Savarin is a French patisserie classic that looks elegant on the table but is surprisingly easy to make yourself. The base is a soft, enriched yeast dough with eggs, butter and milk, which rises in a ring mould and bakes to a deep golden colour. The cooled cake is then given a warm sugar syrup with rum, a little at a time, until it is soaked through all the way.
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In this version I bake the savarin in the air fryer, so you do not have to switch on the big oven for one small cake. The centre is filled with airy Chantilly cream and peaches, and a glossy glaze of apricot jam can add the final patisserie touch.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love savarin in the air fryer
Savarin thrives on contrasts: a light, porous crumb, a sweet syrup with a distinct note of rum, and a cool, creamy centre. It is an elegant finish to a good dinner, and the dough itself requires no special technique – just a stand mixer with a dough hook and a little patience while it rises.
The air fryer is surprisingly well suited to the job. The hot air circulates closely around the small ring mould, so the cake turns a deep golden colour and bakes through well enough to soak up the syrup without falling apart. With a mould of around 18 cm, it makes sense to bake in a small space rather than in a big oven.
Savarin or baba au rhum?
The two cakes are often confused, because they are close relatives: both are made from an enriched yeast dough and soaked in sugar syrup, preferably with rum. However, savarin is baked in a ring mould and made without raisins, whereas baba au rhum is typically baked in small, tall moulds and often has raisins in the dough. The savarin is named after the French food writer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and was created by pastry chefs in Paris in the 19th century, modelled on the baba.
My savarin test in the kitchen
I baked the savarin in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has heating elements both above and below the single basket. This gives an even colour on the top and bottom, even though the cake is in a mould. At 170 °C in a preheated air fryer, the cake was deep golden after 20 minutes, and a metal skewer in the thickest part came out clean.
With 35 minutes of preparation, 45 minutes of rising, 20 minutes in the air fryer and 30 minutes of cooling, you should allow 130 minutes in total, but for most of that time the dough and the cake look after themselves. In a Philips XXL there is also plenty of room for the ring mould, but always measure the basket before you buy a mould, so the air can circulate around it.
Cooled cake and warm syrup – that is the whole secret behind a savarin that is soaked through without turning mushy.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is to sprinkle extra flour into the dough because it feels too soft and sticky. That is exactly how it should be, and more flour gives a heavy cake that soaks up less syrup, so knead for a long time instead, until the dough is glossy and elastic. The second mistake is to pour the syrup over a lukewarm cake. If both the cake and the syrup are warm, the crumb turns mushy, so let the cake cool, and spoon the warm syrup over it a little at a time.
The third mistake is to open the air fryer too early to have a look. The cake can collapse before it has set, so keep the basket closed at the start of baking, as the recipe describes. If the top gets too dark before the cake is done, lay a piece of aluminium foil over it and fold it down firmly around the rim of the mould, so it does not blow up against the heating element.
How to serve savarin
Savarin tastes best lightly chilled or at room temperature, and it can be served in several ways:
- With Chantilly cream in the centre and peach wedges around the cake
- With an extra spoonful of syrup from the dish over each slice
- With fresh berries or fruit salad instead of peaches
- With a cup of strong coffee to round off the dinner
Storage and reheating
Savarin is best on the day it is made, but leftovers keep for 1-2 days in the fridge when well covered. The cake is not suitable for reheating, so serve it lightly chilled or at room temperature. If you want to prepare it well in advance, you can freeze the baked cake without syrup and filling for up to 2 months. Let it thaw, and pour warm syrup over it before serving.
Savarin proves that a proper patisserie cake does not need a big oven. With a little patience while the dough rises and warm rum syrup over a cooled cake, you get a dessert that tastes of French patisserie – straight from your own air fryer.
FAQ
Yes. Replace the rum in the syrup with orange juice, for example if the cake is going to be eaten by children. A few strips of orange or lemon zest simmered in the syrup give a fresh citrus note.
Divide the dough between 6 silicone muffin moulds, let them rise, and bake them at 170 °C. The small cakes need less time than a whole savarin, and the exact baking time is given in the recipe notes.
It is best on the day it is made, but keeps for 1-2 days in the fridge, covered. If it needs to be made further ahead, freeze the baked cake without syrup and filling for up to 2 months, and pour warm syrup over it once it has thawed.
