Retro Food and Recipe: Baba au Rhum

Baba au Rhum

Traditionally, a Baba au Rhum is a cake that is saturated with liquor, such as rum. This recipe uses a rum sauce and is finished with a sweet apricot glaze.

Baba au Rhum
2 pkg. active dry yeast
½ cup water
4 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
6 large eggs, beaten
2/3 cup melted butter or margarine
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teasp. salt
2/3 cup cut-up citron or currants
Rum Sauce
Apricot Glaze

•    Grease 4”-deep 10” tube pan or 4-qt. mold.
•    Sprinkle yeast onto water in measuring cup; let stand 5 min. Meanwhile, into a large bowl, measure flour. Stir up yeast; stir into flour; let stand 5 min.
•    Into flour mixture, stir eggs; with spoon, beat 5 min.; let rest 30 min.
•    Gradually stir in melted butter one-fourth at a time, working it in with fork or spoon. Dough will ooze butter, but don’t worry. Stir in next 3 ingredients. Now, with blending fork or spoon, knead dough in bowl 5 min., or until smooth.
•    Turn dough into greased pan or mold. Spread evenly with rubber scraper or spoon. Let rise in warm place until tripled in bulk and nearly to top of pan. Then set gently on ovenrack (jarring pan may make dough fall) to bake. Bake at 375°F 40 to 45 min., or until brown and done.
•    Remove baba from pan to wire rack. When baba has cooled slightly, set on platter; spoon on Rum Sauce; let stand 2 hrs., while occasionally spooning over it sauce in platter. Then, just before serving, glaze top with Apricot Glaze. Serve, cutting baba into 1” slices.

Rum Sauce
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
4 thin slices orange
4 thin slices lemon
½ to 1 cup white rum

In small saucepan, simmer sugar, water and fruit slices, covered, 5 min.; cool. Add rum to taste.

Apricot Glaze
Press 1/3 cup apricot jam through strainer; combine with 1 tablesp. lemon juice.