5 October 2023

 

NEAPOLITAN RUM AND AMALFI LEMON BABA

 

Editor Gillian Nelis loves rum baba and so does Theo Randall, probably best known for his time at The River Café, who included a gorgeous recipe for a Neapolitan rum and Amalfi lemon baba in his latest cookbook, The Italian Pantry. "That first taste of the sugary syrup, soft sponge, sweet cream and rum was a revelation," says Randall of the first rum baba he tried. You’ll need baba moulds to make these, which look like tall dariole moulds. They come as individual moulds, or often as a silicone sheet. At a push you can use a cupcake tray instead.

WHAT YOU NEED

 

2 tbsp whole milk

5g dried yeast

500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for flouring

60g caster sugar

10 eggs

¼ tsp sea salt

180g butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing

For the syrup
500g caster sugar

Pared zest of 3 Amalfi lemons

150ml dark rum

 

FOR THE CREMA DI MASCARPONE

200g mascarpone

50g icing sugar

2 tbsp sweet marsala

150ml double cream

½ vanilla pod, split lengthways

WHAT YOU DO

Step 1. Mix the milk and yeast together in a medium bowl and add two heaped tablespoons of the strong white bread flour, combining to a smooth dough. Position the dough in the middle of the bowl, cover it with cling film and keep it in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Step 2. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the remaining flour to the mixing bowl and then add the risen yeast, milk and flour mixture. Turn on the mixer at its lowest setting, then steadily add the sugar. Next add the eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to be incorporated before adding another. After about ten minutes, the mixture should be smooth and well combined. At that point, add the salt and then, one at a time, add the cubes of butter.

Step 3. Once you’ve added all the butter, continue mixing on a low speed for three minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Take the bowl off the machine and cover it in cling film. Leave it in a warm place for two hours for the dough to rise.

Step 4. While the dough is rising, make the sugar syrup. Pour one litre of water into a large saucepan. Add the sugar and place the pan over a medium heat. Bring the syrup to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Add the lemon zest and simmer for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat. Leave the syrup to cool, then add the rum. Transfer the syrup to a container and place it in the fridge until needed.

Step 5. Grease (with butter) and flour each baba mould, then set the moulds aside.

Step 6. Tip out the risen dough on to a lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to knock it back to release the air pockets in the dough. Cut the dough into roughly 80g pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place one dough ball into each baba mould and leave them in a warm place for about 20 minutes, until the dough has reached the top of each mould.

Step 7. While the babas are rising, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas 6.

Step 8. Place the babas on a baking sheet and into the oven. Bake them for 30 minutes, until golden, then turn out the babas on to a wire rack to cool.

Step 9. While the babas are baking, make the crema di mascarpone. In a bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the icing sugar and marsala. Add the cream and scrape in the vanilla seeds from the pod. Whisk again until the mixture is smooth and holds soft peaks. Set aside until you’re ready to serve.

Step 10. While the babas are cooling, pour the syrup back into a saucepan and reheat it over a low heat. Using tongs, dip each baba into the warm syrup and then turn it right side up back on to the wire rack. (Place a tray underneath the rack to catch the drips.) Reserve the remaining syrup to serve.

Step 11. Serve the babas with crema di mascarpone and the remaining syrup, and topped with a piece of the Amalfi lemon peel.

 soup.

 

 

Recipes extracted from The Italian Pantry by Theo Randall (Quadrille, £26/€26 RRP). Photography by Lizzie Mayson

Makes 24|Difficulty: Medium| 

Time: More than an hour

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