Babà al Rum (Rum Baba): The Neapolitan Sweet You Must Try

Babà al rum, or babbà, are soft, boozy sweets from traditional Neapolitan pastry-making, with their unmistakable mushroom shape. A festive treat you can also make at home, following the step-by-step instructions in this recipe, to offer your guests a true delicacy.

INGREDIENTS

For the babà:

• 125 g flour
• 50 g butter
• 2 whole eggs (large)
• 1 egg yolk
• 15 g milk
• 15 g sugar
• 15 g fresh brewer's yeast

• • a pinch of salt

For the syrup:

• • 500 g water
  • 250 g sugar
  • 250 g rum
  • 1 lemon

To decorate:

• jam of your choice
  
  The renowned babà al rum are the most celebrated soaked-and-syrupy sweets of the ancient Neapolitan tradition, although their origins actually lie far from Naples. It was in fact the King of Poland, Stanislao Leszcynsky, in exile in Lorraine, who came up with the idea of enriching a rum syrup with the local sweet known as Kugelhupf. That is how babà came into being: their name draws inspiration from the king's fondness for the character of Ali Babà. This delicious sweet, thanks to the influence of French chefs, also made its way to Naples, quickly winning over the hearts of its people. Don't be put off by the noble background and the fame surrounding this dessert — making babà al rum is not at all complicated, and the effort you put in will certainly be rewarded by the great success you'll have with your guests. Babà lend themselves to many variations, both in size, ranging from mini babà to large, cake-like babà, and in the soaking syrup, which can be based on rum, limoncello, or a delicately alcoholic fruit syrup. Another very tempting option is to fill the babà with whipped cream or pastry cream, adding an extra touch of refinement to this already irresistible sweet.
  HOW TO MAKE: BABÀ AL RUM1Start making the babà al rum by briefly mixing the flour and yeast in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, or by hand. Add the milk, eggs and egg yolk, previously beaten together, and work for a few minutes until smooth. To avoid lumps, add the egg and milk mixture while the mixer is running or, if working by hand, while continuing to stir.
  Add the sugar and mix. Finally add the salt and the butter, softened at room temperature. The dough should turn out soft, almost liquid. 2Transfer the dough into a piping bag. Pipe it into the moulds, filling them to about 1 cm from the rim. Leave to rise for about 30 minutes at a temperature of 30°C (in the switched-off oven, with the light on).
  The dough should rise above the moulds, forming a small dome. 3Bake at 180°C in a preheated fan oven for about 13 minutes. The babà are ready when they slide easily out of the moulds. You can cut the bottom of a babà to check that the dough has the right honeycomb texture. Turn out and leave to cool completely. 4Prepare the soaking syrup: in a small saucepan, heat the water, sugar and lemon zest. Bring to the boil, then strain. Add the rum. Pour the syrup into a bowl and, while it is still hot, dip the babà into it completely for a few moments. Leave to drain on a cake rack. 5If you like, you can brush the babà with jam of your choice, to make them shiny. Leave to rest in the fridge for about 1 hour before serving, for the best flavour. Before being soaked, babà al rum can be kept in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer until the evening before you plan to use them, well sealed in a food bag.