Cooking is about tradition, and this recipe is one of its symbols. For a gastronome, simply hearing the words “rum baba” makes the mouth water and conjures up an image of something delicious, moist and fragrant, syrupy and soft… in other words, a moment of perfect pleasure. To see a baba wearing its shiny apricot glaze, waiting to receive the anointing of aged rum, and ultimately to be accompanied by a vanilla cream is to witness a small masterwork of good taste. It is my favorite dessert, and you will find it on the menu at Monaco’s Louis XV restaurant. This version was created in memory of the dessert served at the wedding of King Louis XV to Poland’s Princess Marie Leszczyňska.
Prepare the baba dough
- 1 cup + 4 tsp or 4 oz (130 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 oz (6 g) fresh baker’s yeast
- 1/4 tsp (1 g) salt
- 1 1/2 tsp (6 g) honey
- 3 tbsp (45 g) unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 6 1/2 tbsp (100 ml) grape seed oil
Prepare the baba syrup
- 4 cups (1 L) water
- 1 lb (450 g) sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 vanilla pod (seeds removed set aside)
Prepare the apricot glaze
- 6 tbsp (75 g) superfine sugar
- 1 tsp (4 g) pectin NH
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) apricot pulp
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) baba syrup
Prepare the vanilla cream
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the baba dough
Combine the flour and yeast in a food processor bowl. Then add the salt, honey, butter, and 1 egg. Knead to obtain a smooth, glossy, elastic dough. When it pulls away from the sides of the bowl, gradually incorporate the remaining 2 eggs and finish kneading.
Place the dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 20 minutes.
Grapeseed oil is odorless and withstands high temperatures. It is ideal for frying or for oiling molds.
This recipe was originally published in "My Best Alain Ducasse" (Éditions Alain Ducasse). See all credits
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