Babà Neapolitan Rum Cake Recipes

RUM BABàS

Steps:

• FOR THE BABÀS: Gently beat the eggs and combine half of the beaten eggs with half of the butter. In a bowl, mix the brewer's yeast with the flour. Add the egg-and-butter mixture, the remaining beaten eggs, honey and salt. Knead until the dough is smooth.
• Cover with a tea towel and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to a pastry bag.
• Grease a dozen babà molds (2" diameter) with butter and fill halfway with the batter. Place molds on a tray, with 1-2" between each, and let rise for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake babà for 25 minutes.
• FOR THE GLAZE: Heat sugar, 3 1⁄3 cups water and lemon peel in a saucepan, cooking gently until the mixture boils. Add rum then remove from heat.
• FOR THE SYRUP: Pass apricot jam through a sieve. Heat in a pan with 1⁄3 cup warm water.
• Place a cooling rack on a baking tray. Using a slotted spoon, dip the babàs in the hot syrup until coated evenly, then place on a cooling rack set to drain. Let cool, then brush with the glaze.

BABà (NEAPOLITAN RUM CAKE)

Steps:

• Proof the yeast by mixing it with 50g (2 oz) of the flour and the water in a small bowl. Cover the bowl and let it sit in a warm place (like inside of a turned off oven) for about 30 minutes. It'll be ready when it 'bubbles'.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer, using the paddle on low speed, mix together the rest of the flour, mashed potato, butter salt and sugar until it has taken on a grainy consistency. Then start adding the eggs, one by one. Stop the mixer and add the proofed yeast, then continue until you've achieved a uniform, very stick dough.
• Grease a ring mold very well. (NB: Do this even if you're ring mold is supposedly non-stick; trust me, it helps.) Gather up the dough into a ball with a spatula and place it in the mold, evening it out as much as you can. The sticky dough can be hard to handle, but persist; it is easiest to use your hands for the operation.
• Cover the mold with a towel and let is sit for an hour or two, until it has at least doubled in volume, filling up the mold.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Place the mold (uncovered) in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the dough has turned golden brown on top and a paring knife or toothpick inserted into it comes out perfectly clean. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in its mold for about 10-15 minutes.
• While the cake is cooling, make the syrup: Add water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about a minute, then add a good splash (or two) of rum. Simmer for another minute or so. (NB: If it's more convenient to make the syrup ahead of time, make sure to reheat it before proceeding to the next step.)
• After the cake has cooled off a bit but is still warm, prick the top of the babà all over with a paring knife or other sharp object to perforate the surface. Spoon the rum syrup, little by little, all over the top of the cake and around the edges, too, so it runs down the sides and reaches the bottom of the mold. Continue until you've used up all but a few spoonfuls of the syrup. (If garnishing the babà with mixed berries, save another spoonful for that, too.) Let the cake sit in its mold for another 10-15 minutes to allow the syrup to penetrate it completely.
• Turn the cake over on to a serving platter and unmold it. Spoon the remaining syrup over the top, and fill the center, if you like, with crema pasticcera, whipped cream or mixed berries. And now for my little special chef's secret: if you want some extra oomph, drizzle more rum over the top of the cake, as much as you like...
• When the cake has completely cooled, slice, serve and enjoy!