Recipe: Butter Rum Pound Cake

Butter Rum Cake

Makes 24 servings

Excerpted from Piece of Cake! By Camilla V. Saulsbury © 2011 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Rum and butter go hand in hand, especially when they appear in both the batter and glaze of a decadent pound cake. If only every recipe could be this straightforward and rewarding.

Tips:

• If using a stand mixer, decrease the high-speed beating time by 1 minute.
• For the best results, use a dark gray (not black) pan. If you only have a light-colored pan, you’ll need to increase the baking time as indicated in step 4.

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C)
10-inch (25 cm) tube pan (angel food cake pan), sprayed with nonstick baking spray with flour*

Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (750 mL)
• 1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar (375 mL)
• 2 tsp baking powder (10 mL)
• 1⁄2 tsp baking soda (2 mL)
• 1⁄2 tsp salt (2 mL)
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1⁄2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (375 mL)
• 3⁄4 cup dark rum (175 mL)
• 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest (30 mL)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract(10 mL)
• 1 cup heavy or whipping (35%) cream (250 mL)
• Rum Syrup (see below)
• 2 tbsp confectioners’ (icing) sugar (30 mL)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Add eggs, butter, rum, lemon zest and vanilla to flour mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat for 1 minute, until blended. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add cream and beat on low speed for 30 to 45 seconds, until just blended
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 65 to 75 minutes (about 1 1⁄2 hours in a light-colored pan) or until a piece of uncooked spaghetti inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. With cake still in the pan, poke holes in top with a piece of uncooked spaghetti, then pour half the syrup over top. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert cake onto rack. Brush the remaining syrup all over warm cake until absorbed, then let cool completely. Just before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Rum Syrup

• 1 cup granulated sugar (250 mL)
• 1/8 tsp salt (0.5 mL)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (125 ml)
• 1/2 cup dark rum (125 mL)

1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, salt, butter and rum. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring. Boil, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Let cool for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Use while still warm.

Storage: Store the cooled cake at room temperature in a cake keeper, or loosely wrapped in foil or plastic wrap, for up to 1 week. Alternatively, wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap, then foil, completely enclosing cake, and freeze for up to 6 months. Let cake thaw at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours before serving.

*My note: Cooking spray with flour in it is readily available in the US but hard to find outside specialty shops in Canada (at this time). Do NOT spray with cooking oil and dust with flour. It will get gummy. Instead, grease with butter and dust with flour the old-school way.