Baba au rhum
(Rum baba, Baba au savarin)
Also known as rum baba, these small yeast dough sponge cakes are filled with raisins or currants, baked in a ring mold, and soaked in rum. The hole in the center of the cake is filled with either pastry cream, fresh fruit, or whipped cream. This dessert is believed to have been invented by pastry chef Nicolas Stohrer, who cooked for exiled Polish King Stanislas Lesczyńska when he came to France after his daughter’s marriage to Louis XV.
Stohrer’s pâtisserie in Paris first began to sell baba cakes in 1730, while the addition of rum to the cakes has been noted in recipes since 1835. Some say that baba au rhum was named after Ali Baba, a hero from 1001 Nights and the favorite character of King Stanislas, while others say that the name stems from the Slavic word baba, which means “grandmother” or “old woman”.
Baba au rhum are served on a plate with a traditional cherry garnish, ideally with a bit of whipped cream on top. Along with Poland and France, varieties of baba au rhum are also quite popular in Naples, Italy.
Recipe variations
Larousse Gastronomique's Baba au Rhum
READY IN 5h 30minThis recipe from Larousse Gastronomique keeps the ingredients and the procedure for making the cake simple; the rum-soaked raisins are added to the dough consisting of eggs and butter which is then baked in individual molds. Baked baba au rhums are first heavily soaked in sugar syrup, after which, they are soaked in rum. Different serving options are advised, like filling the cakes with pastry cream, topping them with whipped cream, or garnishing them with raisins or fruit.
Savarin
READY IN 4h 50minA later version of rhum au baba, savarin is a rum-soaked egg and butter cake that has no raisins, has a different shape, and is topped with Chantilly cream. The recipe from Petit Larousse Patissier makes little tweaks to the basic elements of the cake; the cake is only sprinkled with rum, not soaked in rum, and the Chantilly cream is flavored with berries.
Baba au rhum Authentic recipe
This recipe from Larousse Gastronomique keeps the ingredients and the procedure for making the cake simple; the rum-soaked raisins are added to the dough consisting of eggs and butter which is then baked in individual molds. Baked baba au rhums are first heavily soaked in sugar syrup, after which, they are soaked in rum. Different serving options are advised, like filling the cakes with pastry cream, topping them with whipped cream, or garnishing them with raisins or fruit.
WHERE TO EAT The best Baba au rhum in the world (according to food experts)
