Authentic Baba au Rhum Recipe
Paris, France
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We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
A distant, richer cousin to the brioche, baba au rhum is a cylinder-shaped, buttery, raisin-filled yeast dough cake soaked in sugar syrup flavored with rum. The cake is usually baked in tall individual molds that resemble a champagne cork, although larger molds such as those for Bundt cake are also a common choice. Even though nearly identical, the main difference between baba au rhum and a similar cake called savarin is its shape. These circular cakes with a hole in the middle are made from the same type of dough but without the raisins, and they are topped with Chantilly cream.
Cooking tips
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flour
The cake is submerged in liquid and can easily fall apart. To prevent that, a strong type of flour is a must. Look for types with a high amount of protein, around 15% or more. -
rum/flavor
The best rum for babas comes from Martinique, an island region of France. Other good flavor pairing choices include limoncello, as in the Italian version of the cake, or orange-flavored liqueur. -
butter
Butter is always incorporated last, as yeast needs time to work to its full effect. Once the dough has risen, it’s safe to add the butter. -
soaking
The syrup for soaking should be at room temperature and definitely not hot. Soak individual babas for a couple of minutes per side, and for a large baba au rhum cake, soak it in the mold that it was baked in for 5-15 minutes, depending on the size. -
serving
Baba au rhums are typically served with an apricot glaze on top. Other common ways of serving are with crème anglaise, pastry cream, and Chantilly cream. Fresh fruits and rum-soaked raisins are also the perfect accompaniment.
Recipe variations
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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.
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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
PREP 55min
COOK 25min
RESTING 3h 30min
READY IN 4h 50min
A 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.
Ingredients
Savarin
DOUGH
zest of 1/4 lemon
60g (2 oz) butter at room temperature
15g (1 tbsp) baker's yeast
160g (5.6 oz) flour
1/2 tsp natural vanilla extract
1 tbsp acacia honey
1 tsp table salt
5 eggs
SYRUP
1 vanilla pod
250g (8.8 oz) caster sugar
150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) rum
CHANTILLY CREAM
250 ml (1 cup + 1 tbsp) single cream
15g (1 tbsp) icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla sugar
250g (8.8 oz) raspberries
125g (4.4 oz) currants
STRAWBERRY SAUCE
375g (13.2 oz) strawberries, washed and hulled
40g (1.4 oz) powdered sugar
1/2 lemon, juice
Preparation
Savarin
Prepare the ingredients for the dough: finely chop the lemon peel and cut the butter into smaller pieces.
Place the crumbled yeast in a bowl and add to it flour, honey, salt, lemon peel, and one egg; mix with a wooden spoon and add the remaining eggs one by one.
When the sides of the bowl are clean, it’s time to add butter to the dough. Work in the butter until the dough becomes shiny and elastic.
Transfer the dough to a buttered 8-to 9-inch (20-22cm) Bundt pan and leave it to rest for 30 minutes in a warm place. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 20-25 minutes. Take out of the mold and leave to cool on a rack.
Now continue with the syrup making; halve the vanilla pod in half, scrape the insides and add it to the saucepan with sugar and water. Cook until it turns into a syrup.
Soak the baked savarin into the syrup; spoon the syrup over the savarin. Leave to cool and sprinkle with rum.
Make the Chantilly cream by whisking the previously cooled cream for a minute, then add vanilla sugar together with icing sugar. Continue whisking until the cream has thickened.
To make the garnishing, prepare the strawberry sauce by mixing together the previously washed and hulled strawberries with lemon juice and icing sugar. Gently mix in raspberries and currants in the Chantilly cream.
To serve, place the savarin on a serving plate and garnish the center with the Chantilly and strawberry sauce.
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