The Best Rum baba (VIDEO)
Rum baba (baba au rum), this classic yeast bundt cake soaked in delicious rum syrup, decorated with a light vanilla bean whipped mascarpone frosting is the ultimate brioche-like boozy dessert! My rum baba recipe is super fluffy and moist and the rum-based soaking syrup makes it even creamier without making it soggy. An easy and light vanilla bean mascarpone frosting is added on top making the baba rum cakes even more luxurious and creamy.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 100 g Whole milk (lukewarm)
- 20 g Granulated sugar
- 10 g Fresh yeast (Can be substituted with dry yeast, check your local brand for exact measurement)
- 1 Egg yolk (room temperature)
- 1 Egg (room temperature)
- 210 g Bread flour (High protein content flour. Can be substituted with All purpose flour)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 60 g Unsalted butter (room temperature, soft)
- 250 g water
- 150 g Granulated sugar
- 10 g Lime juice (freshly squeezed (optional))
- Lime zest (zest of 1 lime (optional))
- 70 g Rum
- 200 g Mascarpone (41% fat, cold)
- 200 g Heavy Cream (36% fat, cold)
- 40 g Powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- 1
For the Baba dough
- 2
Start with mixing sugar with lukewarm milk then sprinkle yeast on top. Make sure the kitchen is nice and warm, and in 10 minutes the yeast the should foam
- 3
Place the yeast mixture into your Stand mixer with the kneading hook on, then mix it together with the egg and egg yolk
- 4
Mix in dry ingredients; flour, salt and start kneading until the dough comes together
- 5
Slowly start to add in room temp (soft) butter chunks by piece. Knead the dough for another 10 minutes on medium high speed until dough becomes elastic and shiny and not sticky any longer
- 6
Move the dough into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let it rest and rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours
- 7
After the dough has risen, know the air out, gently knead the dough for a minute and divide into 8
- 8
Form 8 balls with your hand and place them into your mold. Use a small amount of extra flour while shaping the dough, if needed
- 9
Proof Baba dough for the second time at room temperature. Proofing might take 1-2h
- 10
Pre-heat your oven to 190C / 374F then once the Babas are nicely risen, place them into the oven, lower the temp to 180C / 356F and bake them for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown
- 11
Rum syrup
- 12
During the end of the baking time make the syrup: boil water, sugar, lime zest, and freshly squeezed lime juice together for about 5 minutes until the mixture slightly thickens, then mix in rum
- 13
Pour half of the hot syrup over the Babas as soon as they are out of the oven
- 14
Remove the Babas from the mold and place them onto a plate or baking pan and pour the rest of the syrup over. Keep turning the Babas in the syrup and let them completely cool before frosting
- 15
Frosting
- 16
Whip heavy whipped cream, mascarpone, vanilla bean paste, and icing sugar for a few minutes until fluffy, then move it into a pastry bag
- 17
Once Babas are chilled and the syrup stablizied on them, pipe frosting on top
- 18
Store in air-tight container in the fridge