How to Make Baba au Rhum Cake

Ingredients

• Cake dough:
• 200 g all‑purpose flour (about one large cup)
• 16 g active dry yeast (about 1 tablespoon)
• Pinch of salt
• Zest of lemon and/or orange
• 200 g eggs (about 4 eggs)
• 70 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg (for enrichment — the recipe lists an additional 1 egg, separate from the 4)
• 1 tsp vanilla (a pinch)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• How to prepare the dough:
• Syrup (Sharbat):
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 cup orange juice or pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Rose water (to taste)
• Orange blossom water (to taste)
• How to prepare the syrup:
• For more from Nicole, see her nougat recipe: How to Make White Nougat
• Also see Nicole's chocolate‑dipped orange peel recipe: Chocolate‑dipped Orange Peel
• To prepare a chocolate dip for dunking, check this method: Chocolate Syrup / Liquid Chocolate for Dipping

Method

1. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, yeast, salt, zest) with the eggs one at a time.
2. Add the butter, then finally add the last egg and knead until you have a smooth, soft dough.
3. Let the dough proof for about 1 hour in a warm place until doubled.
   Timers: 60 min
4. After the first rise, deflate the dough, transfer it to a piping bag and pipe into small molds or into one large greased and floured pan. Fill only one‑third of each mold — the dough will double again on the second proof.
5. To encourage proofing, preheat the oven briefly: place molds in the oven for one minute with a tray of boiling water inside — the steam/warmth helps the rise. Then leave the dough to proof for another 30 minutes.
   Timers: 30 min
6. Bake on the middle rack in a preheated oven. Watch the molds and remove when the edges turn golden brown. Let them cool slightly.
7. Combine the sugar, water and lemon (acid) in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
8. Let the syrup simmer for about 10 minutes.
   Timers: 10 min
9. Turn off the heat, then stir in the fruit juice (orange or pineapple), rose water and orange blossom water.
10. Pour the hot syrup over the warm baked babas, allowing them to soak up the syrup thoroughly. The syrup should be kept hot — if it cools, warm it again so the cakes absorb it better.
11. When ready, remove the cakes from the syrup. Optionally hollow out the center and fill with pastry cream and fresh fruit as desired.