Bob, when babka was first baked in the 12th century, it was made as a tall cake, baked in a special fluted pan that seemed to have a skirt like a grandmother's apron. (The name babka or baba comes from the word grandmother.) Traditional babkas were also often baked in a tall cylindrical pan-- check out this article here if you'd like to look at one such example. Today it is more commonly prepared in a loaf pan like what you see here. Happy baking! Kye@KAF

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