King Stanislas of Poland, father-in-law of Louis XV of France, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, was an ardent cook. Among the many creations credited to this noble cuisinier is the baba-au-rhum, one of the world’s most delicious sweets. History tells us that Stanislas dunked his favourite kugelhupf in a rum-flavoured syrup and declared the result a triumph! Later generations of cooks added a scattering of raisins to the dough, and the baba as we know it was born. Based on a savarin recipe, the rum baba is a featherlight concoction of flour, sugar and eggs, made airy with powdered or granulated yeast and moistened with syrup and rum. At London’s famous Caprice restaurant, this sweet is baked in a ring mould and filled with a macédoine of fresh fruits.
