Altitude — Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition
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This is the most delicious coffee cake I’ve ever had! The layers of cinnamon and sugar combined with soft and pillowy dough and little bits of pecans in every bite — this is a must bake!