Baba au Rhum
A couple weeks ago while I was out of the office, Jordan shot a beautiful recipe to share with our Tuesday Made email subscribers from one of our new favorite cookbooks, French Country Cooking. The recipe turned out really delicious and it would make the perfect treat or indulgence for spring & summer parties, Mother’s Day brunch, and all sorts of special occasions as the weather warms. This is one of those recipes that looks as lovely as it tastes, and I wanted to give this one a permanent place to live here on the blog. Click through or pin it for later. Also- if you’re not already on our Tuesday Made email list, be sure to signup here! We share all sorts of helpful design tips, recipes, special discounts, first dibs on vintage goods, etc.
This dessert is light, flavorful, and the presentation really can’t be beat. It can also be modified in a variety of ways to suit your needs!
The key is to use fresh vanilla beans! Be sure to scrape out all the seeds for that intense flavor we all know and love.
Another tip is to sift your dry ingredients for the perfect bundt cake consistency. You’ll want these to be light, fluffy, and perfectly spongey to absorb the rum syrup.
Baba au Rhum
Ingredients
Baba Bundts
- 2 T unsalted butter plus more for the pan
- 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour plus more for the pan
- 3 T whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean split lengthwise, seeds scraped & reserved
- 1 T baking powder
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 large egg whites
Rum Syrup
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup dark rum
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 T powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a regular bundt pant, or mini bundt pan with butter and sprinkle with flour. Shake out the excess over the sink.
- Make the baba. In a saucepan, combine the milk, butter, and vanilla bean and seeds over medium heat until hot but not boiling.
- Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the hot milk mixture and then the flour mixture.
- Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Gently fold them into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the baba comes out clean- about 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and then unmold onto a rimmed serving platter.
- Prepare the rum syrup. In a small saucepan, bring the granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Add the rum, reduce the heat, and simmer just until the sugar dissolves.
- Whip the cream and powdered sugar until the cream holds stiff peaks.
- Slowly pour the rum syrup all over the cake and wait until it is fully absorbed. Serve with whipped cream and a drizzle of any pool rum syrup.
Notes
Jordan used her mini bundt pan, which makes the perfect single servings. You can use any pan or the larger standard bundt, but I think these mini cakes are so charming and would be perfect for spring & summer parties or gatherings.
Another important thing to note… Jordan relayed that she filled her baby bundts a little too full. She would recommend filling them halfway (instead of three quarters) because they definitely rise quite a bit. You can always cut off the excess with a bread or cake knife, but to maximize the batter- halfway seems like the happy point!
These easily spring loose from the pan and you’re left with a gorgeous and perfectly proportioned shape. The last step is to soak them in the rum syrup and top with whipped cream.
I just love how beautiful these look and think they would make the ideal presentation for a brunch, dinner party, or shower. Let us know if you try the recipe! Jordan and I would love to hear what you think.
All of my go-to and favorite inspiring cookbooks can be found in the Tuesday Made shop! I also created a big list for you here. Before I sign off today, I wanted to give a big shoutout to Emmett, Jordan, and Christiane for doing such an amazing job with the shop while I’ve been feeling under the weather. I spent what little energy I had the past few weeks doing Tuesday Made tasks, but I feel so grateful to have a small (but passionate!) team I can count on. They’re the best people I know and I’m very thankful for them. Anyway, cheers to lots of delicious recipes, cocktails, and gatherings with good people this spring & summer! I’m certainly looking forward to warmer days spent with good company. What are your favorite party recipes?
