Tuesday, June 29, 2010

TWD: Rum-drenched vanilla cake

This is the recipe I would have chosen if I ever got to choose one with the Tuesdays with Dorie group. You know, if there were 400 more recipes in the book, and if I had joined a lot earlier than I did. No matter, cause Wendy of Pink Stripes chose it, and I just got to make and eat it, which works better for my lazy self. She'll have the recipe on her site.
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.

21 comments:

chocolatechic said...

What a lovely picture.

I loved this cake.

Mimi said...

It really looks inviting. I skipped this week, I needed a break from all the sweets around here.
Mimi

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

Lovely looking cake. It looks light, not heavy.

Laurie {Simply Scratch} said...

Looks good to me!!! Rum and Cake is a match made in heaven if you ask me!!!

Valerie Gamine said...

I 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.

Good idea to use a shallow baking pan!

Kimberly Johnson said...

Your cake looks wonderful! You can really see the vanilla beans in your photo.

Jencrafted said...

I 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!

Paula said...

I 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.

Nickki said...

I love the way you can see the little black flecks of vanilla through the cake :) I loved this recipe!

Judy said...

Your cake looks delicious. I had the same disappointment -- the syrup didn't soak the entire cake. The syrup-soaked part was my favorite.

Tia said...

i like how you made a round cake with this.

The Mortensens said...

It's too bad this cake didn't meet your expectations. It looks quite perfect!

RamblingTart said...

I'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! :-)

Liz said...

Gorgeous! 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?

Lot-O-Choc said...

mmm wow your cake looks so moist and delicious its making me hungry hehe

Leslie said...

I liked the vanilla bean crunch, too!

TeaLady said...

Vanilla bean is always a good addition.

Cake looks great. Too bad it was soggy on top. Maybe it was the syrup.

margot said...

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.

Susan said...

Your 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.

Chef Dennis Littley said...

I have such a hard time with vanilla cakes....it does look very good, and I'm sure the rum helped!

Di said...

I 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.