Rum Babas

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recipe by Kenwood https://kenwoodworld.com/

  • Time icon
    Total Time
    5hrs 10mins
  • Serves icon
    Serves
    20
  • Calories icon
    Calories
    510
based on 4 ratings

Rum babas originate in France, however most Italians associate them with Naples, where they were brought in the 1800s by the French chefs who cooked for richer Neapolitan families. Made with an enriched brioche-style dough which is baked in individual moulds and soaked in a citrus and rum syrup, these boozy treats are delicious served with a dollop of Italian mascarpone cream and fresh berries. The babas can be soaked to your liking, some suggest submerging them for a few minutes, and some allow them to soak for up to two hours – you can even swap the rum for limoncello for an Italian twist.

recipe updated 4 Jun. 2025

Ingredients

  • Water icon
    Water
    100 g
  • Unsalted butter icon
    Unsalted butter
    250 g
  • Lemon icon
    Lemon
    1
  • Orange icon
    Orange
    1
  • Butter icon
    Butter
    as needed
  • Dried yeast icon
    Dried yeast
    7 g
  • Egg icon
    Egg
    12
  • Baking powder icon
    Baking powder
    1 ½ teaspoons
  • Sugar icon
    Sugar
    750 g
  • Full cream milk icon
    Full cream milk
    2 tablespoons
  • Plain flour icon
    Plain flour
    750 g
  • Fine sea salt icon
    Fine sea salt
    ¼ teaspoon
  • Water icon
    Water
    1.8 kg
  • Caster sugar icon
    Caster sugar
    50 g
  • Apricot jam icon
    Apricot jam
    250 g
  • Plain flour icon
    Plain flour
    as needed
  • Dark rum icon
    Dark rum
    400 g

Tools

  • kCook icon Oven
  • kCook icon Cooling rack
  • kCook icon Cooking Chef XL
  • kCook icon Small bowl
  • kCook icon Heatproof bowl

Step preview

  1. Mix the ingredients in a small bowl until well combined and then set aside - 5 minutes
  2. Add butter into a clean small bowl and heat in a microwave until melted
  3. Set aside and let cool – 5 minutes
  4. Fit the Whisk Tool
  5. Add the eggs into the appliance bowl and fit the splashguard
  6. Mix - 5 minutes, speed 2
  7. Mix until light and fluffy - 5 minutes, speed 4
  8. Then add the ingredients into the appliance bowl
  9. Pour the yeast mixture into the appliance bowl
  10. While the machine is running, slowly pour the melted butter and mix - 2 minutes, speed 1
  11. Remove the Whisk Tool, fit the Dough Tool
  12. Mix until smooth and shiny – 10 minutes, speed 1
  13. Remove the Dough Tool and fit the splashguard
  14. Prove until doubled in size – 1 hour, 30ºC, speed off
  15. Grease the baba moulds with butter and dust with flour
  16. Knock back the dough and use a spoon to drop the dough into each mould, filling it halfway
  17. Let prove, uncovered, in a warm place until doubled – 2 hours
  18. Clean the appliance bowl and fit the Stir Tool
  19. Add the ingredients into the appliance bowl, fit the splashguard
  20. Cook until the sugar has dissolved - 5 minutes, 105ºC, speed Stir 2
  21. Then add rum
  22. Mix until combined – 2 minutes, speed Stir 1
  23. Preheat the oven to 170ºC
  24. Place the baba moulds in the oven
  25. Bake – 20 minutes, 170ºC
  26. Remove from the oven and let cool – 10 minutes
  27. Transfer the babas to a cooling rack and let cool completely – 20 minutes
  28. Working in batches of 10, place the babas in the appliance bowl and let soak - 3 minutes
  29. Place the babas on a wire rack and set aside – 30 minutes
  30. Glaze the babas with apricot jam
  31. Serve
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