Source: Professional French Pastry Series
Makes 24 servings.
Preparation time: 3 hours
Tips: Same dough use for Savarins.
Ingredients
Preparation
7 ounces flour (1 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast + 1 Tbs. warm water (see note 1)
2 whole eggs + (1/3 cup + 2 Tbs. warm water)
3 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 ounces), melted
SYRUP:
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup dark rum, preferably Jamaican Rum
GLAZE:
1/2 cup apricot jam
12 glaced cherries to decorate
1. In a large bowl mix dissolved yeast or fresh yeast, sugar and salt until it becomes liquid.
2. Wisk together whole eggs and water.
3. Add all at once, the flour and the eggs -water mixture. Using a spatula or wooden spoon incorporate all, a large scraper works best. The dough will be very moist and sticky.
4. Add melted butter on top of dough and do not mix after it.
5. Cover bowl with a wet towel and let rise for 10 minutes.
6. Using two teaspoons, divide dough among 24 buttered mini cup cake molds or 12 large muffin molds (see note 2 & 3). Do not over grease molds, too much grease prevents cakes from absorbing the syrup later on. Dough should fill about 1/2 the cups. Dough will smooth while rising.
7. Leave uncovered to rise until double in size, about to the edge of mold rim, approximately 2 hours depending of the room temperature. Cakes should double again during baking.
8. About 30 minutes before baking time, pre-heat oven to the corresponding temperature indicated below:
-For small molds, bake at 375 F for about 15 minutes 325 F- 350 F
-For large molds, bake at 325 F-350 F for about 20 minutes. Cakes should be very dry and golden brown. Cool completely before placing in syrup.
9. Babas may be frozen at this point for later use for about 2 to 4 weeks. Bring to room temperature before placing in syrup.
10. Syrup: bring to boil water and sugar until sugar dissolves. When syrup is cooled to luke warm, stir in Rum.
11. Using a tooth pick, prick tops of cakes in several places. Arrange babas in a 2" deep dish and pour luke warm syrup over them, and let stand for 1/2 to 1 hr. basting frequently with syrup, turn up size down once. Babas will grow to about double in size from absorbing the syrup. Drain on rack for 1/2 hr. Place Babas in Aluminum foil muffin cups, paper does not work because they get soggy with the syrup. If cups not available place in plate with rim to catch dripping syrup.
12. Glaze: press jam through a sieve and heat in microwave oven to warm temperature
Paint Babas with Glaze and decorate with 1/2 glaced cherries. Refrigerate cover if not eaten the same day.
13. May serve Babas with whipped cream, or creme chantilly flavored with rum. i.e.
1/2 pt (1 cup) whipping cream, 2 Tbs. powdered sugar and 1-2 Tbs. rum or brandy.
NOTES : 1) To use fresh yeast replace with: 0.3 ounces = 1/2 of 0.6 oz. cube
2) Mini cake mold = mini muffin tins 2" across the top. This size best (24 per recipe). Babas will double in size when soaked in syrup.
3) Large cake mold = regular muffin tins 2.5" to 2.75" across the top (12 per recipe). Make a impressive dessert to end a meal, serve cold with whip cream.
Babas with Rum
by Roland Bilheux and Alan Escoffier
