Rum Cake, Almost Tortuga

Almost Tortuga Rum Cake

This is the “Next best to the original Tortuga Rum Cake” from the Caribbean.  Some say you can special order Tortuga rum from your local liquor store, for no extra cost.  If that doesn’t work, then try out the rums listed below.  Coconut rum is also excellent!  See the hyperlink at the bottom for where I found this on the internet when doing my research for “the best” rum cake to make for family and friends this Christmas season.  I gotta tell you, it was EXCELLENT cake, if you like rum cake!  We made 8 of them so far, and I think we’ll make 2 more tomorrow!

Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 55 mins
Servings: 12

Ingredients:

Basic Cake Mix

2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into bits
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Cake

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (or pecans or macadamias)
1 (3 1/2 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs (better if at room temperature)
1/2 cup Cruzan vanilla rum (Hawaiian-style rum)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

vanilla beans (optional. soak and scrape)

shredded coconut flakes (optional)

Rum soaking Glaze

1/2 cup butter (do not substitute)
1/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Cruzan vanilla rum (Hawaiian-style rum), or similar rum

Directions:

Basic Cake Mix:

·         In a large mixing bowl, combine basic cake mix ingredients.

·         On low speed combine ingredients until the mix is the consistency of fine gravel, and all particles are about the same size.

·         This mix may be contained and stored for up to 3 months in the refrigerator.

For the Cake:

·         Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

·         Spray a large Bundt pan (12 cup) with nonstick BAKING cooking spray. (If you just use non-stick spray, it will likely stick in parts.  Or, you can oil and flour the pan.)

·         Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on the bottom.

·         Place Basic Cake Mix, pudding mix, milk, eggs, rum, oil, and vanilla extract in a large bowl and combine on medium speed with electric mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, scrape down the bowl halfway through. Batter should be very smooth.

·         Pour into Bundt pan.

·         Bake for about 55 minutes- until fully golden and tester comes out clean and cake springs back.

·         Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack while making the soaking glaze.

Rum Soaking Glaze:

·         Combine butter, water and sugar in a small saucepan.

·         Bring to a boil carefully as mixture boils over very easily.

·         Reduce to a simmer and cook until sugar is dissolved and syrup is well combined and a little thicker.

·         Remove from the heat and add the rum, mix to combine. (some like to cook rum in)

·         While cake is still cooling, pour some of the hot syrup on top of the cake, allowing it time to soak in (this may take a few minutes as there will be a lot of syrup) continue to add syrup until all of the syrup is added.

·         Allow cake to cool completely in pan before turning out onto serving platter.

·         This cake is delicate, so once it is turned out, it cannot be moved around easily.

·         Can be eaten when fully cool, but even better the next day, or for many days or weeks afterwards!


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NOTE ON THE BUNDT PAN:
I have baked since I was a pre-teen, and used a lot of different types of pans and recipes since then.
For this recipe, and any other type of bundt pan, I highly recommend the Pampered Chef stoneware bundt pan.  You can find it under pamperedchef.com as this item #1440 Stoneware Fluted Pan
I use baking pam to spray on the bundt pan, and none of my cakes have stuck at all.  They cook evenly, and come out perfectly each time!  
 

http://www.food.com/recipe/almost-tortuga-rum-cake-108524

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

We want to wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas!

Ours is great and promises to be fun all week! Christopher is very excited about just about everything. The tree is beautiful and he likes to sit and look at it. He has a gift under the tree that is just worrying him crazy, he "just wants to know what is inside". The Christmas calendar on the wall has been the best for helping him keep track of the days. He can look at it and see that there are only two more pockets with goodies in them, and that means only ONE more day until Christmas, Mommy! It's a fun age, that's for sure.

And an EASY one. All he wants for Christmas, besides the two front teeth that are slowly coming in now, is "a star wars video game" for his nintendo DS. Good thing it came in weeks ago, the rest is gravy.

We made gingerbread cookies with Chris and a friend of his, and 6 of the neighborhood kids on Monday afternoon. They were: 4- and 5-yr old boys, 2 six yr old girls, and 9-, 10- and 11- yr old boys, as well as a 16 yr old girl. We had the dough and the icing ready, and they did all the rolling out and over half the decorating, and they did a great job! Oh, yes, there were sprinkles and icing on the floor and pretty much everywhere, and one of the girls turned on the kitchen aid too high when there was confectioners sugar in it (can we say POOF went the sugar! on everything!), but it was all fun, and they did such a great job! It's always interesting to see which cutters they choose, and how they like to decorate. They take their jobs very seriously, and they were all very happy to take home their plates of completed cookies. All this to help me reach an epiphany this week...one of my "missions" in this lifetime is to help the love of baking reach the little guys. Some people never bake, and never get to help. I have always enjoyed sharing this fun hobby, and know that it must be part of my job in life to keep the baking torch going.

