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44 Cordial Babas

44 cordial is a liqueur made by filling slits in an orange with 44 coffee beans and then steeping it for 44 days in rum with 44 teaspoons sugar. This isn’t exactly that—it won’t take 44 days!— but those flavors are the inspiration for these babas, one of my very favorite desserts. Rich yeasted dough is studded with candied clementine and baked until golden (in a popover pan! I don’t have baba molds—do you?!), then doused in a hot candied clementine syrup steeped with 44 coffee beans enhanced with a healthy amount of rum.
Servings: 8 babas
Author: Zoë François

Equipment

  • small saucepan
  • Stand Mixer with dough hook and whisk attachments
  • 8-cavity Popover pan or 12-cup muffin pan
  • 1 1/2 oz ice cream scoop
  • medium saucepan
  • 8-inch square pan

Ingredients

For the Babas

  • 6 Tbsp (75ml) whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 1/4 tsp (1 sachet / 8g) instant yeast
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (77g) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (60g) diced candied clementine wedges

For the Syrup

  • 2 1/2 cups (625ml) candied clementine syrup
  • 44 coffee beans
  • 3/4 cup (190 ml) dark rum

For Serving

  • 1 cup (250ml) whipping cream
  • 1 Tbsp icing sugar
  • 2 tsp instant coffee
  • Candied orange or clementine wedges for garnish (optional)

Instructions

To Make the Babas

  • In a small saucepan or the microwave, warm the milk to just warm, 100°F to 110°F (38°C to 43°C). Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Fit the mixer with the dough hook, add the warmed milk and eggs, and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and let the mixer knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, then mix in the candied clementine until incorporated. Let the dough rest
for 10 minutes at room temperature.
  • Meanwhile, grease an eight-cavity popover pan.
  • Once the dough is done resting, use a 1 1/2 oz ice cream scoop to portion 3 tablespoons of dough into each cavity of the popover pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Remove from the plastic wrap and bake the babas for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 210°F (99°C). Meanwhile, make the syrup.

To Make the Syrup

  • In a medium saucepan, bring the clementine syrup and coffee beans to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove from the heat and let steep while you assemble the babas.
  • When the babas are ready, immediately remove them from the popover pan and transfer to an 8-inch square pan. Add the rum to the hot syrup and pour evenly over the babas. Let the babas sit for 10 minutes, then gently turn them and allow them to sit another 10 minutes.

To Serve

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream with the icing sugar and instant coffee until it holds firm peaks.
  • Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature with the coffee whipped cream. Garnish with candied orange or clementine, if desired.
  • Babas will keep, covered, at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

SIMPLIFY Omit the candied clementine and make syrup by combining 450 g (2 1/4 cups) sugar, 250 mL
(1 cup) water, the zest of one orange, and 190 mL (3⁄4 cup) fresh-squeezed orange juice in a small pot and boiling until the sugar has dissolved.
SUBSTITUTE No clementine? Use candied Seville or navel orange peel and syrup. If you don’t have a popover pan, divide the batter evenly in a standard 12-cup muffin tin and bake as directed.
Excerpted from Nature’s Candy by Camilla Wynne. Copyright © 2024 Camilla Wynne. Photographs by Mickaël A. Bandassak. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.