Baba, or rum cake

Ingredients

• a quarter of a pound of flour
• half an ounce of German yeast
• three quarters of a pound of flour
• half a pound of butter
• five eggs
• half an ounce of powdered sugar
• a pinch of salt
• an ounce of chopped citron
• an ounce of currants
• two ounces of stoned raisins
• two tumblersful of clarified sugar
• two wine-glassesful of rum

Method

1. 1

   Make a well in the centre of 0.25 pound of flour, stir in 0.5 ounce of dissolved yeast, roll into a ball, and keep warm until risen.

2. 2

   Combine 0.75 pound of flour, 0.5 pound of butter, 3 eggs, 0.5 ounce of powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt.

3. 3

   Add 5 eggs one at a time, then the yeast ball, chopped citron, currants, and raisins.

4. 4

   Knead, place in a large mould, let rise, bake, and cover with a sauce made from apricot jam, clarified sugar, and rum boiled until thick.

As published

This recipe was extracted from 366 menus and 1200 recipes of the Baron Brisse in French and English (1884) by Brisse, L©♭on baron, page 76. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Baba, or rum cake. Take a quarter of a pound of flour, make a well in the centre, stir half an ounce of German yeast, dissolved in hot water, into it, roll into a ball, and keep in a warm place, wrapped in a cloth until risen to twice its original size. Take three quarters of a pound of flour, half a pound of butter, three eggs, half an ounce of powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt, stir well together, add five eggs, one after another, then the ball of yeast, an ounce of chopped citron, an ounce of currants, and two ounces of stoned raisins ; knead the paste thoroughly, and put it in a large mould, capable of holding twice the quantity, leave until it has risen to nearly the top of the mould, bake, and when done, turn out of the mould, and cover with the following sauce. Dissolve some apricot jam in two tumblersful of clarified sugar and two wine-glassesful of rum

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.