Mini Rum Babas
Heartwarming classics like rum babas demand to be spirited away. To create a gift that keeps on giving, we made 24 small bouncy cakes in mini muffin tins, popped them into Mason jars, added our gently alcoholized rum syrup and put a lid on them. Prêt-à-porter! Offer a few to neighbours and party hosts and […]
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk, lukewarm
- 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup (150 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (55 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (420 g) sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) water
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) dark rum
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the milk with the yeast. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining milk, egg, egg yolk, flour, sugar and salt. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes at room temperature, or until the dough has doubled in volume.
- With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter 24 mini muffin cups.
- Punch down the dough to deflate. Using a 1-tbsp (15 ml) ice cream scoop, place a ball of dough into each muffin cup. Let rise for 15 minutes or until the dough has doubled in volume.
- Bake until the babas are nicely golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool in the muffin cups. Unmould and transfer the babas to a 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) baking dish.
Heartwarming classics like rum babas demand to be spirited away. To create a gift that keeps on giving, we made 24 small bouncy cakes in mini muffin tins, popped them into Mason jars, added our gently alcoholized rum syrup and put a lid on them. Prêt-à-porter! Offer a few to neighbours and party hosts and keep a few for yourself. They can soak for up to three days and still retain their wonderfully light and spongy texture (as long as you occasionally flip the jar to keep all the babas moist.