Recipe
Savarin in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Step 1:
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Step 2:
Start the guide and follow the recipe one step at a time.
Cost of the dish
Prices may vary depending on where you shop.
Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Cake pan - ring mould (savarin mould), approx. 18 cm, that fits in the basket
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Stand mixer - or hand mixer with dough hooks
- 1 Pastry brush
- 1 Kitchen towel
- 1 Metal skewer
- 1 Cooling rack
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Shallow dish - with a rim
Shopping list
Ingredients
Sugar syrup
- 2.5 dl water
- 125 g sugar
- 4 tbsp dark rum
Glaze
- 3 tbsp apricot jam (optional)
- 1 tbsp water
Filling
- 2 dl whipping cream (cold)
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 8 peach halves (canned, well drained)
How to make it
Preparation
- Grease the ring mould thoroughly with 1 tbsp butter using a pastry brush – remember the central tube too, so the cake releases easily after baking.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, stir 10 g yeast into 0.5 dl milk until dissolved.
- Add 60 g butter a little at a time, and keep kneading for 3-4 minutes, until the butter is fully worked in and the dough is glossy and smooth again.
- Transfer the dough to the greased ring mould with a spoon or wet fingers, and spread it evenly. It should fill the mould about halfway.
- Cover the mould with a clean tea towel, and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for approx. 45 minutes, until it almost reaches the rim.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 170 °C fan.
- Place the mould in the basket and bake the savarin at 170 °C for 20 minutes, until deep golden. Do not open the air fryer during the first 12 minutes, so the cake does not collapse. Insert a metal skewer into the thickest part – if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Otherwise, bake it for 2-3 minutes more.
- Let the cake rest in the mould for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. Allow it to cool for approx. 25 minutes.
Sugar syrup and glaze
- Meanwhile, put 2.5 dl water and 125 g sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring. Let the syrup simmer for 2 minutes, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in 4 tbsp dark rum. The syrup should be warm, but not boiling, when you use it.
- Place the cooled cake on a shallow dish with a rim, and prick it here and there with a metal skewer so the syrup soaks in more easily.
- Slowly spoon the warm syrup over the cake, a little at a time, so it has time to absorb it. Spoon the syrup that runs off onto the dish back over the cake again, until it is soaked through all the way. Leave it to soak for 10 minutes.
- If you want to glaze the cake, warm 3 tbsp apricot jam with 1 tbsp water in the empty saucepan until the jam is runny. Pass it through a sieve, and brush the warm glaze over the cake so it becomes glossy.
Assembly and serving
- Whip 2 dl whipping cream with 2 tbsp icing sugar and 1 tsp vanilla sugar until soft and airy – this is Chantilly cream. Stop before it becomes stiff.
- Fill the hole in the centre of the savarin with Chantilly cream, and arrange 8 peach halves in and around the cake – preferably cut into wedges.
- Serve the savarin straight away or lightly chilled, cut into pieces and with a little of the syrup from the dish spooned over.
Our notes for the recipe
The dough should be soft and sticky – that is how it is meant to be. Knead it well until it is glossy and elastic, and do not add extra flour, otherwise the cake will turn out heavy and soak up less syrup. Let the cake turn a deep golden colour; a well-baked cake soaks up the syrup without falling apart. If the top gets too dark before the cake is done, lay a piece of aluminium foil over it and fold it down firmly around the rim of the mould, so it does not blow up against the heating element. Remember the rule: cooled cake and warm syrup – if both are warm, the cake turns mushy. Variation:
Simmer a few strips of orange or lemon zest in the syrup for a fresh citrus note. If you are making the savarin for children, you can replace the rum with orange juice. The centre can also be filled with fresh berries or fruit salad instead of peaches. Serving:
Serve the savarin lightly chilled or at room temperature with Chantilly cream, peaches and a little of the syrup from the dish. It is best on the day it is made. Savarin or baba au rhum?
Savarin is baked in a ring mould and made without raisins. Baba au rhum is typically baked in small, tall moulds and often has raisins in the dough. Portion size:
The recipe makes one savarin of approx. 18 cm, which is cut into 4 large or 6 smaller slices. If your air fryer is too small for the ring mould, divide the dough between 6 silicone muffin moulds, let them rise, and bake them at 170 °C for 12-14 minutes.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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