Then we made 2 double batches of gingerbread cookies for Mike's work folks this morning. Planned to make them earlier, but there are only so many hours in a day! So, got it done today, then went in search of the ornaments to also stuff in their bags, and then for the delivery.

Wrote addresses on the envelopes for cards a couple weeks ago, and that would be the cards we purchased almost 2 months ago. Even got all the stamps we'd need. But, alas, I don't think very many of them will go out this year. Or if so, they will be late. As they say, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Got the greens all cleaned out and cooked done. Pork is cubed and marinating in New Mexico-style red chile sauce so it can cook in the crockpot pretty much all day....Carne Adovada. We have the tortillas and sour cream ready and waiting. Only thing missing are tamales and posole. Part of a NM tradition for Christmas Eve that we really enjoy. Mike is even planning on putting out luminarias in the yard, but it will really depend on weather! Whether the weather is cooperating, or raining!

Then, need to wrap all the little guy's stuff and put under the tree. That will be fun to do tomorrow night!

On Christmas day, we will also make a birthday cake for my honey, who will break off from the little club we formed, called the 44 club, to do his thing and turn 45! Only 5 more years to 50 for him, hmmmm, now won't that be a fun party!

Merry Christmas to you all, and peace and love for always!
Virginia, Mike & Christopher
Maya, Lucky & Lisa (the dog and the piggies)

It's beginning to look a Lot like Christmas!

'Tis the season! We are almost ready for the holidays, and certainly ready for family to arrive! Busy week, but great payoff! Thursday night, we took the little guy to the Bass Pro Shop, where we had an inkling that we could find Santa hanging around. Sure enough, jackpot! And, no waiting, nice steady line. He told Santa about the one thing he wants for Christmas: "a star wars video game" (for his nintendo DS). Santa has such an easy job this year, and he sure is enjoying the low stress in such an easy kid to please!

Getting hugs before the next kids had their turn. He asked Santa if he was magic, and when he said yes, then he asked him if he can make a rabbit appear. Hmmm, Santa told Chris that making rabbits and such appear were just illusions, and that he's only about the truth for Christmas. I knew we liked Santa!

Relaxing in the bass pro shop before we head home. Great store to look around, btw.

Which brings us up to today!

First of all: Happy Birthday shout out to Doc, aka Steve, aka Uncle Steve (don't worry, I won't call you that in public)!! Now, we are all 44! It was a good year, and just think, only 6 more to 50!
For a great story, go to here!

For us: The hunters before they track down our tree. We usually go in the forest with a permit and find our own, we actually forgot what it's like to go to a tree lot. I stayed home to work on things there, while the guys went on this mission. Spoiler alert: they did a great job!

Okay, this is not our tree in the living room, but they give a free living sapling when you buy a cut tree. We'll try not to kill it.

Where's Mike, and how is he going to fit this thing in the house?

The little guy has been very patient waiting all week to get our tree. Here he only has to wait a few more minutes, once the tree is all watered up! Just before this, he helped me to tighten the knobs on the tree stand, and he actually had it turned in the right direction and pretty tight. (in his hands: the angel tree topper)

The moment he was waiting for! He held onto the angel the whole time the tree was getting setup and watered, then asked Papa to hoist him up to do his job!

Hmmm, we seem to be a little short on our lights.

A very serious but extremely happy young man!

Working hard at one of his favorite projects!

Can't forget the nativity set.

A Mini Tamborine!

Finished project! We seem to have accumulated "hundreds" of ornaments now.

Now that our table is cleared off and all the boxes in the dining room are gone, the tempting sausages and cheese kept calling our names! (Thanks, Ann & Bill)

Stockings waiting for the big night, hung by the fireplace:
Mom, Dad, Mike, Maya, Chris, Pearl, Me

If I knew I'd be in the pictures, I'd have put on some makeup. On the positive side, Chris is getting better about centering his photos!

Another masterpiece photo by Chris!

And our hard worker, all done with his projects of the day!

Time to relax, proud little boy!


Merry Christmas to Each and All! Only 5 more days! Woo Hoo!