Baba au Rhum — rum-soaked yeast cake
Baba au rhum is a French yeasted cake — sometimes a tall cylinder, sometimes a savarin ring — baked dry, then soaked in warm rum-laced sugar syrup until it doubles in weight. It is served with cream and fresh fruit; the cake should be saturated to the point of just-holding-its-shape.
i. Origin & history
Baba came to France from Poland with King Stanisław Leszczyński (1677-1766), who is said to have soaked a stale kugelhopf in rum syrup and named the result "Ali Baba" after his favourite Arabian Nights character. The Parisian patisserie Stohrer (still operating, opened 1730) refined the recipe.
ii. Ingredients
Makes 8 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust
- 300 g strong flour
- 30 g sugar
- Pinch salt
- 7 g instant yeast
- 4 eggs
- 60 ml warm milk
- 120 g unsalted butter, soft
- 400 g sugar
- 500 ml water
- Zest of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 150 ml dark rum
- 300 ml double cream, whipped
iii. Method
- Beat flour, sugar, salt, yeast, eggs and warm milk in a stand mixer 10 min — the dough should be wet, sticky and very stretchy. Beat in soft butter.
- Pipe into greased baba moulds (8 small or 1 large savarin), filling halfway. Prove 60-90 min until the dough reaches the top.
- Bake at 200 °C for 15-18 min until deeply golden and dry. Cool.
- Make syrup: simmer sugar, water and zests 5 min; cool slightly; stir in rum.
- Submerge babas in warm syrup; turn after 30 seconds; soak until fully saturated. Lift onto a tray.
- Serve each baba with a dollop of cream and a drizzle of extra rum.
iv. Tips & common mistakes
- Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
- Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
- Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.
v. Variations
Savarin is the ring-shaped version. Polish baba is the unsoaked ancestor (more like a kugelhopf). Modern baba sometimes uses different liquors — kirsch, Grand Marnier, limoncello.
vi. Common questions
What is baba au rhum?
Baba au Rhum is rum-soaked yeast cake, from french cuisine. It is served with cream and fresh fruit; the cake should be saturated to the point of just-holding-its-shape
Where is baba au rhum from?
Baba au Rhum is from the french dessert tradition; the recipe and history are detailed above.
How long does baba au rhum keep?
See the storage note in the Quick facts panel: 2 days refrigerated.