Recommended Recipes: Caribbean Rum Cake

Last week I was at a gathering that included a shared meal. I had been wanting an excuse to try a new recipe I found online for Caribbean Rum cake. I had never baked a rum cake, and I don't think I had even tasted a rum cake before, but the recipe was intriguing and simple enough, so I prepared the cake as directed by the recipe and it was a hit. Since it is now, by my standards, a "tried and true recipe" I share it here today.

It was a little scary, how I came by this recipe. I bought some King Arthur Flour at our local Winn-Dixie Supermarket. Somehow, Facebook got word of it and I began to see recipes from King Arthur Flour on my Facebook page. You can find the recipe online at http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/PrintRecipe?RID=4587&radio=1.  (Please note: this is not a paid celebrity endorsement, and I get no kick back from King Arthur Flour for any visit to my blog).

Here is the recipe as found on the King Arthur Flour website:

King Arthur Flour photo

If you've ever traveled to the Caribbean, chances are you've had the amazing rum cakes that the islands are famous for. Sadly, these cakes are not often found in northern latitudes; but this recipe is the closest we've ever had to the "real" thing. It’s also a delicious clone of the dense rum cakes you’ll find in Italian markets during the holidays. Yes, there’s a lot of rum in this cake, and it's definitely not for those avoiding alcohol. But the incredibly moist texture and rich flavor are deeply satisfying.

Rum cake base

2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup instant vanilla pudding mix, dry

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

4 large eggs

1/2 cup rum, plain or spiced

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon butter rum flavor (optional but excellent)

1/4 cup pecan or almond flour, for dusting baking pan

Rum soaking syrup

8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup rum, plain or spiced

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 325°F.

2.  Place all of the cake ingredients except the rum, vanilla, and butterrum

     flavor in a bowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Be sure

     to scrape down the bowl after one minute. Add the rum, vanilla, and

     flavor to the batter and beat at low speed for another minute.

3.  Spritz a 10 to12cup Bundt pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle on the

     pecan or almond flour and turn the pan to coat evenly. Set aside. Pour

     the batter into the prepared pan and spread level with a spatula.

4.  Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes. When done, the cake will test clean

     on a cake tester.

5.  Leave the cake in the pan to cool slightly while you make the soaking

     syrup.

6.  In a medium sized saucepan combine the syrup ingredients, except

     vanilla. Bring to a rapid boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about

     5 to 8 minutes, until the syrup thickens slightly. Remove from the heat

     and stir in the vanilla.

7.  Use a long skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Pour about 1/4 cup of

     the syrup over the cake (still in the pan). Allow the syrup to soak in, then

     repeat again and again until all the syrup is used.

8.  Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow the cake to sit

      overnight at room temperature to cool completely and soak in the syrup.

      When ready to serve, loosen the edges of the cake and invert onto your

      serving plate. If the cake won’t release, place it in the oven, turn the oven

      to 350°F, and warm for 5 to 10 minutes, to soften the syrup. Remove from

      the oven, and tip the cake onto the serving plate.

9.  Serve with hot coffee or tea. The cake is very moist, fragrant and potent.

10. Wrap securely (or place under a cake cover) and store at room

      temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage, up to 1 month.



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Recommended Recipes: New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

Every now and then, I will enjoy a bit of bread pudding.  A while back, I decided to try to make the dish myself. I went online and looked at a few recipes and decided on this one by Emeril, found on the Food Network site. Since the recipe makes a large dessert (9 X 13 inch baking dish), I waited for a potluck opportunity to try it out. I must say that it was a complete success! Everyone who tried it raved, and there were no leftovers. One person mentioned that the whiskey sauce almost required a designated driver, but I don’t think it was a complaint.

I was pleased with the flavor and the texture. In fact, this recipe is better than any bread pudding I have tried before. The texture was very light, the flavors were delicate and delightful, and the sauce definitely added to the enjoyment. To prepare the dish, I went out and bought a 1-pound loaf of Italian bread at Winn-Dixie. I then followed the recipe exactly (except I didn’t use freshly grated nutmeg – I just used the ground nutmeg in my kitchen cabinet).

This recipe is from Emeril Lagasse, originally appearing in Emeril's Potluck, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2004. The original recipe can be found here.

Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 45 min
Cook Time: 1 hr

Level: Easy

Serves: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• 12 to 14 cups 1-inch cubes day-old white bread, such as French or Italian
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 cups whole milk
• 6 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
• 1 recipe Whiskey Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the bread in a large bowl. Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside.

Combine the heavy cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and raisins in a large bowl. Whisk to mix. Pour the cream mixture over the bread, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.

Transfer the bread mixture to the casserole dish and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, 50 to 60 minutes.

Garnish the bread pudding with confectioners' sugar and serve warm with warm Whiskey Sauce.

Whiskey Sauce:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup bourbon or other whiskey
• Pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a 1-quart saucepan set over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and sugar. Place the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the bourbon in a small mixing bowl and whisk to blend and make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the cream mixture and bring to a boil. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the salt, and stir in the butter and the remaining 1/2 cup of bourbon. Serve warm.

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Photo: Bread pudding -- this is not a picture of the pudding I made, but was found at Wikimedia Commons. I don't feel bad about that because the photo used on the Food Network site is not Emeril's bread pudding either.

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Christmas Recipes: Pumpkin Bars from Paula Deen

Here's a recipe someone emailed to my wife because it was a hit with a Bible study group. I saw it and thought it looked good, so I tried it for Thanksgiving. It was such a hit, that my family told me to do it again at Christmas. My daughter liked it because it is not over-powered by spices and you can actually taste the delicate pumpkin flavor. I made it again today to take to work for our Christmas potluck luncheon. It was a hit there as well. It comes from Paula Deen, and you can see the recipe below along with the original website.



Pumpkin Bars

(Recipe courtesy Patty Ronning as adapted by Paula Deen )

Found online at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-bars-recipe/index.html

Prep Time: 15 min       

Cook Time: 30min

Serves:  48 small bars or 24 larger bars

Level: Easy 

Ingredients:

Bars:

4 eggs

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15-ounce can pumpkin

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.

Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars. 

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