These no yeast lemon mini babkas (babeczki) are quick and easy. Whip up these traditional Polish Easter cakes with zingy lemon and discover the beauty of these light and fluffy cakes.
Mini Babkas (Babeczki Cytrynowe Do Swieconki)
Babkas (babeczki) are a light and delicate cake traditionally made in Poland at Easter. These ones are lemon flavoured, bringing them a bright and zesty flavour.
Traditionally they’re made with yeast, but these ones are yeast-free so they’re super easy to make!
I’m posting the recipe to celebrate the release of the lovely Ren Behan’s debut cookbook Wild Honey and Rye
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Ren Behan describes the mini babkas in her book:
“In Poland, the babka is a cake, similar to a brioche, traditionally made with yeast and eaten at Easter. Original babka recipes use yeast as a way of helping the cake to rise. However, as I tend not to bake with yeast very often, I use a light cake flour and a little baking powder, and beat the mixture well to incorporate lots of air. I like to make mini versions of the traditional Easter babka.”
Wild Honey and Rye Cookbook
This amazing recipe for mini babkas comes from my fellow food blogger and Pavilion Books author, Ren Behan.
I’ve known the lovely Ren for a few years in the blogging community and we both found ourselves signed to Pavilion at around the same time to write our debut cookbooks.
We both know the crazy journey that making a cookery book is and how amazingly rewarding it is to see the book in print. Read Ren’s story behind her book. Read my story about making the Veggie Desserts cookbook.
Wild Honey and Rye is a celebration of modern Polish recipes.
In creating the recipes for this book, Ren took inspiration from her heritage and the food of her childhood.
She’s also woven in flavours from fashionable eateries and markets of modern Poland in order to create this inspiring and unique book.
Chapters – Wild Honey and Rye
- The Polish pantry
- Sweet and savoury breakfasts
- Seasonal and raw salads
- Seasonal soups and market-inspired sides
- Light bites and street food
- Food for family and friends
- High tea: sweet treats and cakes
- Fruit liqueurs and flavoured vodkas
The Book
Ren’s book is a joy to read and passion for her heritage comes across on every page, and not just in this lemon babka babeczki recipe.
Family stories and photographs are woven into the recipes and introduction, giving us a glimpse into her life and culture.
She’s shone a spotlight on traditional Polish foods and thrust them into today, making them at once traditional and current. The expected flavours of dill, beetroot, sauerkraut, honey and rye are twisted and tweaked.
This makes them even more intriguing and exciting.
Born in Britain to Polish parents, Ren has brought Polish cuisine to the British plate in this beautifully written and photographed book. Choosing one to recreate for you all was so, so difficult. I can’t wait to cook from it more.
Get the recipe for Easy Lemon Mini Babkas
In the book, Ren suggests adding a white chocolate icing to the babkas (babeczki), but I had to bribe the kids with my stockpile of white chocolate over the school holidays, so I opted for the traditional dusting of icing sugar.
If you make this recipe, please tag it with #veggiedesserts on Instagram or other social media. I LOVE seeing your recreations of my recipes.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of Wild Honey and Rye by Ren Behan. Permission was given by Pavilion Books to republish this recipe for Easy Lemon Mini Babkas (babeczki). All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
Easy Lemon Mini Babkas (Babeczki)
Ingredients
- cake release spray for greasing
- 200 g caster sugar (superfine)
- 4 eggs
- 50 g butter at room temperature
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 125 g plain yogurt
- 280 g ‘00’ pasta flour or cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
To decorate (optional)
- 1 tbsp powdered icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Spray the mini bundt trays with cake release oil.
- Put the caster sugar, eggs, butter and oil into a large bowl and whisk together well for 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and yogurt and mix again.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, and gently fold in, using a metal spoon, until all the flour is incorporated. Carefully pour the mixture into the mini bundt trays.
- Bake for 20–30 minutes or until the cakes are a light golden colour and a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the babkas to cool in the trays. Turn out when cool enough to handle.
- When cool, lightly dust with the powdered icing sugar.
Margot
They look so delicious! I tried to make babka several times but it was never so light as I remember from my childhood. Yours look perfect…
Ren
Dear Kate, thank you so much for cooking from Wild Honey and Rye! I’m so happy to be a fellow Pavilionite, such a wonderful journey and experience for us both. I love your Lemon Babkas, they look so perfect and so light and fluffy. I feel so lucky to have been able to bring these recipes together and to be able to share my culinary heritage beyond my blog.
Jane
These look very tempting, gonna pin to remind to make them next week!
Jane x
stuart hargreaves
really nice- wild honey beware of the wild bees
Janice
These are so pretty and look really light too.
Nicky
I can’t believe I’ve never made babkas! I need to get that gorgeous mould!
Gorgeous pics – those babkas look so fluffy and light.
Jennifer @ The Champagne Supernova
Wow, these would be a perfect after school treat for my two daughters. Love this- get in my belly!
Rhian Westbury
I love anything with lemon in it, it has such a tangy taste, and these look yummy x
Heidi Roberts
This is such a beautiful book isn’t it. Those little cakes look delicious and light.
Helen @ family-friends-food.com
Those cakes sound delicious & look beautiful – I love your mini bundt tins!
Ren’s book is fabulous. I’m looking forward to cooking from it as there are so many terrific sounding recipes.