The royal twist: Uncovering the secrets of French rum baba
There are legends about the French rum baba. One of them even mentions the Polish king Stanisław Leszczyński. Some attribute the invention of this rum-soaked cake to him, though its true origin remains a mystery. Nonetheless, it certainly has its charm. After indulging in such a sweet delight, nothing else seems necessary.
In France, the cake is known as baba Savarin, named after a French confectioner and gourmand from the late 18th to early 19th century. In Paris, it is served in two versions – cold with whipped cream and fruit in sweet syrup, or hot with a warm fruit sauce, often enhanced with a hint of aromatic liqueur.
Rum baba without alcohol
According to the original recipe, the cake is soaked in rum, but it can also be made alcohol-free. For the punch, prepare juice squeezed from 3 sweet oranges, 1.5 cups of water, and half a cup of sugar. Combine the ingredients and heat them until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot punch over the baba and let it sit until the cake fully absorbs it.
Recipe for Savarin baba
In the alcohol-free version, omit the rum and instead add extra freshly squeezed orange juice to the punch.
Ingredients:
- 20 g yeast,
- 3 tablespoons warm milk,
- 1 tablespoon sugar,
- 2 cups flour,
- 2 eggs,
- a pinch of salt,
- 60 g butter,
- for the punch: 120 ml water, 120 ml orange juice, 120 ml sugar, 120 ml rum,
- extras: 240 ml heavy cream, 200 g fruits in sweet syrup.
Instructions:
- Prepare the starter with 20 g yeast, 3 tablespoons warm milk, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Set it aside to rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.
- Sift the flour into a large bowl, and add the eggs, yeast starter, and a pinch of salt.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and set it aside to cool.
- Use a mixer with dough hooks to knead the ingredients in the bowl. Towards the end, incorporate the melted butter. Continue kneading until the dough starts to separate from the sides of the bowl. Cover with a cloth and set it aside in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.
- Grease a baba mold with butter. Transfer the risen dough into it and leave it for another 15 minutes.
- After this time, place it in an oven preheated to 200°C (about 390°F) for 30 minutes. Remove and let it cool on a rack.
- In a saucepan, heat the punch ingredients without boiling. Once the sugar dissolves, remove from the heat and mix with the rum.
- Put the baba on a plate with a high rim, pour over the punch, and leave it to absorb all the liquid.
- Whip the cream – if the baba was made in a ring mold, place it in the centre. For a classic baba mold, cut it in half and fill it with whipped cream.
- Place the fruits in sweet syrup atop the cream or alongside the baba.
