Month: July 2012

My aunt Cindy is known for her rum cakes. They have a tendency to disappear quickly. People whine if they feel they have been shorted when it comes to getting a slice (or three) of her cakes. If you don’t believe me, ask my uncle Bob.

Anyway I sat and thought and thought and though about what kind of pound cake Cindy would approve of. Rum is a given, but should it be straight up rum pound cake or something different? Then I remembered that my great-uncle Sonny was a firm believer in a daily hot toddy. What is in a hot toddy but rum? Okay, so it can be made with brandy or bourbon, but if Cindy were to drink a hot toddy it would so be rum-based.

Now would Cindy approve of this cake?

Note: this is a cake that you either love or hate. The haters complain that it tastes too much like candy. Not what I was expecting!

Cindy’s Toddy Pound Cake

2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup crisco or applesauce
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon dried orange peel
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum

rum glaze

Preheat oven to 325*degrees. Butter and flour a bundt pan.

In large mixing bowl, beat butter, crisco (or applesauce) and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add vanilla, cloves and orange peel. In another bowl, sift together the baking powder, salt and flour. Add this to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the orange juice and rum. Pour into prepared bundt pan and bake for 70-80 minutes. Let cool on counter for 10 minutes and then invert onto cake plate. Pierce cooled cake repeatedly with a skewer or toothpick.

Rum Glaze

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum

Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Drizzle glaze over cake. Allow time for cake to absorb glaze. Repeat until glaze is all gone.

If you know any wrestlers, you know they are exceptionally aware of their weight during season. My daughter wrestled for four years in high school and is currently wrestling in college. Anyway her high school coach always stressed cutting weight the proper way. He didn’t want them spitting, putting on trashbags and running, starving themselves or any of the other idiotic crash weight loss ideas his wrestlers could come up with. He also wanted them to make smart food choices. I’d hear about how Coach could magically appear at the vending machines just as a wrestler was reaching in to grab a honeybun. If that doesn’t encourage his wrestlers to make better choices….

But at some point you have to cut loose from all that and treat yourself – preferably after winning States or a national title or at the least becoming an All-American. This pound cake was created specifically for Coach Charlie with a shot of inspiration from my aunt Cindy.

Charlie’s Pound Cake

2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup Crisco (or another stick of butter)
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
2/3 cup Coca-cola
1/3 cup Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum

Rum glaze for top

Preheat oven to 325*degrees. Butter and flour a bundt pan.

In large mixing bowl, beat butter, crisco and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add vanilla. In another bowl, sift together the baking powder, salt and flour. Add this to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the coca-cola and rum. Pour into prepared bundt pan and bake for 70-80 minutes. Let cool on counter for 10 minutes and then invert onto cake plate. Pierce cooled cake repeatedly with a skewer or toothpick.

Rum Glaze

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum

Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Drizzle glaze over cake. Allow time for cake to absorb glaze. Repeat until glaze is all gone.