Rum Baba Recipe Mary Berry

BABA AU RHUM

Steps:

• Combine the currants and rum in a small bowl and set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush a 5-cup (6 1/2 by 3 1/2-inch) tube pan or kugelhopf mold with the melted butter. Be sure to coat every crevice of the pan. Heat the milk to 115 degrees F and then pour it into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in the yeast and sugar and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, first add the eggs, then the flour, salt, and remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater to form the dough into a ball. It will be very soft. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Drain the currants, fold them into the dough with a spatula, and spoon into the prepared pan. Smooth the top, cover the pan with a damp towel, and allow to rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and make the Rum Syrup.
• Bake the cake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then tap it out of the cake pan onto a baking rack set over a sheet pan. Pour all of the Rum Syrup very slowly onto the warm cake, allowing it all to soak in thoroughly. Amazingly, the liquid will be absorbed into the cake, so be sure to use all of the syrup.
• Heat the preserves with 1 tablespoon of water until runny, press it through a sieve, and brush it on the cake. Serve with Whipped Cream piped into the middle of the cake plus an extra bowl on the side.
• Place the sugar and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour into a 4-cup heat-proof measuring cup and allow to cool. Add the rum and vanilla and set aside.
• Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until the cream forms stiff peaks. Don't overbeat, or you'll end up with butter!

CLASSIC FRENCH RUM BABA (BABA AU RHUM) RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Stir the yeast and the warm water together in a large bowl and allow the yeast to dissolve for 5 minutes. Lightly beat the eggs into the yeast and water.
• In a small bowl, mix the flour, sugar, citrus zests, and salt together. Stir the mixture into the yeast and eggs.
• Work the mixture in the bowl with a spatula until it holds together. On a very lightly floured surface, knead the dough with the softened butter until it becomes soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough will be very sticky.
• Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover the dough, and allow it to rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, soak the raisins or currants in 3 tablespoons of rum.
• Once the dough has doubled, fold the rum-soaked fruit into it.
• Grease the baba molds and divide the dough evenly among them. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400 F. Cover the molds and allow the dough to rise until the dough has just started to rise above the molds' edges, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Uncover the babas and bake them until they turn golden brown and begin to pull away from the sides of the molds, 20 to 25 minutes
• Immediately remove the babas from the molds and allow them to cool on a wire rack while you make the rum syrup.
• Gather the ingredients.
• In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the water and sugar to a boil until the syrup has thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the syrup from the heat and stir the rum and vanilla extract into the mixture.
• Place the babas into the hot rum syrup in batches, turning them several times, allowing them to soak up the syrup. They will swell and absorb most of the syrup. Continue to soak the babas until all the syrup is used.
• Carefully transfer each baba onto a dessert plate and brush with a generous amount of warmed apricot preserves.
• Garnish the babas au rhum with vanilla Chantilly cream to serve.

DARK AND STORMY RUM BABAS WITH PINEAPPLE

Steps:

• To make the babas, put the flour and yeast in a mixing bowl with a large pinch of salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs lightly with the ginger syrup and lime zest, then pour into the flour, whisking with a balloon whisk as you go, until smooth. If you have a stand mixer, beat for 3-4 minutes using the paddle attachment, then pour in the melted butter and beat to a smooth batter. (If you don't have a stand mixer, work the batter with the whisk for the same time, adding the butter in the same way.)
• Divide the mixture evenly among the moulds, put them in a baking tray and cover loosely with cling film. Leave somewhere warm to rise for 35-45 minutes until doubled in size.
• Put all the syrup ingredients except the lime zest and extra rum in a pan, bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes to give a light syrup. Remove from the heat, strain into a large shallow bowl (discard the ginger) and cool.
• Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Transfer the risen babas carefully to the oven and bake for 5 minutes, then turn down the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 and cook for 10 minutes or until risen and golden. Cool in the moulds for 5 minutes, then run a knife carefully around the edge of each and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Soak the babas in the cooled syrup for 10 minutes, moving them around every 2 minutes so they soak evenly. They should be well soaked but not falling apart. Put on the wire rack (over a tray to catch the drips) to drain for 10 minutes. Pour the syrup from the bowl and tray back into the pan, then wrap each baba in cling film and chill overnight.
• The next day, put the syrup back on the hob and reduce for 10-15 minutes more until thick, but not turning to caramel. Set aside to cool.
• About an hour before you want to serve, take the babas out of the fridge. For the pineapple, spread the sugar out in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the sugar starts to melt, put the pineapple wedges on top and heat without moving the pineapple until the sugar bubbles and caramelises. It may crystallise, but will re-melt.
• Once bubbling, add the stem ginger, then cook, shaking the pan now and then, for 3-4 minutes until the pineapple is lightly charred. Flip and repeat. When both sides are charred, add the ginger syrup and butter, shake to combine, then carefully divide among 6 bowls (the pineapple will be very hot). Warm the reserved syrup, then grate in the lime zest and add a splash of rum. Put a baba in each bowl, spoon over a little syrup and serve with whipped cream.

PAUL HOLLYWOOD'S RUM BABAS WITH CHANTILLY CREAM

Steps:

• Place the flour in a large bowl. Put the yeast on one side of the flour and the salt on the other, making sure they don't touch. (Salt can kill the yeast, making it inactive). Add the sugar, and stir until evenly mixed.In a different bowl, mix the milk and eggs together until well combined. Add three-quarters of the egg and milk mixture to the flour, and stir to combine. Mix in the rest of the liquid, and knead the dough in the bowl with a spatula until it's smooth and glossy; this will take about 10 minutes.Add the softened butter, and work it through the dough thoroughly until it's silky and stretchy. This should take approximately six minutes. Put the dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set the dough aside to rise for at least an hour, until doubled in size. (Mine took about 1½ hours.)Grease and sugar four 4½-inch fluted rum baba tins (or savarin molds). (Coating the molds with sugar will help the fragile cakes come out of the molds without sticking.)Turn the dough out of the bowl, and knock it back by kneading it a few times. Place the dough into a piping bag with a large plain nozzle. Pipe the dough into the four molds, trying to get them all as equal as possible.Preheat the oven to 350°F.Allow the dough to rise for a second time until it has expanded almost to the top of the molds. Be careful not to overprove at this stage, or you will get a muffin top around the edges. (Mine took about half an hour.)Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes.Meanwhile for the syrup, put the sugar and rum in a small saucepan with water and bring to a rolling boil.When the babas are done (They should be golden brown, but you can also insert a toothpick in the thickest part of the cake to see if it comes out clean.), take them out of the oven and allow them to cool a little before carefully removing them from their tins. They will be very fragile.Place the babas into a deep dish and pour half the syrup over them. Allow them to soak up all of the liquid; then turn them over and repeat with the rest of the liquid. Transfer to the fridge to chill.Meanwhile, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla seeds. The cream must be firm enough to pipe and hold its shape. Transfer to a piping bag and keep in the fridge until needed. Prepare the fruit as desired.To serve, pipe the Chantilly cream, using a star nozzle, into the middle of the babas. Garnish with the mixed fruit.