The classic rum baba is popular all over Europe and many lay claim to its origins. But no one can deny that it was in Paris that it became the rum baba we know and love today.
The base of a rum baba is eastern European – from a babka cake. A popular sweet treat, it made an appearance in France when King Stanislaus I of Poland and his family were exiled to northeast France in 1719 and took their pastry chefs with them.
One legend says that the King added alcohol to a dry babka cake and the rum baba was born. No one knows for sure.
SERVINGS:12
INGREDIENTS:
For the babà:
- 1teaspoonactive-dry yeast
- 1tablespoonmilk
- 21/4cupsstrong white flour (also known as bread flour or baker’s flour)
- 1/4cupsugar
- 6medium sized eggs, cold from the fridge and beaten
- 1/2cupbutter, room temperature
- 1pinchof salt
For the syrup:
- 1cupwhite sugar
- 1lemon or orange peel
- 9ouncesof rum
- 3cupswater
- 1splashapricot jam for glazing
DIRECTIONS:
Combine the fresh yeast with the milk and 2 tablespoons of the flour until you get a small ball of dough.
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Leave in a bowl, covered in cling wrap and in a warm place, for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Note: I find active-dry yeast most reliable for this recipe. You could use fresh yeast in the appropriate conversion but try not to use instant yeast here as the proving stage is important.
Also, use strong flour (bread flour), rather than soft flours (all purpose or cake flour), as it contains more gluten, making a very elastic dough that will rise well in the oven to create that perfect babà shape.
Place the rest of the flour in a mixer with the ball of dough, then, with the mixer running, add the sugar and the beaten eggs.
Keep the mixer on, working the dough for roughly 15-20 minutes or until the dough begins pulling away from the sides of the bowl and is very elastic.
At this point, add the salt and then the butter, chopped into small cubes, one piece at a time, combining well after each addition, which should take another 15 minutes.
The dough should become softer and paler.
Remove from the mixer, cover the bowl with cling wrap and let the dough rise for three hours in a warm place.
In the meantime, prepare the syrup by placing the citrus rinds in a saucepan with the water and sugar.
Bring the boil and when the sugar has dissolved, take the pan off the heat.
At this point or when cooler, you can add the rum (don’t cook the rum as the alcohol will evaporate – unless you don’t want this to be an adult’s only dessert!).
Set aside, covered, and allow the mixture to infuse until needed.
Prepare the molds by buttering and flouring them well – for traditional babà use individual molds just over 2 inches in height and 2 inches in diameter on top, slightly tapered towards the bottom – a popover pan of similar dimensions works just as well.
When the dough has risen, take apricot-sized balls (about 2-2 1/2 ounces each; you can weigh the first one to get an idea) with your hands and place them in the molds (they should fill the moulds by about a third).
Leave to rest in a warm place, away from drafts, until the dough forms a dome and rises to the top of the molds.
Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes or until the babà has developed a deep golden-brown colour, on the darker rather than the blonder side.
Let cool.
At this point, you can store the babà in an air tight container for later (in the fridge they keep for a week; they also freeze well for 2 months), or you can proceed with the soaking.
Heat the rum syrup until it is warm, then, off the heat, emerge the babà in the syrup, turning delicately until soaked through.
Pull them out with tongs and squeeze the excess syrup out gently then place on a rack over a baking tray to catch any drips.
Try to keep the babà vertical, or if on their sides, rotate them regularly so that the syrup soaks through evenly.
Brush them with some strained apricot jam (if needed, heat or dilute with a bit of syrup) to give them a bit of shine.
The rum syrup itself will keep in the fridge for up to a month.
Just before serving, sprinkle some more of the rum syrup over the top of them and don’t be shy about it.
If not eating the soaked babà straight away, store them in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
Bring to room temperature before serving as they are or, if you’re feeling indulgent, cut them in half but not all the way to the bottom, pipe pastry cream through the middle and arrange some strawberry slices on top.
FAQs
What is babà Neapolitan made of? ›
The Italian rum baba, or babà al rum, is a typical dessert of the Neapolitan tradition. It is a leavened sponge cake which is baked in a classic fluted mold – or in individual aluminum cups for the single-portion version – and then generously soaked in a sticky, citrus-scented rum syrup.
Is rum baba Italian or French? ›The modern baba au rhum (rum baba), with dried fruit and soaked in rum, was invented in the rue Montorgueil in Paris, France, in 1835 or before. Today, the word baba in France and almost everywhere else outside Central and Eastern Europe usually refers specifically to the rum baba.
