Baba au Rhum

“A forkful of rum-soaked baba and Chantilly is one of life’s great pleasures.” So writes Aleksandra Crapanzano in the headnote to her Baba au Rhum recipe in Gâteau: the Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes, her 2022 cookbook. We couldn’t agree more! This excellent recipe is adapted from that book.

You might wonder whether a cake fashioned from a yeasted dough, drenched in a rum syrup and glazed is indeed simple. To this we’d say actually, it is. Sure, you need to beat the batter for some time, then let it rise (in two steps) for about two and a half hours before baking, but it’s very straightforward, and Crapanzano’s dough behaves nicely. Oh, and in case you’re baffled by “Chantilly,” that’s just French for whipped cream.

Traditionally, the baba is made in a Savarin mold, which is like a tube pan without any fancy fluting. We’ve never been able to get our hands on one; Crapanzano writes that it holds about 5 cups, which would be a little more than a liter. Her original recipe calls instead for a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan, with instructions to halve it it you’re using a Savarin mold or smaller Bundt pan. We found a lovely 6-cup Nordic Ware model, and that made a lovely size that serves 6, and adapted the recipe for that size. If you have a larger Bundt pan and bigger crowd, go ahead and double it.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

For the baba

2 1/4 teaspoons / 7 grams instant yeast

1/2 cup / 118 ml milk

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste

1 2/3 cup / 200 grams all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 cup / 57 grams (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus additional for buttering the pan

For the rum syrup

1 cup / 200 grams granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups / 200 ml water

3/4 cups / 180 ml good dark rum

The zest of half an organic orange, in strips

For the glaze

1/2 cup / 158 grams apricot jam

1 tablespoon rum

For the crème Chantilly

1 1/2 cups / 350 ml cold heavy cream

1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the baba

1. Place the yeast in a mixing bowl. In a s4mall saucepan, heat the milk to 115 F / 46 C, then pour it over the yeast and stir. Add the granulated sugar, stir and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Using either a hand-held or stand mixer, turn the mixer on low, then add one egg, followed by the other. (If you’re using a hand-held mixer, you can set it down in between additions.) Then add the vanilla, flour, salt and butter. Beat at medium-high speed for 6 minutes, at which point the dough should be very elastic. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer (if you’re using one), and form the dough into a soft ball, leaving it in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and leave it to rise for about 90 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.

2. Generously butter a 6-cup Bundt pan. Transfer the dough to the Bundt and set aside for 1 hour, or until the dough has risen to the top of the pan.

3. Heat the oven to 375 F / 190 C. Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the corner comes out clean. (If you’re doubling the recipe and using a larger pan, it’ll take 5 or 10 minutes longer.)

Rum Syrup

4. While the baba is baking, prepare the syrup. In a medium saucepan, bring the granulated sugar and water to a simmer and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Off heat, stir in the rum and the zest. Set aside to infuse somewhere warm. Before using, remove the strips of zest and discard.

5. Transfer the baked baba to a cooling rack set over a sheet of foil or parchment — this will catch any liquid that drips off. Let the baba rest 10 minutes, then slowy pour about a quarter of the rum syrup over the cake. Let the cake absorb this for 5 minutes, then invert the cake onto the cooking rack. Pour all of the remaining rum syrup very slowly and in stages onto the warm ake, allowing it to soak in thoroughly as you go. Trust the process — the cake will and should absorb all the liquid, so use every last drop.

Glaze

6. To make the glaze, heat the apricot jam with the rum in a small bowl in a microwave, or in a small saucepan over low heat, to liquify the jam. Press this through a sieve and discard the solids. Brush the cake, once it’s at room temperature, with the apricot glaze.

Crème Chantilly and serving

7. Right before serving the baba, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until it is abundant and billowy. Serve each portion of baba with an excessive dollop of crème Chantilly.

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