What Is Babà?
Babà (sometimes written babá or baba) is a soft, yeast-raised cake that is soaked in a boozy syrup after baking. It is closely associated with Naples, where it is a pastry-shop staple, and it is related to the French baba au rhum. Both are made from a rich, enriched dough with eggs and butter, baked, and soaked until they are tender and juicy.
In Italy, babà is often baked in small mushroom-shaped molds. At home, a ring or bundt-style pan, or a muffin tin, also works.
What Does It Taste Like?
Babà tastes of sweet, buttery bread soaked in syrup, with the warmth of rum and a hint of citrus. The texture is spongy and moist, and it is often served with whipped cream or pastry cream. If you have seen “Italian rum cake” described, this is usually the yeast-based babà, which is different from the dense, nutty rum bundt cakes common in the United States.
Ingredients
This makes about 8 small babàs, or one ring mold cake.
Dough
- 250 g (2 cups) bread or all-purpose flour
- 7 g (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 50 g (1/4 cup) sugar
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) salt
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) warm milk
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 100 g (7 tablespoons) soft unsalted butter
- Zest of 1 lemon or orange
Rum syrup
- 500 ml (2 cups) water
- 250 g (1 1/4 cups) sugar
- Peel of half an orange and half a lemon
- 100 ml (about 1/3 cup) dark or amber rum, to taste
To finish
- 1/3 cup apricot jam, warmed and strained
- Whipped cream, optional
Make the Dough
- Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a mixer bowl. Add the milk and two of the eggs.
- Beat with the dough hook for several minutes until the dough starts to come together. It will be very sticky, which is normal.
- Add the remaining eggs one at a time, letting each be absorbed before adding the next.
- Add the soft butter in pieces and beat until the dough is smooth and elastic and pulls away from the bowl in strands.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place until roughly doubled, which can take 1 to 2 hours depending on the room.
Bake
- Grease your molds well. Stir the dough down briefly and spoon or pipe it into the molds, filling them about halfway.
- Let rise again until the dough reaches near the top of the mold.
- Bake at 190 C (375 F) until deep golden. Small babàs usually need around 15 to 20 minutes; a larger ring mold takes longer, so check from about 30 minutes.
- Cool in the molds briefly, then unmold. Many bakers let them dry out a little, for several hours or overnight, because slightly dry cakes absorb syrup better.
Soak in Rum Syrup
- Simmer the water, sugar, and peels for about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Cool slightly and stir in the rum. Adding rum off the heat keeps more of its flavor.
- Dip each babà in warm (not boiling) syrup until it is saturated, turning gently. Lift out and let the excess drip off on a rack.
- For a ring cake, place it in a deep dish and spoon the syrup over it slowly.
Glaze and Serve
Brush the soaked cakes with warm apricot jam for shine. Serve with whipped cream, or with fresh berries. They are best on the day they are made, though they keep for a day or two in the refrigerator.
Troubleshooting
- Dough is too sticky: that is expected. Keep beating rather than adding a lot more flour.
- Cake falls apart when soaking: the cake may be too fresh and fragile. Let it dry a few hours and use warm, not hot, syrup.
- Soggy center: soak for less time and let the excess drain.
- Dense crumb: the yeast may be old or the rise too short. Allow enough time for both rises.
FAQ
What is babá?
It is a yeast cake soaked in syrup, usually rum syrup. The name is used in Naples and in other parts of Europe.
Can I make rum cake from scratch without yeast?
Yes, many rum cakes use baking powder and a glaze. Those are a different cake from babà, though. This recipe follows the traditional yeast method.
Can I make it without alcohol?
You can soak it in syrup flavored with citrus peel and vanilla instead of rum. If you use rum, note that the alcohol in a soaked cake is not cooked off, so keep that in mind when serving children.
For another syrup-soaked cake, see our Greek sponge cake (revani). If you want a gentler Italian cake, see the Italian margherita cake, or return to the Italian apple cake for a simple everyday bake.