Why is rum cake called babà? ›The origins of Baba au Rhum come from the babka - a yeast cake that can still be found in Poland and Ukraine. In fact, Baba means "grandmother", while babka means something more affectionate roughly translating to "little grandmother."' So how did a Polish cake make it to France?
How much alcohol is in a rum baba? ›Ingredients. Water, sugar, cream (milk) (10%), wheat flour, rum 54° (6.9%), whole egg, egg white, raising agents (sodium diphosphates, sodium carbonates, wheat flour), honey, salt, natural vanilla flavouring, gelling agent: pectin.
What does baba mean in Italian? ›At the first place, just like the Neapolitan pizza and mandolin, goes the phrase: “Si' 'nu babbà'”, “You are a baba”, to describe a person who is sweet, precious, a treasure, the biggest compliment that a Neapolitan can do.
What is the dessert baba in Naples? ›Babà al rum are delicious sponge cakes soaked in a sticky, citrus-scented boozy syrup. Although Italians often link babà with the city of Naples, this much-loved dessert actually originated in the eighteenth century in Central Europe, namely in the Duchy of Lorraine.
What is the difference between rum baba and savarin? ›What is the difference between a savarin and a baba? Traditionally if the dough is shaped like a donut, the final product is called “savarin”; if the shape resembles a champagne cork, it's called “baba“.
What is a rum cake called? ›Traditionally, dried fruit is soaked in rum for months and then added to dough prepared with sugar which has been caramelized by boiling in water. The result, also known as "black cake", is similar to a fruitcake, with a lighter texture.
What is the famous Italian rum? ›Italian Rum Brands Making a Mark
Brands such as Ron Millonario and Savanna Italian Rum are known for their exceptional quality and distinctive character, offering a range of products that appeal to a variety of tastes.
An Elvis Presley cake is a single-layer classic yellow cake that's topped with a pineapple glaze. Much like a poke cake, the syrup and juices of the pineapple will seep into the cake through fork holes, resulting in a decadent, ultra-moist cake.
Why is it called Devil's cake? ›
There are a few theories as to how it got its name. One, it's the decadent counterpart to angel food cake. Two, it's sinfully delicious. Finally, devil's food cake came about during a time when food that was spicy, rich, or dark was described as deviled, like deviled ham and deviled eggs.
Can you still get rum babas? ›The Rum Baba is back and more popular than ever. Demand for the sponge soaked in rum flavoured syrup is growing by the day.
What is the best rum for desserts? ›In these cases, the best rum for desserts is always a dark aged rum, like the Dos Maderas 5+5 or Selección and for those desserts that get lit on fire, including the deceptively complex yet truly simple New Orleans Bananas Foster, a higher proof dark rum is ideal.
Can rum baba make you drunk? ›However, if you have something like a rum cake soaked in rum after preparing and before serving, or liquor filled candies, yes the alcohol can have an intoxicating effect. However if you eat enough to get you “drunk” you may end up rather sick from all the sugar and other stuff with it.
What is the difference between baba and babka? ›As is babka, which is among the most beloved of Jewish comfort foods. But while babas are large cakes and were mostly saved for special occasions such as Easter, babkas, though similarly egg-rich and yeasty, were smaller and regularly baked by Jewish balaboostas.
Why is Baba popular in Naples? ›The form is reminiscent of babka, a traditional Polish cake. It was “invented” when an exiled king of Poland decided to soak the local Gugelhupf cake in alcohol. It was brought to Napoli by French pastry chefs and quickly took off as a local favorite.
What is the history of the Baba Naples? ›The babà as we know it today was originally a naturally leavened cake from Poland (babka ponczowa), passed through France before arriving in Naples. It is said that Stanislaus Lesczynski, king of Poland from 1704 to 1735, invented it by accident in the early eighteenth century.
Where did the babba come from? ›The Neapolitan babà born in France
A recipe that links Naples, France and even Poland, because it was invented by the Polish king Stanislao Leszczyński, in exile in the French region, who decided to add a syrup to rum with kugelhopf, a typical sweet he considered too dry.
Baba ("father, grandfather, wise old man, sir") is a Persian honorific term, used in several West Asian and South Asian cultures. It is used as a mark of respect to refer to Hindu ascetics (sannyasis) and Sikh gurus, as a suffix or prefix to their names, e.g. Sai Baba of Shirdi, Baba Ramdevji, etc.