Rum Baba from Naples

The amount of sugar in this famous Neapolitan dessert clearly reveals its Arabic origin, while the lemon adds a distinctive aroma. In Naples, you can buy small babas baked in special molds; however, it will be perfectly fine to bake it in a smaller cake mold. Rum, of course, must not be missing – without it, the Neapolitan baba simply wouldnt be a baba al rum.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 85 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 50 minutes
  • Difficulty: 2
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 350 g Flour, Wheat, bread flour

  • 150 g Sugar, white

  • 1 pinch Salt, table

  • 4 pieces Egg, fresh

  • 100 g Butter, unsalted

  • 30 g Yeast, dry

  • 60 ml Milk, whole milk

  • 1 piece Juice, lemon

  • 1 dl Alcohol, Rum

  • 1 dl Sweet cream

Steps

  1. In a small pot, mix the yeast with a little warm water (about 1 dl) until it completely dissolves. Add 50 grams of flour and mix everything well. Cover the pot with a cloth and let the yeast rise for 10 minutes. Cut the butter into slices.

  2. Sift the remaining flour onto the work surface, make a well in the center, and crack the eggs into it. Add 100 g of sugar, butter, milk, and the yeast. Salt the flour around the well. Knead all the ingredients into a dough, making sure to knead it well. The dough should be smooth and elastic, and it should not stick to your hands or the bowl. Cover it and let it rest in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume (about one hour).

  3. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a baking pan (for cakes or bundt cakes) with butter and fill it with the dough. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes.

  4. Wash the lemon and squeeze out its juice. Pour half a cup of water into a small pot and add 50 g of sugar. Heat and stir until the sugar completely dissolves. Remove from heat before the sugar starts to change color. Add the rum and lemon juice. Evenly pour the syrup over the baked pastry. Wait for the pastry to cool completely. Store it in the refrigerator. Once cooled, remove the pastry from the pan and serve it topped with sweet cream.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 326.73 kcal
  • Fat: 11.84 g
    • Saturated Fat: 6.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 44.07 g
    • Sugars: 15.79 g
  • Protein: 8.86 g
  • Fiber: 1.49 g