This slang expression, Tu l’as eu dans le baba! (you need an exclamation point), is mainly used to express a failure, or when you expected something you didn’t get. It’s somehow a funny expression, used quite often. But baba is also a dessert, baba au rhum is a traditional rhum cake served with whipped cream (but you can serve it with fruits also)…and yes there is a little history behind it, because it involves Nancy my hometown. When recipes like this one are traced back 300 or 400 years, sometimes it’s difficult to really be 100% certain where the inspiration or the original recipe originated. It might have been someone who came back from a trip and “imported” the idea or the recipe from a foreign country, then developed it in its own country.

As far as baba au rhum is concerned, it’s linked to King Stanislas Leszczinzky (king of Poland) and also Duke of Lorraine in the XVIIIe, brought back the idea from Poland in his Luneville castle, then the recipe started to evolve a bit over time.

This was my first try at baba au rhum, usually pastries are my second choice when I have to eat something, I love to serve a great pastry after a meal when I have guests over, but not being a sweet tooth, I don’t go into some baking spree. Once in a while I like to try out baking new things, but salt is my element not sugar. The recipe has been inspired by the book called “La cuisine des bistrots” from edition “Tomawalk’. Even though baking time said 25 min, I think according to your oven you have to adapt it, and not over cook the baba, or it will get hard and difficult for the rum syrup to soak it. Next time I will decrease baking time. Then of course, you can add quantity of rum you like, it’s all up to your tastes!

Ingredients for 6 babas

For the batter

• 3.17 oz (or 90 g) butter + for molds
• 3.38 fl oz (or 10 cl) milk
• 3 eggs
• 7.76 oz (or 220 g) flour
• 0.35 oz (or 10 g) yeast
• 1 tbs sugar

For the syrup

• 8.81 oz (or 250 g) sugar
• 1 tbs rum
• 1.41 oz (or 40 cl) water

Preparation

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk and let it rest for 10 min.

In a mixing container, mix flour, eggs, sugar and mixture milk/yeast. Mix well until you obtain an elastic batter. Soften butter at room. temperature. Let the batter rest for about one hour in a warm area. After the batter rested, incorporate soft butter and mix until the batter becomes smooth.

Butter molds, then divide batter in them, filling them in half. Let it rest for another hour or so.

Preheat oven at 390F and cook for about 20-25 minutes. Don’t overcook or the babas will turn hard and difficult to absorb the syrup.

When babas are cooked remove from oven and let them cool on a cookie rack.

Prepare the syrup, mix water with sugar and bring to a boil for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add rum.

Place babas in a deep plate and pour 2 tbs of hot syrup. Let the babas absorb the liquid, then proceed a few more times until the babas are well soaked. Place babas in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with whipped cream.

These last couple of days have been a little on the chaotic side, driving to one side of town to see my doctor, then rushing to the other part of town for a court appearance for a ticket that I thought was so unjustified. It seems like the city of San Francisco needs money, and the police is distributing tickets left and right. I will not contest a ticket for something I did wrong but when it’s not justified, I feel I need to explain myself. Maybe the libra in me who is always looking for justice and balance. Anyway I had never been to court before and that was a strange experience. We were greeted by a Police officer who instructed us to be silent or we would been thrown out of the room. That type of order and authority petrifies me, so I was sitting still without even moving a finger and barely blinking.

Basically after my entertaining day in court, I had very little time to do anything…

I’ve had a pineapple and a whole coconut sitting in the kitchen, screaming for attention…I love those two they’re inseparable, so having a stock of Greek yogurt in addition to this, there was no other option that using everything in a traditional French yogurt cake. The base of the cake had been modified quite a bit, adding chestnut flour (which is one of my favorites flour for baking, it has a delightful sweet nutty flavor). Yogurt cake is to the French as maybe cupcake is to Americans…we learn how to bake it while in school as early as 10 years old. This recipe is not a traditional gâteau au yaourt, It’s been twisted around and is more of a cousin, I have a traditional recipe for gâteau au yaourt here.

I made a pineapple sauce with coconut to be served chilled on the side and complement these little cakes very well, so if you like pineapple, you will love those ones. The yogurt makes the cake very moist and gives that particular lactic after taste that I love.

Ingredients for about 14 individual cakes (or one large)

• 3 eggs
• 6.34 oz (or 180 g) sugar
• 7 oz (or 200 g, or about 4 large tsp) Fage Greek yogurt
• 4 tbs coconut oil melted
• 1 cup flour
• 4 tsp chestnut flour
• 3.5 oz (or 100 g) fresh coconut, grated
• 1/2 fresh pineapple (1/4 diced and 1/4 crushed)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder

For the pineapple-coconut sauce

• 1/4 pineapple
• 3 tbs coconut milk
• 1 tsp rum
• 2 tsp agave nectar

Preparation

For the cakes

In a mixing container, beat eggs with sugar. Add yogurt, keep mixing, then add oil.

Add flours and mix well to obtain a smooth consistency. Add vanilla extract, baking powder and baking soda.

Add coconut and diced pineapple carefully blending everything together.

Pour batter in individual molds and cook in a pre-heated oven at 365-379F for about 30 minutes or until cooked all the way through.

Let it cool and remove from molds, preferably silicon molds.

For the sauce

Blend all ingredients in a mixer and refrigerate.

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