CookEat Recipe
Babà with Raisins
A tall fluted yeasted cake with two kinds of raisins, candied peel, Marsala and rum mixed into the dough, served cold with icing sugar.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 250 g strong white flour, plus 10 g for the mould; 75 g butter: 70 g for the dough and 5 g for the mould; 50 g caster sugar; 50 g sultanas; 30 g large Malaga or muscat raisins, seeds removed before weighing; 30 g fresh baker’s yeast, not dried yeast; About 100 ml cream, added as needed; 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk; 1 tablespoon Marsala; 1 tablespoon rum; 10 g candied citrus peel, cut into thin strips; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; A pinch of salt; 15 g icing sugar: 5 g for the mould and 10 g for finishing.
Step 2
Mix the yeast with about 62 g taken from the measured flour and enough just-lukewarm cream from the measured amount to make a small firm starter, about 30–40 ml. Cut a cross on top, place in a small covered bowl with a teaspoon of cream beneath it and leave at room temperature until swollen, about 30 minutes. Keep the eggs and remaining cream refrigerated meanwhile. Check the larger raisins carefully and remove any seeds.
Step 3
Beat the two eggs and yolk with the caster sugar. Add the remaining flour, risen starter, the 70 g butter melted and cooled to lukewarm, Marsala, rum, vanilla and salt. Add the remaining cream only if the dough needs softening. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 25–30 minutes until elastic and pulling away from the bowl. Fold in both kinds of raisins and the thin candied-peel strips last.
Step 4
Cover and let the dough visibly swell at room temperature, about 20–30 minutes. Stir it briefly with the spoon to knock back the first rise. Grease a tall fluted metal mould of about 1.5 litres with 5 g butter and dust with the extra flour mixed with 5 g icing sugar. Put in the dough; the mould should be at least twice the volume of the unrisen mixture.
Step 5
Cover without touching the dough and refrigerate at 4°C or colder for the final rise until roughly doubled and approaching the rim. Check from about two hours onward; the cold rise may take 8–12 hours, but bake earlier if ready. Keep the total mixing, first rise and other room-temperature handling after the eggs are added below two hours. If needed, allow up to 30 minutes to finish swelling at room temperature only within that total; otherwise continue rising in the refrigerator.
Step 6
Preheat the oven to 170°C while the mould remains cold. Remove the cover and bake for about 45–60 minutes, until the exterior is the deep golden colour of bread crust and a clean wooden skewer comes out without wet dough. Lower the oven to 150°C and leave for another 5–10 minutes to dry the thick centre; loosely shield the top if it colours too much.
Step 7
Let stand in the mould for about 15 minutes, then loosen and turn out onto a rack. Cool completely, allowing about two hours, and dust with the remaining icing sugar. Serve cold. The listed time includes an overnight rise and cooling. The spirits are baked into the dough; there is no soaking syrup, and this is not described as alcohol-free.
Step 8
Milk may replace the cream in the same approximate amount, added only as needed for the same dough consistency. Cognac may replace the tablespoon of rum. Keep the Marsala, both kinds of raisins, candied peel, rising stages and baking method unchanged.
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