Rum Cake

United Cakes of America, p. 125

DRY INGREDIENTS

10 ounces (2 cups) all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

WET INGREDIENTS

¾ cup coconut milk

¼ cup dark rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CREAMING INGREDIENTS

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

6 ounces (3/4 cup) superfine granulated sugar

2 ounces (1/4 cup) light muscovado sugar

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

FOR THE COCONUT RUM SYRUP

2 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar

2 tablespoons light brown muscovado sugar

4 tablespoons coconut milk

¼ cup dark rum

Preheat the oven to 335F and place the rack in the middle position. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in separate bowls. Whisk each to combine and set aside.

Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream on medium speed. The mixture will appear a bit wet and collapse onto the paddle, but that’s okay.

I don't have a paddle attachment, but the regular doohickey seemed to work pretty ok.

Add the eggs and yolk one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl all the way to the bottom using a flexible spatula and mix on low speed.

Alternately add the dry and wet ingredients about a quarter at a time. Stop the mixer to scrape the bowl and mix again on low speed for about 20 seconds.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

There's always that moment of trepidation about getting the cake out of the pan in one piece.

Cool the cake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the coconut rum syrup.

Combine all the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer.

Invert the cake onto a plate and turn it right side up. Gently poke 1-inch-deep holes in the cake with a wooden skewer and immediately brush it with the syrup. 

Shiny glaze!

This cake is best served warm.

What a tidy little piece of cake.

My Rating: 4/5 "Great stuff. It's not overwhelmingly rummy, but there's just enough of that rum aftertaste to keep it from being too sweety-sweet. The texture is magnificent; fluffy but substantial at the same time. The glaze doesn't hold up super-well on the leftovers, but that's just a great excuse to eat a bunch of it in one sitting!"