Baba Au Rhum

Preparation

1. Step 1

   In a large stainless steel bowl, dissolve yeast in milk. Place over medium heat, and stir just until milk is warm. Remove from heat, and stir in ¼ cup flour. Cover, and set aside in a warm place to rise 20 minutes, until spongy.

2. Step 2

   Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease 8 half-cup baba molds, a 6-cup ring mold or a Bundt pan. Place molds on baking sheet.

3. Step 3

   Beat remaining butter in a mixer or food processor. Beat in 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time.

4. Step 4

   Whisk mixture into yeast sponge. Beat in remaining flour to make a thick doughlike batter. Spoon batter into molds. Set aside to rise about 30 minutes, until dough reaches just above tops of individual molds and barely to top of single large mold.

5. Step 5

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While babas rise, combine remaining sugar with 2 cups water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in orange zest. Allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in ½ cup rum.

6. Step 6

   Bake individual babas about 20 minutes, larger baba about 40 minutes, until nicely browned on top.

7. Step 7

   When babas are baked, remove from oven and unmold. Dip babas into syrup, turning to saturate; place large ring in a large baking dish, and pour syrup over it. Cool on rack placed over a baking pan to catch drips. Strain jam into saucepan, and heat until quite warm. Brush on cooled babas.

8. Step 8

   Split vanilla bean, scrape seeds into cream; whip cream, and chill. To serve, split babas lengthwise, spoon a tablespoon of the remaining rum on each portion, and top with whipped cream. For single baba, fill center of ring with whipped cream and add rum as each portion is cut.