Efrat's Notebook

Chocolate Pull-Apart Yeast Cake Draft

Two loaf-pan yeast cakes made of dough and chocolate-spread layers stood on their sides, so you pull them apart by hand, glazed with maple syrup.

  • Cook35 min
  • Total35 min
  • Makes2 loaf cakes
  • KashrutDairy

What you need

Amount:2

Dough

Filling

Glaze

How I make it

Dough and first rise

  1. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour and yeast.

  2. Melt the butter and stir it into the milk to make a lukewarm mixture.

  3. Add the butter mixture, sugar, eggs and salt to the flour and knead on medium speed for 5 minutes, until smooth, soft and shiny.

  4. Spray with oil so the dough doesn't dry out, cover and let rise until doubled.

Assembly and second rise

  1. Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface and roll into a rectangle about ¼ inch (0.5 cm) thick.

  2. Spread the dough with the chocolate spread.

  3. Cut the dough into 5 long strips 2½-2¾ inches (6-7 cm) wide, about the length of a skewer, and stack them so the top layer is chocolate.

  4. Cut the stack crosswise into pieces 1½ inches (4 cm) wide.

  5. Stand the pieces in a greased loaf pan, packed tightly together, cut side down. The dough should fill the full width of the pan but only half its height.

  6. Assemble the second cake the same way.

  7. Let rise until doubled, when the cakes nearly fill the pans.

Baking and glazing

  1. Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C).

  2. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden, set and still soft when pressed. Peek between the layers with a knife to make sure the inside is baked.

  3. As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, drizzle a tablespoon of maple syrup over each and brush to cover the whole top.

  4. Cool slightly, transfer to a serving plate, then pull apart and eat with your hands.

What I've learned

  • The direction matters. I stand the pieces so the stripes run up and down; otherwise you don't get the pull-apart effect.
  • I use a skewer to measure the strip width, and a pizza wheel makes the cutting easiest.
  • Don't worry if the dough fills only half the pan. After rising and baking, the cake comes out tall.
  • If the spread is stiff, especially in winter or straight from the fridge, I warm it briefly in the microwave to soften it.
  • The maple syrup warms on the hot cake and turns runny and easy to brush within seconds.

Source: ChefEf (chefef.com)