Rum Cake

In Fearful Breakers, rum cake joins other sweets to finish the Noche Buena feast.

Mamá and her sisters probably made their rum cake using aguardiente, Papá’s favorite tipple when his spirits are down. Aguardiente, meaning ardent water, originates in the Iberian peninsula. It can be distilled from a variety of plant materials but in Cuba aguardiente, like rum, would be made from cane sugar products. It is similar to light rum.

Cake

2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened

½ cups sugar

3 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue frosting)

3 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

¼ cup rum

1 cup sour cream

1.      Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease 2 8-inch cake rounds.

2.      Using a small bowl, whisk together the flower and baking powder.

3.      In a large bowl, cream the butter, then cream in sugar and salt until the mixture is fluffy.

4.      One at a time, beat in the eggs. Then add the rum, then the vanilla, and last the sour crea.

5.      Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Don’t overmix – keep the batter light.

6.      Fill the cake pans, bang them once on the table to level the batter, then place in oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. They are done when an inserted knife comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the rum syrup.

  1. In a suace pan, melt half the butter on low heat. Then add the rum and sugar and raise the heat to high. Bring it to a boil, then simmer on low for 15 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the color darkens.

  2. Add the remaining butter and whisk until the mixture becomes a syrup.

  3. Off the heat, whisk in the vanilla. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

  4. When the cakes come out of the oven, remove them from the pans. Brush each with 2-4 tablespoons of the syrup. Let the cakes sit for 30 minutes, then turn them over and brush the other side. Let them cool for several minutes, then frost the cake.

¼ cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

1 cup rum

¾ cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

Meringue Frosting

6 egg whites

1 ½  cups sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ teaspoon salt

  1. The frosting is Swiss meringue. Bring water to a boil in the saucepan of a double boiler.

  2. Off the heat, put the egg whites in the bowl and beat with a hand mixer until the eggs begin to foam and turn opaque.

  3. Reduce the heat to a simmer, put the bowl into the saucepan, and beat. Gradually add the salt and sugar, beating them in. Beat until the mixture becomes glossy and forms stiff peaks.

  4. Remove from the heat and beat in the vanilla and cream of tartar.

Place the first cake top down, then spread a layer of meringue. Not too thick, or the top layer may slide off. Place the second cake on the first, top up. Then coat the sides and top with meringue, swirling it about with your spatula to make peaks. For an extra touch, use a kitchen torch to brown the peaks slightly.

Assemble the Cake

This recipe originates with Abuela’s Cuban Counter, an excellent source of Cuban recipes.

I find this makes far more rum syrup than is needed. You may wish to reduce the recipe or save the remaining syrup for a boozy ice cream topping.

Notes