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Choclate Babka ?

  • m

I'm not sure I got the spelling right but does anyone know where I can get a Chocolate Babka (the highlight of one Seinfeld episode).

I think it's a Jewish cake.

Thanks - Mike

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  1. You can get chocolate babka at Hermes Bakery (on Bathurst near Lawrence - can't remember if it's north or south of L.) OR at The Bakery Factory on the north side of Steeles between Bathurst and Yonge. Those two places for sure, but you can probably get it at any Jewish bakery.

    3 Replies
    1. re: Nyleve

      Hermes is 6 blocks south of Lawrence off Bathurst at glengrove. Chocolate Babka is there.

      1. re: MC

        Its actually a eastern european cake (my polish family members and i make them in the easter season). don't have any good suggestions about where to find them since i just rely on our own but thought i'd clear up the background

        1. re: Becca

          Grodzinski's Bakery

          two locations:
          Bathurst at Ranee (west side) between Wilson and Lawrence

          Centre St just west of New Westminster in Thornhill

          Fully kosher bakery (closed on Saturday)

    2. Hi Mike -

      I am also looking for this... is there anywhere further south that sells it? Anyone know?


      Shiro Miso

      3 Replies
      1. re: shiro miso

        I don't know for sure, but it would be worth calling Harbord Bakery.

        1. re: embee

          That's awesome - thanks! Will call them.

          1. re: shiro miso

            I would encourage you to try the one from Kiva's at Bathurst and Steeles, however if you want more convenient I would find any What a Bagel (one at Yonge and Eglinton and many other locations), also Daiters on Eglinton is likely to have it. I'm a big Harbord fan but thats not the place for Bubka...even if they do have it.

      2. I've been looking for a good one in Toronto for years and, to date, have never been satisfied. Most have been too dry and insufficiently eggy for my taste and many of the kosher ones are pareve (i.e., they contain no butter). My benchmark is from a New Haven Connecticut hole-in-the-wall, Mrs Gitlitz (who would have died decades ago).

        You'll find a variety of okay babkas at Granowska's on Roncesvalles. If anyone can recommend better Polish bakery sources in Toronto/Mississauga, please jump in.

        I've heard great things about the chocolate babkas at a Chasidic place in Montreal called Cheskes.

        1 Reply
        1. re: embee

          Thanks embee. I am going to be in Montreal in the next few weeks. I will check out Cheskes and report back. I love assignments!

        2. Dear Mike,
          I bought a Chocolate Babka at Bagel Nash (formerly, What a Bagel) at Bayview north of Steeles, two weeks ago. BN is in the same plaza as Longo's, Ferrovia, Le Delice, etc. Their Babka's are very good, very old world, and seem to have rum or something in them. I've made them before, but never used the rum. BN is the place for you.

          1. Forgive my ignorance, but can anyone who's had both explain the difference between a chocolate babka and my current chocolate-and-bread favourite, chocolate buffalo from Haymishe bakery (or are they the same thing)? I find it hard to explain what exactly the buffalo is (beyond dough with chocolate inside) to other people, so maybe it's the same with a babka...

            3 Replies
            1. re: Strongbad789

              I have no idea what a chocolate buffalo is. Babka is a very generic term for an East European sweet bread, and there are many different types and many individual styles.

              My personal chocolate babka ideal would be a high loaf that is yeasty, eggy, buttery, and has dark chocolate shavings rolled into it. It is not too sweet and manages to be both flaky and fluffy at the same time. Creating this wouldn't be an easy task. I've never managed this myself.

              RIP Mrs Gitlitz

              1. re: embee

                Chocolate buffalo is more like a Danish than the bubka which is a loaf/cake type shape...different consistency and flavours..but both excellent as dessert or decadent with morning coffee...

              2. re: Strongbad789

                I've had the buffaloes from Haymishe, they are excellent. FYI - the only difference between the buffalo and the babka is the shape. Babkas are usually round, but sometimes made into a strip that you can slice similar to a strudel. Buffaloes are a single serving babka, that is if you can handle a whole one from Haymishe by yourself!