Carol from Madison, WI (2018 Week 1: Cakes)

Baker

Carol

Location

Madison, WI

Baking Challenge

Rum Baba

Give your cake a name based on the ingredients and decoration – and tell us about the origin of your recipe.

"The Don Dada Rum Baba." It’s a mixture of the Great British Bake Off Rum Baba recipe, and Ina Garten’s Baba au Rhum recipe. Also while baking, I was listening to Nas rap "New York is like an island…" and it all clicked!

Tell us about your proudest moment – or humble failure – in this week’s baking challenge.

Honestly, maintaining my patience – this was almost a day-long affair. Darn you, Paul Hollywood!

Describe how you added a Wisconsin twist to your creation.

I had just returned from a week in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, where I was introduced to the magic of Dominican rum. I paired the delicately sweet and spicy spirit with the tart texture of dried Door County cherries and fresh Sassy Cow Creamery dairy for the ultimate tribute to this Sconnie girl’s time in Nueva York!

How did you do?

Pleasantly satisfied.