Ingredients
- Butter for the molds
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- Simple Syrup
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 3 tablespoons or more dark rum, whiskey, Cognac, Kirsh, or other fruit brandies
- Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Step 1
Butter ten 4-ounce baba molds or 20 miniature savarin molds.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, thoroughly combine the flour and salt so the salt doesn’t touch the yeast. Add the eggs, yeast, sugar, and water. Beat the dough for about 8 minutes on medium speed. At first, the dough will adhere to the sides of the bowl and form strings between the paddle and the walls of the bowl. Continue beating until the dough pulls away from the sides and clings to the paddle attachment. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the inside of the bowl so all the dough gets incorporated.
Add the butter and continue beating for 3 to 5 minutes, until the butter disappears. Transfer the dough to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap; the plastic should touch the dough’s surface to prevent a crust from forming but not be tucked under the dough or it will keep it from rising. Put the dough in a slightly warm place (but no warmer than 80 degrees F or the butter will melt and ooze out of the dough) for about 1 ½ hours or in the refrigerator overnight, or until the dough has about doubled in size.
Press down on the dough with your fist to flatten it. If making babas, fill the molds halfway with dough; if making miniature savarins, about three-quarters up. Dip you fingers in cold water to make the dough easier to work with and to prevent it from sticking to your fingers. Cover the molds loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until the dough comes almost to the top of the baba molds or slightly ove the rim of the savarin molds.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake for about 30 minutes for babas and 20 minutes for savarins, or until the dough is golden brown and has risen up out of the molds. Take one of the cakes out of its mold and lift it; it should feel light. Let the rest of the cakes cool in their molds for 5 minutes before turning them out.
While cakes are baking, make the syrup. In a bowl, combine the sugar and water and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let the syrup cool to just slightly warm, or chill it over a bowl of ice water, and add the rum.
Pour the syrup into a bowl. Press each of the babas or savarins down into the syrup for about 1 minute, or until they are well soaked. Gently squeeze each baba or savarin seral times while they’re submerged in the syrup, until no more bubbles come up when you squeeze.
To make the whipped cream, whip the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract to stiff peaks and pipe or spoon it in the middle of the savarins. If you’ve made babas, slice them in half vertically and pipe or spoon the whipped cream over the insides. The babas and savarins can also be served plain.