Rum Baba

Name: Rum Baba
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3 teaspoons sugar (15 ml); 60 ml warm water; 15 g dry yeast; 3 tablespoons milk (45 ml); 60 g butter; 1 Cup flour (250 ml); 2 eggs; pinch of salt; 2OO g sugar; 400 ml water; 90 ml Rum

By Marna Ross Updated 12 August 2026 4.44 from 9 ratings French

Rum Baba is a French dessert from the Lorraine district. It is a small cake made from yeast, milk, eggs and butter. It is served with a Rum sauce which is poured over after the cake is baked. Almost like our South African Malva pudding. It is mainly baked as individuals in mini Bundt cake tins or ‘baba’ moulds. The open area of the moulds is then afterwards filled with Chantilly cream (whipped cream, sugar and vanilla essence/ vanilla pod’s seeds) or whipped cream. It is a bit different from another yeast cake, called the Gugelhupt cake (which is dry and does not have syrup over). The Gugelhupt is originally from Austria and the batter also consists of raisins and blanched almonds and no sauce- where the Rum Baba has no raisins or almonds, but with the Rum sauce. The exiled king of Poland, Stanislaw Leszeynski had the idea of dripping the Gugelhupt cake with Malaga wine(Hungarian wine) because he found the Gugelhupt cake too dry too his taste. The Malaga wine was then replaced by Rum. It is said this is how the Rum Baba was born. We still make it with the Rum, today. Rum baba is something you need time for, therefor I would not suggest you make this recipe if you are in a hurry. It is more time-concerning but definitely worth making if you have plenty of time to perfect it.

Spongy rum baba yeast cakes soaked in sweet rum syrup and topped with cream.

Prep 30 min

Cook 2 h

Total 2 h 30 m

Serves 4

Jump to the method

Ingredients

Cake

3 teaspoons sugar (15 ml)
60 ml warm water
15 g dry yeast
3 tablespoons milk (45 ml)
60 g butter
1 Cup flour (250 ml)
2 eggs
pinch of salt

Syrup

2OO g sugar
400 ml water
90 ml Rum

Method

Cake

Pre-heat the oven to 180° Celsius
Place 5 ml sugar(1 teaspoon) and the warm water in a bowl
Sprinkle the yeast over and allow to stand for 10 minutes in a warm place until the mixture has risen almost to the top of the bowl
Meanwhile, heat the milk until lukewarm
Work the softened butter until creamy
Sieve the flour and make a well
Add the eggs, salt, remaining sugar and heated milk to the yeast and mix well
Add the softened butter and mix again
Knead until smooth and elastic, and lifting it to incorporate air
Butter a Bundt(small 'baba mould'), and place the dough in it
The buttered mould can be sprinkled with sugar before adding the dough- it will help later to get the sponge out
Make the mould one third full with the batter
Cover with a cloth and let it rise until level with the rim for about 1 hour
Bake for 20-25 minutes

Syrup

Combine the sugar and water and boil
Remove from the heat and stir in the Rum
Once the 'baba' is baked, take it out of the oven and leave it a bit to cool down
turn it out- it will be easier once it has slightly cooled, prick with a kebab stick and pour the sauce over so the rum baba absorbs the sauce