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Makes
6 babas (can vary slightly depending on the size of your baking vessel)
Author Notes
Babas are a classic dessert dating back to the early 1800s. Classically, it’s an enriched, yeasted batter baked until golden, then soaked in a boozy syrup (rum, traditionally, but bourbon this time). I still use yeast for flavor, but I add baking powder to produce an even lighter, loftier baba (which can soak up more syrup). I add orange zest and vanilla bean to make up for the dried fruits that often stud a classic baba. The result is a tasty nod to the classic version, with a flair all it’s own. —Erin Jeanne McDowell
Test Kitchen Notes
For more details on the process, see the full article. —The Editors
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Ingredients
- Babas:
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softened unsalted butter, as needed for greasing the mold
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3
large (170 g) eggs, separated
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1/2 cup
(99 g) granulated sugar, divided
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1/4 cup
(57 g) whole milk
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3 tablespoons
(42 g) unsalted butter
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1/2
vanilla bean, scraped
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1 1/4 cups
(150 g) all-purpose flour
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2 teaspoons
(8 g) baking powder
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1 teaspoon
(4 g) instant yeast
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3/4 teaspoon
(3 g) fine sea salt
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zest of 1 orange
- Soaking + Finishing
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3/4 cup
(170 g) bourbon
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1/2 cup
(113 g) water
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1/2 cup
(106 g) dark brown sugar
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zest and juice of 1 orange
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1/2
vanilla bean, scraped
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1
cinnamon stick
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4
cloves
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apricot jam, as needed for finishing (optional)
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whipped cream, as needed for serving (not optional)
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour the cavities of a popover pan (mine has 6 cavities; you could also use muffin cups, which will yield closer to 12 babas).
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Make the babas: In the bowl mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the egg yolks and 1/4 cup (half) of the sugar until it’s pale and very thick (ribbon stage), 3-4 minutes. Set aside. You’ll need the mixer bowl again later (clean) – so wash it quick now if you don’t have a spare (or you can use a hand mixer + a regular bowl later).
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In a medium pot, heat the milk, butter, and vanilla bean scrapings until the butter is just melted; the milk shouldn’t be too hot. Test it with your finger, it should feel warm, not hot. If it’s hot, let it cool a bit before proceeding.
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Add the milk/butter mixture to the egg yolks and stir to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, yeast, salt, orange zest to combine.
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Add the flour mixture to the yolk mixture and stir to combine.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until they start to get frothy, 1-2 minutes. Slowly stream in the remaining ¼ cup sugar and continue to whip on medium high speed until the mixture reaches medium peaks, 2-3 minutes more.
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Add about 1/4 of the egg whites into the batter. Mix to combine; this will help “temper” or lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites in 2 additions, very gently, just until incorporated.
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Fill the prepared pan 2/3 way full (if you’re using muffin cups, fill the cups just over 3/4 of the way full.
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Bake until the babas have risen very tall and are evenly golden brown, 20-23 minutes.
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While the babas bake, make the soaking syrup: in a medium pot, stir the bourbon, water, dark brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, and cloves to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
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When the babas are baked, unmold immediately. Let them cool for a few minutes (no more than 10), then soak them in the syrup while they are still warm. Be generous – really dunk them. After you’ve dunked each one, dunk them all again—by the time you’re done, the syrup should be gone.
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If using, warm the apricot jam in a small pot, then use the warm jam to glaze the babas. Serve warm, with whipped cream.
I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!
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