Baba au Rhum
Ingredients
- For the dough: 250 g flour, 7 g active dry yeast, 3 eggs, 30 g sugar, pinch of salt, 80 g soft butter, 60 ml warm milk
- For the syrup: 300 g sugar, 500 ml water, 100-150 ml dark rum
- Apricot jam, warmed and strained, for glazing
- Whipped cream, for serving
Baba au rhum is a light, eggy yeasted cake, baked in small molds until golden, then soaked generously in a rum-spiked sugar syrup until thoroughly moist. It's often finished with a brush of apricot glaze for shine and served with whipped cream, either piped into the center or spooned alongside.
Method
Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with a pinch of sugar and let it foam for about 10 minutes.
Mix the flour, eggs, sugar and salt, add the yeast mixture, and knead until smooth; gradually knead in the softened butter until the dough is elastic and glossy.
Divide the dough among buttered baba or small ring molds, filling about halfway, and proof until doubled, 45-60 minutes.
Bake at around 180°C (350°F) for 20-25 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Make the syrup by boiling the sugar and water for about 5 minutes, then cooling it before stirring in the rum.
While the babas are still warm, soak them thoroughly in the rum syrup until moist but not falling apart.
Brush with warmed apricot jam for shine and serve with whipped cream.
