Baba au rum is a multi-faceted dessert, whose firmness and airiness, classified it to the most popular and delectable sweets.
The name means ‘old woman’ or ‘grandmother’ in most Slavic languages. Babka is by-name of baba.
The modern baba au rhum (rum baba), with dried fruit and soaked in rum, was invented in the rue Montorgueil in Paris, France in 1835 or before. Nowadays, the word baba in France and almost everywhere else outside Eastern Europe usually refers specifically to the rum baba.
The original baba was introduced into France in the 18th century. This is attributed to Stanislaus I, the exiled king of Poland. Stanislaus had the inspired thought of soaking a dried Gugelhupf(a cake roughly similar to the baba and common in Alsace-Lorraine) or a baba with alcoholic spirit. Nicolas Stohrer, one of his patissiers, solved the problem by adding Malaga wine, saffron, dried and fresh raisin as well as creme patisserie.
One of his descendants allegedly had the idea of using rum in 1835. While he is believed to have done so on the fresh cakes (right out of the mold), it is a common practice today to let the baba dry a little so that it soaks up the rum better. Later, the recipe was refined by mixing the rum with aromatized sugar syrup.
It is a particularly juicy, delicious and cool dessert with a very impressive and delicious appearance. A spoonful of whipped cream, jam and fresh fruit (eg strawberries) are usually used for the garnish, as in tarts.
Chef Georgia Koutsoukou prepares the tastiest baba au rum you’ve ever tasted!
Ingredients
- 180 gr. flour
- 60 gr. sugar
- 16 gr. baking powder
- 20 gr. melted butter
- 4 eggs
For the syrup
- 200 gr. sugar
- 1/2 liter of water
- 1 shot of rum
Cooking instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix the eggs and sugar.
Add the flour, baking powder and then the melted butter.
Half fill the silicone molds. Bake for 20 minutes.
In the meantime prepare the syrup. Put the water, sugar and rum in a saucepan and let them boil.
Take baba out of the oven. Place on individual plates and drizzle with syrup.
Decorate with a few red fruits or spoon sweets, or with whipped cream, even with chocolate mousse.
Chef’s Bio
Georgia Koutsoukou is a Chef with extensive management experience in running professional kitchens. She has a fling on Food & Wine pairing events.
She is a cooking teacher at various private schools and stands out for her great culinary activity, with the aim to promote Greek gastronomy abroad and especially in Sicily.
She works mainly as a private Chef both in Greece and abroad.
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