babka

noun

bab·​ka ˈbäb-kə 

ˈbab-

plural babkas

: a sweet bread made with yeast and butter:

a

: a sweet bread that contains various fillings (as of chocolate, cinnamon, or poppy seeds), is typically rolled and twisted before baking in a loaf pan, and is often topped with streusel

Tender yeast bread that begs to be pulled apart and ribbons of chunky bittersweet chocolate make this charming babka a coffee date to remember.

—Ian Knauer et al.

b

: a sweet bread that contains dried fruit (such as raisins), is baked in a round cake pan with scalloped sides, and is often topped with syrup, icing, or confectioners' sugar

Invert the babkas onto racks, let them cool, and sprinkle them with the confectioners' sugar …

—John G. Zawadzinski

Examples of babka in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From spam musubi croissants and Oaxacan mole babka to shakshuka za’atar brioche and mango-matcha cruffins, the assortment inside the pastry case is ever-changing thanks to seasonal produce from farms like Escondido’s JR Organics. —Candice Woo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2025

Take your pick from the day’s offerings: banana walnut bread, chocolate babka, cinnamon rolls, classic chocolate chunk cookies or sesame guava cookies. —Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 13 June 2025

At Mensch’s, both locations have coffee cake, chocolate chip banana bread, and babka, which can be prepared in a French toast fashion, and black and white cookies planned to come to both locations. —Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025

The hotel also hosts a monthly series, bringing in treats from bakeries around the country—our timing coincided with baked goods from NYC's Breads Bakery, including the famous babka. —Claudia Fisher, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Yiddish & Polish; Yiddish babke (in sense a), borrowed from Polish babka (in sense b), literally, "old woman, grandmother," diminutive of baba "grandmother, midwife, old woman"

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined above