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Prep time
30 minutes
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Cook time
1 hour 15 minutes
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Serves
8 to 10
Author Notes
“This is my mom’s signature cake for potlucks and church gatherings. With almost a whole cup of rum in the ingredient list, you would think her fellow churchgoers would abstain from a slice. But it’s always the first dessert to go, its boozy flavor the main draw. Her recipe, snipped from a Bacardi rum ad, calls for boxed cake mix (which I ditched) and instant pudding (which I kept). My mostly from-scratch version, like the original, results in a velvety crumb that’s studded with raisins and walnuts. The butter-rum glaze soaks through the cake from the bottom and the top, leaving it ultra-moist and irresistible. If extra glaze is enticing, feel free to double it.” ©2022 by Polina Chesnakova. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Everyday Cake by permission of Sasquatch Books. —Food52
Test Kitchen Notes
This rum cake, from Polina Chesnakova's cookbook Everyday Cake is great anytime of year—but it's exactly the type of easy, festive treat we want to be eating this holiday season. —Food52
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Ingredients
- Cake
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2 1/4 cups
minus 1 tablespoon (285g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
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1 1/2 cups
(300g) granulated sugar
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1
(3.4oz) box French vanilla or vanilla instant pudding mix
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2 teaspoons
baking powder
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1 1/4 teaspoons
kosher salt
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4
eggs, at room temperature
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1/2 cup
(120ml) whole milk, at room temperature
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1/2 cup
(120ml) light or dark rum
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1/4 cup
(60ml) vegetable oil
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2 teaspoons
vanilla extract
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3/4 cup
(170g) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
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3/4 cup
(115g) golden raisins
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3/4 cup
(85g) toasted walnuts, chopped (optional)
- Glaze
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1/2 cup
(100g) granulated sugar
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1/4 cup
(55g) unsalted butter
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2 tablespoons
water
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1/4 cup
(60ml) light or dark rum
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1/2 teaspoon
vanilla extract
Directions
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Heat the oven to 325°F. Lightly but evenly grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan and dust the inside with flour.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together by hand the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, use the same whisk to combine the eggs, milk, rum, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
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Add the butter to the dry ingredients. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed until the butter is incorporated and the mixture resembles coarse sand with no visible chunks, 2 to 3 minutes.
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Pour in half of the egg mixture and beat on low speed until the flour mixture is hydrated. Stop the mixer, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, and pour in the remaining egg mixture. Beat on low speed until fully incorporated. The
batter will be thin and runny at this point. Scrape down the bowl, then slowly increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Pause to scrape the bowl again, then beat for another 30 seconds—the batter will be smooth, pale in color, and very thick. Stir in the raisins and walnuts by hand to incorporate.
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Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake until the cake is golden, looks set, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 70 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to slightly cool.
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While the cake is baking, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, without stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the syrup thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum and vanilla.
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Poke holes all over the top of the warm cake with a wooden skewer or chopstick. Gradually pour three-quarters of the glaze over the cake, allowing it to absorb the glaze before adding more. Allow the cake to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before inverting and releasing it onto a wire rack. Brush with the remaining glaze; if it has thickened, simply rewarm over low heat.
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Allow the cake to completely cool before transferring to a serving plate. This cake is best the next day and gets better with age; it keeps well wrapped at room temperature for up to 5 days.
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