#rum baba

The four of us are home together for Father's Day today. To celebrate this very special occasion, I baked this gorgeously fragrant and agreeably boozy Tropical Rum Baba --both my Dad and sister are very keen on this dessert!-- where the potency of Caribbean Rum is beautifully balanced by the fresh juiciness of a sweet mango! Happy Sunday!

Ingredients (makes 1):

220 grams/8 ounces strong white flour

50 grams/1.75 ounce caster sugar

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

½ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

¼ cup milk

100 grams/ 3.5 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup demerara sugar

2 heaped tablespoons pure local honey

1 cup Ginger and Lime Rum 

1 cup water

1 ripe mango

1 small lime

1 tablespoons pure Manuka Honey

1/2 cup double cream

In a large bowl, combine strong white flour, caster sugar, yeast and salt, making sure you don’t put the salt on top of the yeast, as it might kill it. Give a good stir; set aside.

In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs and the milk together until well-blended.

With a wooden spoon, gradually stir egg mixture into flour mixture, until a soft, sticky dough forms. Tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead, a good 10 minutes, until dough becomes smoother. Then, gradually knead in softened butter, until you have an elastic, shiny dough. Return to the bowl, and cover with a tea towel. Prove, one hour, or until doubled in size.

Generously butter a 20cm/8” baba tin.

Once proved, knock back the air, and spoon dough into a piping bag. Pipe dough prepared tin. Prove again, until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 180°C/355°F.

Once the baba has risen, place in the middle of the warm oven, and bake, 25 to 30 minutes at 180°C/355°F, until a nice golden brown colour.

Whilst baba is baking, combine demerara sugar, honey, half of the Ginger and Lime Rum and water in a large saucepan, and heat over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar and honey have completely dissolved. Boil rapidly, a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in remaining Ginger and Lime Rum. Cover with a lid.

When the baba is baked, remove from the oven, and let cool, 15 minutes, before gently releasing from the tin. Then, carefully soak the sponge in the warm rum syrup, gently turning it to soak evenly. Gently lift out of the saucepan, and transfer to serving plate; set aside. Keep about 1/3 cup of the Ginger and Lime Rum syrup.

Let rum-soaked sponge cool at room temperature.

Halve, pit and dice mango. Place mango dices in a medium bowl. Thoroughly squeeze the juice of the whole lime over the mango dices, tossing to combine. Then, drizzle generously with honey and two tablespoons of the remaining Ginger and Lime Rum syrup, to coat and glaze.

In a medium bowl, beat double cream with an electric beater until soft peaks form. Add remaining cooled Ginger and Lime Rum syrup, and continue beating until stiff peaks just form.

I baked Rum Babas for the first time last November, and Jules and I loved them so, that when I asked what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday she immediately replied she wanted a baba au rhum! Following her wishes I made it a citrus-y Satsuma Rum Baba. It might indeed have become her favourite cake, for we ate it all yesterday! Happy Monday!

Ingredients (makes 4):

a large satsuma

1/2 cup good white rum (like Guadeloupe’s Damoiseau)

220 grams/8 ounces strong white flour

50 grams/1.75 ounce caster sugar

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

100 grams/ 3.5 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 cup water

1/2 cup double cream

1 1/2 tablespoon Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)

Angostura bitters

red gooseberries

The day before, peel a satsuma. Keep the fruit in the refrigerator, and place the peels in a jar. Pour white rum over satsuma peels and close jar tightly. Let infuse overnight.

In a large bowl, combine strong white flour, caster sugar, yeast and salt, making sure you don’t put the salt on top of the yeast, as it might kill it. Give a good stir; set aside.

In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs and the milk together until well-blended.

With a wooden spoon, gradually stir egg mixture into flour mixture, until a soft, sticky dough forms. Tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead, a good 10 minutes, until dough becomes smoother. Then, gradually knead in softened butter, until you have an elastic, shiny dough. Return to the bowl, and cover with a tea towel. Prove, one hour, or until doubled in size.

Generously butter a cm/” baba tin.

Once proved, knock back the air, and spoon dough into a piping bag. Pipe dough prepared tin. Prove again, until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 180°C/355°F.

Once the baba has risen, place in the middle of the warm oven, and bake, 25 to 30 minutes at 180°C/355°F, until a nice golden brown colour.

Whilst baba is baking, combine caster sugar, 3/4 of the Satsuma-infused rum (along with the peels) and water in a large saucepan, and heat over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Boil rapidly, a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in remaining Satsuma-infused rum . Cover with a lid.

When the baba is baked, remove from the oven, and let cool, 5 minutes, before gently releasing from the tin. Then, carefully soak the sponge in the warm rum syrup, gently turning it to soak evenly. Gently lift out of the saucepan, and transfer to serbing plate; set aside. Keep about a couple of tablespoons of the sastusma rum syrup.

Let rum-soaked sponge cool at room temperature.

Retrieve reserved satsuma from the refrigerator. Separate satsuma segments, and toss in the remaining rum syrup, to coat and glaze.

In a medium bowl, beat double cream with an electric beater until soft peaks form. Add Cointreau, and continue beating until stiff peaks just form. Add a few dashes Angostura Bitters, and beat a little more. Spoon Orange liqueur whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.

To serve, pipe Orange liqueur whipped cream  in the centre of cooled baba. Garnish with satsuma segments and red gooseberries.

Enjoy Satsuma Rum Baba immediately.