Rum Baba with Vanilla Chantilly and Macerated Summer Berries

⏱ 150 min · Serves 6

Cloud-light yeasted babas drenched in warm vanilla-rum syrup until they're heavy and glossy, then crowned with billowing Chantilly and berries steeped in sugar and lemon. It's the classic Neapolitan pudding done properly — boozy, buttery and gloriously theatrical.

Per serving: 712 kcal · 9.5g protein · 78.0g carbs · 34.0g fat

Ingredients

• For the babas:
• 200g strong white bread flour
• 7g fast-action dried yeast
• 20g caster sugar
• 3g fine salt
• 3 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 60ml whole milk, lukewarm
• 80g unsalted butter, very soft, plus extra for greasing
• For the rum syrup:
• 300g caster sugar
• 500ml water
• 1 strip orange peel
• 1 strip lemon peel
• 1 vanilla pod, split
• 150ml dark rum (plus 2 tbsp for finishing)
• For the macerated berries:
• 150g strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 100g raspberries
• 100g blueberries
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp rum (optional)
• For the Chantilly:
• 300ml double cream, well chilled
• 30g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method

1. Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a stand mixer bowl. Add the eggs and lukewarm milk and beat with the dough hook on medium for 8–10 minutes, until the very sticky dough is smooth, glossy and pulling from the sides.
2. Add the soft butter a spoonful at a time, beating well between additions, until fully incorporated and the dough is silky and elastic — about 5 minutes more. Cover and prove at room temperature for 1 hour, until doubled and bubbly.
3. Generously butter six 150ml dariole moulds (or a 6-hole large muffin tin). Spoon the dough in, filling each just under halfway. Cover loosely and prove 35–45 minutes, until the dough domes just above the rim.
4. Heat the oven to 190°C fan/210°C. Bake the babas for 18–20 minutes, until deep golden and hollow-sounding. Turn out onto a rack and cool for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile make the syrup: bring the sugar, water, citrus peels and scraped vanilla pod and seeds to a simmer, stir until dissolved, simmer 3 minutes, then off the heat stir in the 150ml rum. Cool to just warm (about 60°C).
6. Toss the berries with the sugar, lemon juice and optional rum. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring once, until syrupy.
7. Sit the babas in a deep dish and ladle over the warm syrup. Turn them every few minutes for 20–25 minutes, spooning syrup over, until completely saturated and heavy — they should squeeze like a sponge. Brush with the final 2 tbsp rum.
8. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla to soft, floppy peaks — stop before it stiffens.
9. Sit each baba on a plate, spoon over a little reserved syrup, add a generous quenelle of Chantilly and pile the berries and their juices alongside. Serve at once.