Babka Bread, also known as bobka or baba, is a sweet spongy type yeast cake sometimes made with a fruit filling and glazed with fruit-flavored icing. There are a number of recipes for both sweet and savory versions.

Babka is believed to have originated in the 1600s. King Stanislas Leszczynska allegedly dipped the bread in rum because he thought that his customary kouglhopf was too dry. He supposedly named the new food after Ali Baba, a character in the book A Thousand and One Nights.http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/BabaCake.htm

Babka can be either sweet or savory, and can come in a few different variations. In Jewish tradition, the loaf is twisted in length and filled with cinnamon or chocolate rather than fruit. In Lithuania, Babka is made with grated potatoes, egg, onion, and bacon or as a sweet version with raisins. Commonly, those celebrating Easter in the U.S. have adopted the sweeter version of the bread incorporating a blend of raisins and cinnamon. Some alternative babke recipes even use cheese as a filling.