I don’t see savarin or baba au rhum often in pastry shops in America, but baba au rhum has been my favorite (with chocolate eclair a close second) since I was a kid. It’s an irresistibly moist cake that has been soaked in plenty of liqueur-flavored syrup and often decorated with whipped cream (sometimes filled with pastry cream) and seasonal fresh fruit on top. I confess that I was more hooked on the flavor of the syrup than the cute looks.
Baba is normally sold in a small aluminum or plastic cup, allowing enjoyment of every last drop of the sweet syrup. My grandmother often warned that I “should not have alcohol at such a young age,” but it was already too late, as it became my favorite before her warnings. I do not remember who introduced me to baba first, but probably my sisters… we grew up in a big city and going to the pastry shop after school was a regular ritual.
This savarin, a light ring-shaped cake, is a variation of the classic circular baba au rhum, and you can bake it in a Bundt or springform pan. It is fairly easy to make, but you need to be patient for the dough to rise. I often use different liqueur, like kirsch, Grand Marnier or limoncello, and also add freshly grated orange or lemon zest to the dough for different flavors from time to time. But it always comes out very good.
- Yeast dough for cake
- 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
- 3 tablespoons milk, plus more as needed
- 1¾ cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 ounces (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- Sirop au Rhum (rum syrup)
- 1½ cup (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (500 ml) water
- 3 tablespoons dark rum or kirsch
- Garnish
- ⅓ cup (100 grams) apricot or cherry jam
- 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream, well chilled
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Candied cherries, orange slivers, or chocolate shavings (optional)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and milk; let stand for 10 minutes. Add the flour and salt, and slowly begin to mix the ingredients together with dough hook attachment or by hand with a wooden spoon. Raise the mixer speed to medium; add 1 egg, mix at least 1 minute or stir vigorously by hand, until the ingredients have come together to form a firm dough. Scrape down the mixture from sides of the bowl as needed. Add the remaining eggs and continue to mix until the mixture is smooth and elastic, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the sugar, then the melted butter, mixing until the dough is very soft, smooth and elastic. If necessary, drizzle in a little more milk. Knead the dough at least 2 minutes longer. When you pull at the dough with your fingers, it should stretch without breaking. Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm draft-free place for 20 minutes. Don’t let the dough rise too much at this stage, or the cake will be too fragile.
- Lightly butter a ring mold about 8-inches (20 cm) in diameter or use a Kugelhopf mold. Punch the dough down and arrange it evenly in the bottom of the mold. Cover and let rise in a warm draft-free place until it reaches the rim of the pan, about 1½ hours (with an 8-inch/20 cm Kugelhopf mold, the dough will only come up about three-quarters full).
- Place rack in the center and preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C). Bake the baba for 25 minutes, or until a knife blade inserted in the center comes out clean and the top of the cake is soft when pressed. Unmold the cake onto a wire rack over a jelly roll pan or large plate. Cool to room temperature.
- Carefully transfer the baba to a serving platter unwrapped, if serving within 2 hours. Or refrigerate, loosely wrapped with plastic or waxed paper, and remove one hour before serving to bring to room temperature.
- Bring the sugar and water in a small saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat, cool to lukewarm, and then add the rum. With a ladle, slowly pour the syrup all over the cake, until it has absorbed most of the syrup, reserving about ½ cup (125 ml) for serving. Just before serving, spoon a little more syrup over the cake.
- Heat the apricot jam over low heat until melted. Strain the jam into a small bowl or measuring cup and brush the surface of the cake with the jam.
- Whip the cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until nearly stiff. Spoon it gently into a pastry bag fitted with a large (¾-inch/2 cm) star tip. Pipe the whipped cream into the center of the baba, forming large rosettes. Garnish with cherry compote, slivers of candied orange or chocolate shavings. Cut the baba into wedges with a serrated knife and serve some of the whipped cream with each portion.
