Rum Cake

I don’t know what style rum cake this is – it’s the kind my mom used to make – which I grew up making every holiday season for probably hundreds of people, but I never had the recipe (I could have called and asked for it, but I’m pretty sure it involves cake mix and I don’t roll that way), so I made this one up.  It is pretty close.

Prep 2  loaf pans – Spray with non-stick spray, line with parchment, spray again, set them aside for a minute.

Note: You could also try to use cute mini-bundt pans, have it  stick, and then throw the pan out – mini-cakes and all in a fit of rage – because why does that pan never work.  Piece of shit.

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F

0.0 Topping/Coating

Ingredients:

• 2  Cups  ________________ Pecans
• 1 TBSP   ________________ Sugar

Instructions:

• Grind the nuts and sugar, in a food processor.
• Coat the pans in ground nuts
• Spray with cooking spray again, and add another layer of nuts.

1.0 Cake  

Ingredients:

• 133 grams  ________________ Cake Flour (1 ¹⁄₃ Cups)
• 250 grams________________ sugar (1 ¹⁄₄ Cups, use ³⁄₄ cup for egg yolks, and the rest for the egg whites)
• 8     ________________ egg yolks (~ ¹⁄₂Cup)
• 8     ________________ egg whites (~1 ¹⁄₃ Cup)
• 1 tsp  ________________ cream of tartar
• ¹⁄₂ tsp  ________________ salt
• 1 tsp   ________________ vanilla
• 2 TBSP_______________ Rum (I used Barbancourt 8 year)
• 1 TBSP _______________ water

Instructions:

• In a stand mixer whip the egg whites, with the sugar.
  • Start the whites with a whisk, by hand, to avoid un-whipped egg whites from collecting in the bottom of the bowl
• Whip to stiff peaks – stiff but not dry.
• Scoop whipped egg whites into another clean bowl
• Beat the yolks, remaining sugar, salt, and vanilla, water, and rum together.
• On low, add in the flour, until just combined
• Remove from mixer, and fold in one-third of the egg whites.
• Fold in the rest of the egg whites, carefully.
• Distribute into the pans, filling only to about 3/4 full, it rises a lot.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes. Check at 35 minutes.
• Make the syrup below while they bake.
• It really doesn’t hurt to let this cake get a bit over done since it will get coated in rum and sugar.
• Remove, and let cool.  Remove the cakes from the pans after they are mostly cool.
• Place them on a sheet pan.
• Poke some holes in them.

2.0 Rum Syrup

Ingredients:

• 300 grams  ________________ Sugar (~ 1.5 CupS)
• 4  oz  ________________ Rum (Ok, I actually didn’t measure, use as much as you want)

Instructions:

• Mix sugar, and water  in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, let all the sugar dissolve.
• It will be a super saturated mixture, so it will stay a bit cloudy.
• Heat to ~220°F then remove from heat
• Let it cool to around 120°F WITHOUT TOUCHING IT (Agitation will make it crystallize)
• Measure out your rum (or don’t measure) into a bowl.
• Pour the slightly cooled syrup into the rum, and then pour it back and forth slowly and carefully to mix it gently.
• Why wait for the syrups to cool? Because ethanol (or pure grain alcohol) boils at about 173°F – letting the syrup cool below that will keep the alcohol from evaporating off.
• Pour the syrup over the cakes slowly.  Let it soak in.
• You might even do this twice.