In what substance is an Easter European Rumaba cake soaked?

An Eastern European rum baba, also called baba au rhum, is soaked in rum syrup. The syrup usually combines rum with sugar syrup and may include spices, citrus zest, or other flavorings.

Rum baba is a small yeast cake with a light, absorbent crumb. After baking, the cake is saturated with the syrup so that the liquid reaches throughout its interior. It is often served with whipped cream or pastry cream, which balances the cake’s sweetness and alcoholic flavor.

The dessert developed from an older Polish yeast cake known as baba or babka. It became associated with France in the eighteenth century, particularly through Stanislaus I, the Polish-born ruler connected with Lorraine. The modern rum version was established in Paris by the nineteenth century.

Rum baba is sometimes confused with ordinary rum cake, but the textures differ. A baba is deliberately saturated after baking, while rum cake is generally baked with the rum flavor incorporated into the batter or added as a glaze. In Naples, the dessert is known as babà and is a particularly famous pastry.