Buttered Rum Pound Cake
- PREP 30min
- COOK 1hrs
- TOTAL 1hrs 30min
This rum pound cake is very simple to make. The cake itself is flavored with orange, vanilla and dark rum. Just as the cake comes out of the oven, we drench it with rum syrup. Divine. The rum used really needs to be dark and strong otherwise it gets lost.
We use an 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch loaf pan for this. If you are using a 9 by 5-inch pan, check for doneness 5 minutes before the baking time stated below.
You Will Need
Pound Cake
8 tablespoons (115g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ⅓ cups (175g) all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (240g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
1 tablespoon dark rum
Rum Syrup
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
Directions
Center a rack in the oven and heat to 350°F (177°C). Butter and flour in an 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch loaf pan. Place the pan on an insulated baking sheet or two regular baking sheets stacked on the other.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves together and set aside.
In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together until the sugar is fragrant with the orange. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until blended, then whisk in the cream and rum.
Switch to a large rubber spatula. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, stirring gently until they disappear and the batter is smooth.
Fold in the melted butter in 2 parts. The batter should be smooth and thick.
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Make the rum syrup as soon as the cake goes into the oven.
After 30 minutes in the oven, check the cake for color. If it looks like it is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
As soon as the cake goes into the oven, stir the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar melts, then bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum. Transfer syrup to a heatproof bowl or cup and let cool.
When the cake is done, transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the cake and place it right-side up on the rack. Position the rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.
Using a toothpick or thin skewer, poke holes all over the cake. Brush the cake with the syrup. Do this slowly so the cake has a chance to absorb the syrup. Cool the cake to room temperature, slice, and serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Rum extract: Use 1/2 teaspoon of rum extract for every 1 tablespoon of dark rum.
- Recipe inspired and tweaked from Dorie Greenspan’s Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cakes. The recipe can be found in her incredible book: “Baking: From My Home to Yours” – we highly recommend it.