Babas au Rhum

A classic French dessert with Eastern European roots, babas au rhum traditionally consists of yeasted, mildly sweet, bread-like individual cakes heavily soaked in a boozy, rum-spiked syrup. At Restaurant Astier in Paris, we tried a lighter, fresher iteration. They skip the syrup bath and serve the cakes with a side of rum for drizzling. For our version, we opted for an orange-infused rum syrup—the sweet, fruity notes of citrus juice balance the alcohol’s bite. Cooking strips of orange peel in the mix softens and sweetens them, creating quick-candied citrus that we use to flavor the butter-rich dough. The final touch is a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream that ties everything together. If you don’t plan to serve all eight babas, still brush them all with syrup; the extras can be stored overnight in an airtight container at room temperature (the syrup also can be stored at room temperature). To serve, wrap the babas in foil and warm at 350°F for eight to 10 minutes, then halve and serve as directed. (If refrigerated overnight, the whipped cream will slightly deflate; rewhisk before using.)