Rum Cake with Homemade Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
Due to the
holidays and then a family vacation to the Caribbean, I have been MIA
for a while but now I'm back and ready to bake in 2015. Speaking of
the Caribbean, let's bake Rum Cake! Most conventional Rum Cake
recipes use boxed instant pudding but I couldn't bring myself to use
that so I found a recipe that instructs on how to make your own from
scratch and it is included below. So, this post has a bonus second
recipe for you.
Instant
Vanilla Pudding Mix Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
¾ cup
cornstarch
¾ cup dry
milk powder
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
2 whole
vanilla beans
Whisk
together the sugar, cornstarch, milk powder, and salt in a medium
bowl; set aside. Split open the vanilla beans, scrape out the seeds,
then add them to the sugar mixture. Break up any chunks of vanilla
bean seeds and then whisk into the sugar mixture to combine evenly.
Cut the empty vanilla bean pods into 3 pieces each and place them in
an airtight jar. Add the sugar mixture to the jar, put the lid on,
and shake a few times to evenly distribute the pod pieces. Store in a
cool, dry place.
Note: The
Rum Cake recipe calls for 1 cup of the dry Instant Vanilla Pudding
Mix. To use this mix to actually make pudding, please complete the
following steps. In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine 2 cups
of milk with ½ cup instant pudding mix and whisk constantly. Bring
mixture to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer.
Continue whisking until the mixture thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Before serving, let the pudding sit for at least 5 minutes.
Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container.
Rum Cake
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups
flour
¼ cup
cornstarch
4 teaspoons
baking powder
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
½ cup
unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups
sugar
3
tablespoons + ½ cup olive oil, divided
1 cup
Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix (recipe above)
4 eggs
¾ cup
whole milk
¾ cup rum*
1
tablespoon vanilla extract
Optional
add-ins: 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) and/or 2 tablespoons
orange zest
Rum
Syrup Ingredients:
6
tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup
sugar
1/8 cup
water
pinch of
salt
¼ cup rum*
* Use
whatever type of rum is your favorite. I chose a spiced rum because I
personally think it tastes better than dark rum, but you will have to
decide what is best for you.
Butter and
flour a 12-cup Bundt pan, then set aside and preheat the oven to 325
degrees.
Combine the
flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, then set
aside.
In a stand
mixer or using a hand-held mixer, cream together the butter and sugar
on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture and 3
tablespoons of the olive oil. Mix on medium-low speed for 1 to 2
minutes, until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the dry pudding
mix and continue mixing on medium-low speed until combined.
Whisk
together the eggs, milk, rum, remaining ½ cup olive oil, and vanilla
extract in a medium bowl. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and
beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, then scrape down the sides of the
bowl and beat for 1 more minute. Pour the batter into the prepared
pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. The cake is done when you insert a
toothpick and it comes out clean.
Start
making the rum syrup about 10 minutes before you expect the cake to
be done. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then
add the sugar, water, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring
constantly, and boil for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the burner,
stir in the rum, then return the pan to the burner and cook for 30
seconds.
After you
remove the cake from the oven, immediately pour about 1/3 cup of the
rum syrup over the bottom of the cake. When you pour slowly, the
syrup is able to seep more fully into the cake. Let sit for 5
minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving platter, then use a fork or
toothpick to poke holes all over the surface of the cake. Very slowly
pour the remaining rum syrup over the top of the cake. Again, pouring
slowly is the key. Serve the cake once it has cooled to room
temperature.
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