I made half a recipe, as the original makes 2 loaf cakes. I halved all but the rum, just because. I really thought I would love this cake, as all the ingredients are among my favourites. My only doubt was whether the syrup would make the cake a bit soggy. I love syrup-soaked cakes, but prefer sponge cake in this situation. It gets moist, but never heavy, like butter cake can.
I thought the cake had a wonderful vanilla flavour, and all the vanilla bean seeds added a slight crunch that I liked. The rum was good, but the syrup never soaked through the entire cake. I poked holes in it and even made it in a 9" pan so it was shallower, so this was disappointing. The texture was lovely, but a bit mushy on the top crust and the bottom dried out quickly. I'll definitely try this again, as I want a perfect result next time.
Check out the other TWD bakers for many different takes on this cake.
What a lovely picture.
ReplyDeleteI loved this cake.
It really looks inviting. I skipped this week, I needed a break from all the sweets around here.
ReplyDeleteMimi
Lovely looking cake. It looks light, not heavy.
ReplyDeleteLooks good to me!!! Rum and Cake is a match made in heaven if you ask me!!!
ReplyDeleteI can see those delicious flecks of vanilla bean! You are right about the rum syrup not soaking through, I finally just stuck the entire cakes directly into the bowl and let them soak up the love.
ReplyDeleteGood idea to use a shallow baking pan!
Your cake looks wonderful! You can really see the vanilla beans in your photo.
ReplyDeleteI love the texture of your cake. Missing the weekly TWD bake-along but right now, there's just too much to handle at school. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love the simplicity of your cake. If you figure out the secret of getting the syrup to run all the way through your cake, let me know.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you can see the little black flecks of vanilla through the cake :) I loved this recipe!
ReplyDeleteYour cake looks delicious. I had the same disappointment -- the syrup didn't soak the entire cake. The syrup-soaked part was my favorite.
ReplyDeletei like how you made a round cake with this.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad this cake didn't meet your expectations. It looks quite perfect!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited about this post, Mary. :-) I had a rum-soaked cake at an auction YEARS ago and always wished I knew how to recreate it. You've inspired me! :-)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I love the lighting and the specks of vanilla beans. Sorry you didn't love it, but I feel like with a few more tweaks it could work--maybe try brushing on the glaze instead of pouring, if you didn't do that already?
ReplyDeletemmm wow your cake looks so moist and delicious its making me hungry hehe
ReplyDeleteI liked the vanilla bean crunch, too!
ReplyDeleteVanilla bean is always a good addition.
ReplyDeleteCake looks great. Too bad it was soggy on top. Maybe it was the syrup.
Your cake looks lovely. The rum flavor wasn't super-strong, so if you like rum extra isn't a bad idea. I would say it's worth another try for pound cake perfection.
ReplyDeleteYour cake looks perfect in the picture. I halved the recipe too and baked mine in a loaf pan. I used hazelnut syrup instead of rum and really liked it.
ReplyDeleteI have such a hard time with vanilla cakes....it does look very good, and I'm sure the rum helped!
ReplyDeleteI love how you can see all the vanilla bean in your picture! I brushed syrup on my cake before turning it out of the pan so it would have some on all sides.
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