The iconic Baba Cake at Flurys. Picture by Rashbehari Das

The Flurys Baba Cake goes back to the days when butter was Re 1 a kilo and a pastry could be bought at the Park Street tearoom for 10p! “It is a yeast-raised cake, almost like a rich bread with a high proportion of butter, and best eaten as a teatime snack,” says Vikas Kumar, executive chef, Flurys.

The cake belongs to the “heritage category” of Flurys, as do the Rum Balls, Chocolate Boats and the butter-cream pastries. It is, in fact, as old as the 1923 coffee shop on Park Street! And even after nine decades, the hunger for the Baba Cake is still alive. “An elderly gentleman comes here every evening with his newspaper for a cup of Darjeeling tea and Baba Cake. Even if they are sold out, we keep one aside for him,” reveals one of the waiters.

Bite into a Baba and each mouthful is rich and wholesome, with dry fruits like almonds, cashews and cherries. “In some parts of the world, the Baba Cake is soaked in rum and served as Baba au Rhum. There are many variations of it but we have chosen to stick to what it was 87 years ago. Although it looks simple, the trick is to meet the exact proportions and the temperature, too. If anything made by yeast grows too much, it spoils the dish,” explains Vikas.

Does that mean the cake tastes the same as it did 87 years ago? “The cooking process has not changed, only the ovens have. So technically, yes!” he adds.

No wonder the Baba Cake sells like, well, hot cakes!

Pictures by Bishwarup Dutta

THE TASTEMAKER
- BABA IN THE BAKING

Surajbali Ram has been making the iconic Baba Cake for 35 long years. “My father made it before me, for 40 years, till he retired in 1975. And now the time has come for me to retire,” says the man who will call it quits in August.

But the 58-year-old Surajbali, in his chef’s apron at the Flurys factory (behind Apeejay House), is still as deft as he is dedicated. After he left Azamgarh, his home in Uttar Pradesh, every morning for the past 35 years, Surajbali has been up at 4am to report “at duty” by 6.30am.

The machines churn the gooey batter for the Baba Cake in a large container. Then he sprinkles generous portions of dry fruits into it. As he thrusts his hands deep into the mixture to blend it all together, he recalls the day he joined, “My father introduced me to Mr Lobo, who was in charge at that time, and he told me to start work the next day itself. Not even a day’s break! So I packed my bags, took the midnight train and joined the Flurys family.”

Once the fruits are added, it is time to squeeze small portions of the batter from a piping bag into tall, cylindrical tin moulds, which give the Baba Cake its familiar shape. “One tray holds 96 cakes and we make four-five such trays a day. They are all sold out,” says the bespectacled man with pride. Surajbali’s other claim to fame is the equally popular hot-seller, the Horseshoe.

How will he feel saying goodbye soon? “Bahut khaali khaali lagega (my life will feel very empty),” he says. Although Flurys has offered him a work extension of a year, with age comes wisdom. “I am willing to stay only if my pay is increased,” he says.
A man of few words, Surajbali is more anxious to return to work now — for nothing is as important to him as the next batch of Baba Cakes. And so he heads off, skewer in hand, to check if the cakes are done.

Bake your own Baba Cake at home. Vikas Kumar, executive chef of Flurys, reveals a recipe very close to the original

Ingredients

Butter, 250g
Icing sugar, 180g
Large eggs, 5
Refined flour, 300g
Full cream milk, 125ml
Instant yeast, 50g
Mixed dried fruits: cherry, tutti-fruity, almonds and cashewnuts, 125g
Vanilla essence, to taste

(For the syrup)

Water, 500ml
Dark rum, 125ml
Sugar, 300g

Method

1. (For the syrup) Boil sugar and water together. Take it out and pour in the rum.
2. Warm the milk, dissolve the yeast and vanilla essence, reserve.
3. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add eggs one by one, mixing between each addition.
4. Mix the flour and all dry fruits together.
5. Fold in the flour mix and the milk mix into the batter. Let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes in a warm place.
6. Bake at 180-degree C for 20-25 minutes. Check by inserting a wooden skewer, if it comes out clean, it’s ready.
7. Immediately soak in cold syrup.

Servings: Ten, 100g Baba Cakes

Note: If the Baba is hot out of the oven, then the syrup should be cold, or vice versa.