Product review: Mezonos Maven Chocolate Babka

Chocolate babka has always been one of my favorite foods. For those not familiar with this traditional Jewish pastry, the dough resembles a cross between a croissant and a loaf of flaky bread and there is a fudgy chocolate swirl throughout. In other posts, I have mentioned Sunday brunches at my grandparents’ apartment in New York. They always bought tons of food and, although all delicious, it was the chocolate babka that I looked forward to the most. It was the perfect after-bagel treat…even if it meant eating “cake” at 9 in the morning. This babka was probably the only dairy version I have ever eaten (most are pareve, meaning that they are non-dairy). The presence of dairy in this treat created a buttery, flaky crust with a sweet, chocolate filling. I liked the babka so much that my grandparents would buy one for the family brunch and then a second for me to bring back to Boston (where the babkas were/are vastly inferior to their New York/New Jersey cousins.) For years, this babka was the standard by which I judged all other babkas. No others even came close). Unfortunately, the bakery that made this incredible pastry closed several years ago. I was so disappointed, thinking that I might never find a babka that met my high standards.

I was right that I may never find a babka quite like the one I grew up eating. But…I have found two great alternative versions since. My favorite is the one from Trader Joe’s, although it is very different from most babkas, in that it tastes more like chocolate fudge stuffed into a crust. But, as a chocolate lover, it does not present a problem for me!

My second choice is the one that Costco (at least the ones in Waltham and Dedham, MA) tends to carry around the Jewish High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). I know that other Costco stores (probably the ones with large Jewish populations) carry it all year. It is made by a bakery in Brooklyn called Mezonos Maven. It is pareve, and therefore dryer than the buttery dairy one I used to love. However, it is certainly not bad. It has a soft dough and a lot of chocolate, which are critical components of a good babka…I want a large chocolate to dough ratio rather than a loaf of bread with a dab of chocolate here and there.

The babka is Costco-sized 😀 but if you are not buying it for a crowd,it freezes very well. You can either let it defrost or you can warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave. It is delicious warm, as the crust gets soft and the chocolate filling melts and becomes extra fudgy. Just don’t warm it for too long or the dough will harden up.

Chocolate babka is often served as a breakfast dessert (because, really, what Jewish meal-even breakfast–is complete without some sort of cake ??😜) but I find it too rich/sleep-inducing for morning. I like it as a nighttime dessert. I tend to eat it plain, but I bet it would be delicious with a glass of milk, or for an extra chocolate fix, maybe some hot chocolate.

I am so glad that Costco carries this product for the holidays and I make sure to buy at least one extra…but I wish they round carry it all year! The Costco stores I frequent always have rugelach but I don’t find that nearly as appealing as babka.

Anyone else a babka fan? Any other babka recommendations? (I will “cheat” on Costco for a great one!)

[[Update for Spring 2017: Since the time of the original post, I have noticed that Costco now carries the babka outside of the high holiday time…however, they now carry the Beigel’s version. Because of its incredible chocolately goodness (think fudge enrobed in oily dough), I stick with the Trader Joe’s version. It seems that this is the right decision, as I have heard that the Beigel’s variety is not nearly as chocolatey…and it certainly looks dryer and less appealing to me.

Please comment if you have tried this new variety…worth it?]]