Rum Cake Recipe

Foodie Friday fans: thanks for your requests for specific recipes.  I will get to as many as I can as quickly as I can.

Today's offering is a tempting dessert to top off the holidays, but can be adjusted to be non-alcoholic.

Rum Cake (prep. time about 1 ½ hours) 

Pound Cake: (your favorite recipe or even boxed cake mix can be used)

3 sticks butter (room temperature)

3 C. sugar

5 eggs (room temperature is best)

3 C. flour

½ tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1 C. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

Rum Syrup:

1 C. water

1 C. sugar

½ C. dark rum (or to taste) 

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Stir in eggs, one at a time and combine well.  Combine flour, salt and baking powder. With the mixer on low, alternately add in dry ingredients and milk.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour batter in prepared pan and bake for about 1 ½ hours until skewer or toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer until is reduced to a thin syrup.  Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly and stir in rum to taste.

Once the cake is mostly cool, turn it out, upside down on a plate and poke the bottom with a wooden skewer, covering the entire bottom with holes almost to the top of the cake.  Pour half of the rum syrup slowly and evenly across the bottom, allowing the liquid time to soak in.  Flip the cake right side up and repeat poking the surface and pouring the syrup slowly and evenly over the surface.

Sprinkle cake slices with powdered  sugar. Options: Zest some lemon peal into the sugar before dusting the cake slices. You can also serve with a side of ice cream or whipped cream, which can also be flavored with a little bit of the rum. 

You could vary the recipe by substituting other flavors of rum, your favorite liquor or non-alcoholic flavors stirred into the simple syrup, like cherry, orange or lemon.