Rum Cake

1. Stage

Burn off most of the rum's alcohol: Set a wide, deep pot or pan (one that isn’t a non-stick ), over low heat. Add the rum and cook for 1 minute. Use a long matchstick or lighter to ignite the rum in the pot by bringing the flame close to the surface of the rum. If you prefer not to ignite the rum, you will need to simmer this on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow the flame burn without moving the pot. As the flame burns, it will go from an invisible or blue color to an orange color. The pot's sides will grow very hot, and the rum may sizzle on the sides and caramelize slightly; this is normal. After 5 minutes of burning, carefully cover the pot with a lid for 30 seconds to smother the flame. Remove the pot from the stove and allow the rum to cool completely.

2. Stage

Preheat the oven and prepare the Bundt pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Prepare a 12-15 cup Bundt pan by spraying it with a generous coating of baking spray or greasing the pan with butter and dusting it lightly with additional cake flour.

3. Stage

Sift the cake flour and baking powder: Fold a piece of parchment in half, then open it again. Set a large bowl next to the parchment paper. You will sift the flour and baking powder 3 times transferring it from the bowl to the parchment and back to the bowl. This aerates the flour and helps create a tender crumb. Set a fine mesh sieve over the bowl add the flour and baking powder to the sieve. Lightly tap the sieve against your hand to to sift the flour and let it fall through the sieve. Set the sieve onto the parchment, pour the sifted flour from the bowl into the sieve and sift again. Once you've sifted the flour, put the sieve back over the bowl. Pour the sifted flour from the parchment into the sieve and sift into the bowl. Set this aside while you begin mixing the cake. 

4. Stage

Combine the milk, vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of rum: In a separate 1-quart measuring cup or small mixing bowl, combine the milk, vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup of the cooled rum. Set aside.

5. Stage

Combine the butter, sugar, honey, and salt: In the bowl of your stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to beat together the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, honey, and kosher salt at low speed for 2 minutes.  Once the mixture is smooth, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle. Continue beating, this time at medium speed until the mixture is almost white in appearance and slightly fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle halfway through this 3-minute mixing time. 

6. Stage

Add the eggs: With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs to the bowl one at a time. Beat in each egg until it is no longer visible before adding the next one.  Once all of the eggs have been incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle.  Now, beat the mixture for 3 minutes on medium speed or until light and fluffy. 

7. Stage

Alternate adding the wet and dry ingredients: With the mixer on low speed alternate adding the flour and the rum-milk mixture. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture beat for 30 seconds, then add 1/2 of the liquid mixture and beat for 30 seconds. Stop the mixture and scrape down the bowl and the paddle attachment Repeat this again: add 1/3 of the flour mixture and the remaining rum mixture. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Then add the final third of the flour mixture. Blend the batter at low speed for an additional 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and use the spatula to fold the batter a few times by hand for 30 seconds. 

8. Stage

Bake the cake: Using a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it level it with your spatula. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake's ring comes out mostly clean. Minimal crumbs are ideal. The cake will have a crackled, deep brown crust and will have pulled away from the pan slightly.

9. Stage

Make the butter-rum syrup: Fifteen minutes before the cake is finished baking, prepare the butter-rum syrup. In a small pot, combine the remaining cup of rum, honey, salted butter, water, and vanilla extract. Bring this mixture up to a simmer over medium heat this should take about a minute, whisking to encourage the butter to melt and the syrup to combine. Allow the mixture to simmer, small bubbles that are gently breaking the surface of the liquid, for 1 minute, then turn the stove off. Allow the syrup to cool as the cake finishes baking.

10. Stage

Trim cake if needed or poke holes: Once the cake has finished baking, remove the pan from the oven. If a dome has developed, use a serrated knife to trim it off while the cake is still in the pan. Be careful not to burn yourself with the hot cake. If you don't need to trim the cake, use a toothpick to poke holes in it instead. 

11. Stage

Pour syrup over the cake: Pour 1/2 cup of the butter-rum syrup over the still-hot cake, then allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

12. Stage

Remove cake from pan and add remaining syrup: Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet to catch the excess syrup and turn the cake out onto the rack. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes before pouring the remaining syrup over the cake. You can repurpose the syrup to serve with the individual slices later.

13. Stage

Serve: Allow the cake to cool completely or serve while warm. Enjoy it plain, with ice cream or whipped cream.