Baba - A Delicious Spongecake

The origin of the baba is credited to King Stanislas Leczinski, the gourmet and Polish king, but some say that he just adapted a new way to eat kugelhoff (a sugar-dusted Central European cake) by drizzling rum over the cake, then flaming it. He named this specialty after a hero in one of his favorite books, Ali Baba from Thousand and One Nights.

The baba was introduced to Paris in the early 1800s. Later the recipe was changed: raisins were omitted from the dough, the shape was changed to a ring mold, and the syrup altered. It also got another new name, Brillat-Savarin, in memory of a French gourmet; now it is simply called savarin and the center is usually filled with whipped cream or a soft custard and is covered with a fruit glaze.

As we know them today, some babas contain raisins, others do not. Some are large and some individual servings. And there are also available ready-to-serve tiny babas in rum syrup in cans or jars.

In large mixer bowl combine 1 package active dry yeast and 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour. Heat 1/2 cup butter, 1/3 cup milk, ¼ sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in saucepan just till warm, stirring occasionally to melt butter. Add to flour mixture in mixing bowl.

Add four large eggs. Beat at low speed with electric mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. Stir in 1/2 cup golden raisins and ¼ cup currants. Cover; let rise in warm place till double, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Stir down batter.

Spoon into well-greased 1 ½ quart baba mold. Cover; let rise till almost double, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or till done. Cool 10 minutes; remove from mold.

Combine 1 cup sugar and ¾ cup water in saucepan; bring to boiling. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in ½ cup rum. Spoon syrup over cake, a little at a time, till all the syrup is absorbed.

A number of modern variations are used in the making of babas. Preparation time is shortened by using a hot roll mix or cake mix as the basis for the dough. When a tall baba mold isn't available, a ring mold or individual-serving molds can be used. And a tangy orange syrup can be substituted as the "soaking" liquid.

Here Is A Printable Version Of This Recipe For You

Baba au Rhum

Easy Version of a gourmet treat-

1 13 3/4-ounce package hot roll mix
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Sliced almonds

Prepare mix following package directions. Stir in 1/3 cup sugar and butter. Thoroughly beat in eggs, one at a time. Cover; let rise till double, about I hour. Turn into well-greased 6 ½ cup ring mold. Let rise till almost double, 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. If necessary, cover with foil last 10 minutes to prevent overbrowning.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine the frozen concentrate, 1 cup sugar, and water. Bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat. Turn baba out in a shallow baking pan. Immediately spoon hot orange syrup over. Baste with syrup till all is absorbed. Garnish top with almonds. Serve cool. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Here Is A Printable Version Of This Recipe For You

Baba au Orange