Monday, March 10, 2008

SHF #41 - Sweet Gifts - Rum Baba


Danielle of Habeas Brulee is hosting this month's Sugar High Friday, and has selected Sweet Gifts as the theme. The gist of this theme is to make a dessert for someone, and share the story of why you made that particular dessert for that particular person.

For my entry, I made a rum baba for my friend, Charet, who invited me to stay at her house in a beachside suburb for the Labour Day long weekend. Rum baba is one of Charet's favourite desserts, so I decided to make it for her as a gift for her generosity in having me to stay.

Until Charet mentioned rum baba, I had never heard of it, and I didn't actually know what I was making when I started this project. Some research on the Internet informed me that rum baba is a rum-soaked yeast cake, sometimes served with cream and fruit. There were a lot of different recipes on the internet for rum baba, all generally along the same lines, but some contained dried fruit while others which did not. I opted for this version of rum baba, adapted from an Ina Garten recipe. However, I didn't bother with the cream, and I left out the rum-soaked currants (which turned out to be the right move!!). I was rather scared that the cake would fall apart after being drowned in all that rum syrup, but amazingly it didn't - so if you make it, don't be shy!

Charet shared her rum baba with me, and I was pleasantly surprised. It is certainly very different to the types of cake which I usually make, but pleasant all the same, and boy, does it smell like rum! Charet says that rum babas are often even rummier than this one, but that she liked my less rummy version because she could have more than one slice ;)

Thanks to Danielle for hosting this month's SHF, and do check back to her site for the roundup later in the month.

17 comments:

Pixie said...

Ah, rum baba, they used to sell miniature versions of this dessert at an Italian pastry shop I worked in many many years ago. I would love to try this one. It's bookmarked!

Anonymous said...

That looks fabulous!

Gretchen Noelle said...

What a fun cake! I am sure your friend was pleased!

adele said...

Rum-soaked yeast cake?

That sounds awfully good. :)

Finla said...

Looks so delicious. Here in the bakers we get small ones. I have never tried making them.

Rosie said...

WOW you made a rum baba!! I have never taken the plunge to make one yet!! I really am impressed it looks like peeking through a bakers shop window viewing this bake!! Well done :D

Rosie x

aforkfulofspaghetti said...

Wowee! Well done, you! Rum babas can be fantastic or rather disappointing - this sounds and looks as though it's firmly in the fantastic category...

Ivy said...

I have never tried Rum Baba but I liked the ingredients and sounds very good.

Cha61 said...

The rumbaba was delicious, that I ate too much. I had to loose the calories today at the gym.
Thanks Cakelaw!

Cakelaw said...

Hi Pixie, would love to know how you go with it.

Thanks Ann!

Hi Gretchen, Charet is going to give the recipe a try for herself - so I think that's a good sign!

Hi Happy Cook, I didn't even know what I was making, but I was happy with the result.

Thanks Rosie - glad you think so.

Thanks Ghetti - the whiff of rum is definitely fantastic.

Hi Ivy, if you like trifle, you may like this, because it is a plain cake soaked in rum.

Hi Charet, you are way tiny - you can have lots of rum baba before it's a problem.

Anonymous said...

good! I love rum, and I love Baba :)

Cakelaw said...

Thanks Rum - it would be very fitting for you to make!

Barbara said...

That is very adventurous. I find the thought of making rum baba daunting. Yours looks stunning.

Cakelaw said...

Thanks Barbara - I confess to being dubious about it while making it, but it all seemed to come out in the wash.

The Apron Queen said...

The heck with cooking supper! I'm making a bunch of desserts after reading SHF!!

Stop by for a visit. I'll even save one of my baked apples for you! :D

Confessions of an Apron Queen: http://anapronaday.blogspot.com

Joy @ Joy Of Desserts said...

Yummy. I so love baba au rhum.

Cakelaw said...

Thanks Apron Queen - I will take you up on that!

Thanks Joy - would love to send you a slice.