Hello foodies,
Today, I’m stepping a bit out of my comfort zone and trying something new—at times, it feels a bit like “without a net.” And I’m here to tell you why.
Here is my baba in citrus syrup and vanilla.
This citrus syrup and vanilla baba was quite the challenge for me
As I mentioned, this recipe pushed me out of my usual pastry comfort zone. I took some risks (measured ones, don’t worry!), conducted tests (including a major fail, which I will share!), and turned that test into a success! We don’t give up!!
The classic baba, which is made with rum, left me with a rather bad memory. To summarize, I didn’t like it at all. It was overly soaked with alcohol, which ruined it for me. I never had it again, much less tried making it!
So when I was asked to create a baba, I was genuinely hesitant…
The inspiration for this citrus and vanilla syrup baba
I wanted to develop a non-alcoholic version (since that’s what had been bothering me…), and the idea of a citrus and vanilla syrup came naturally. First of all, we are entering the peak citrus season, and I wanted to take advantage of it—I love the combination with vanilla.
The “basic” recipe is inspired by François Perret, the pastry chef of the Ritz. Quite a reference! (Even if it led to some mishaps, which I will detail later).
I also wanted to enhance this recipe with an orange cream, a personal touch from Casserole et Chocolat, which I believe will delight your taste buds.
Why this citrus syrup and vanilla baba recipe started off poorly
I found Chef Perret’s recipe in an article from Vogue magazine that had a significant error. An essential step—allowing the baba dough to rise—was missing, leading to a disastrous outcome: cakes that didn’t rise while baking, a texture reminiscent of a block of stone, and an absolutely unappetizing appearance. I’m being completely transparent here.
That’s why I’m not providing a link to that article; it’s not my style.
I suspected something was off with the recipe progression, and I didn’t trust myself… I should have!
So I made it again!! And this time, it yielded the lovely result you see—I’d say it’s validated!
The harmony of citrus and vanilla
The combination of citrus and vanilla in pastry strikes a delicate balance between brightness and sweetness. Citrus fruits—lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, or clementine—impart their tangy freshness, awakening the taste buds with their vibrant and aromatic notes. In contrast, the sweet and rounded vanilla envelops these flavors in a comforting warmth with a gentle floral touch.
Together, they create a refined flavor harmony, where the acidity of the fruits is softened by the sensuality of vanilla. This pairing particularly enhances light pastries, providing balance, elegance, and aromatic intensity. This is exactly what I sought to achieve in this baba with citrus and vanilla syrup.
Symbolizing freshness and indulgence, the citrus-vanilla combination enchants with its ability to merge energy and sweetness, modernity and tradition, in a perfect play of sensory contrasts.
The rum baba
Of course, I can’t conclude this article without mentioning the classic, iconic version, the rum baba.
Rum baba is a traditional French pastry whose origins date back to the 18th century, with roots in Eastern Europe. It is derived from thekouglof, an Alsatian cake that I will present to you later! According to legend, the deposed King Stanislas Leszczynski of Poland, exiled in Nancy, found his kouglof too dry. To soften it, he soaked it in sweet wine, and later in rum, thus giving birth to the baba.
The name « baba » is believed to derive from the Polish wordbaba, meaning « old woman » or « grandmother’s cake. » The recipe was later refined by Parisian pastry chefs, notably Nicolas Stohrer, a former cook for the king, who opened the famous Stohrer pastry shop in Paris in 1730.
Essential utensils:
A stand mixer with dough hook and whisk,
A tray with 8 savarin molds,
A saucepan,
A whisk,
A hand blender,
A chinois strainer,
A baking dish,
A baking sheet,
A fluted pastry tip,
A round pastry socket (6 or 8)
And two piping bags.
There you have it, you know everything! Let’s get started!
The recipe, Chef!
Baba with Citrus Syrup and Vanilla
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Loading...Ingredients
- Baba Dough
- 200 g of flour T45
- 4 g of salt (1 teaspoon)
- 20 g of granulated sugar
- 5 g of dry baker's yeast (or 10 g of fresh baker's yeast)
- 10 g of milk
- 2 eggs
- 60 g of butter at room temperature
- Baba Syrup
- 1/2 liter of water
- 150 g of granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
- 10 cl of freshly squeezed orange juice (or 20 cl of rum and 2 cl of Grand Marnier for the alcoholic version)
- the zest of one orange
- Whipped Cream
- 300 g of liquid heavy cream (33% fat)
- 50 g of sifted icing sugar
- Clementine Cream
- 1/2 sheet of gelatin (1 g)
- 80 g of clementine juice
- 22 g of butter
- 1 egg
- 35 g of sugar
- Finishing
- Lime zest
Instructions
Baba Dough
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a hook, pour in the flour, salt, and sugar.
Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk, then add it to the other dry ingredients, also add the eggs. Knead the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Then add the butter cut into pieces. Work until the dough pulls away again.
Let rise in a warm, humid place for 1 and a half hours, your dough should double in size.
Shape 8 dough balls, make a hole in the center and place your dough circles in the previously buttered savarin molds.
Let rise for 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
Place a tray on the molds (to have uniformly sized cakes), bake and cook for about 17 minutes.
Baba Syrup
Meanwhile, bring the water, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and the vanilla pod (cut in half and scraped) to a boil, then let cool to 50 degrees.
Pour everything over the babas placed in your baking dish. Keep in the refrigerator overnight and check the soaking the next day. (if possible, turn your babas several times to ensure well-soaked cakes)
Whipped Cream
Mix the cream and powdered sugar, whip them until you obtain a firm consistency. Pour the whipped cream into a bag fitted with a fluted tip and keep in the refrigerator.
Clementine Cream
Soak the half sheet of gelatin in cold water to soften it.
In your saucepan (with a thick bottom if possible), add the clementine juice, sugar, and butter. Cook for 3 minutes over medium heat (3 out of 6) while whisking.
Add the egg and cook over higher heat (4 out of 6) while whisking a bit more vigorously for about 2 minutes. Your cream should start to thicken.
Remove from heat when your whisk creates nice lines in the cream.
Pass through a strainer to remove any solid parts.
Add the squeezed gelatin sheet.
Blend with an immersion blender.
Pour into a piping bag fitted with a round tip and refrigerate your cream for at least 40 minutes.
Finishing
Drain the babas. Fill the center of each baba with clementine cream, then pipe the whipped cream in a rose shape, taking care to leave an empty space in the center. Fill the central space with more clementine cream.
Add the lime zest.
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