This week, TWD baker made Wendy of Pink Stripes chose Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cakes on pages 226 and 227.  Wendy’s blog is one of my absolute favorites, so I encourage you to go on over there for the recipe and to look around.

My cake is cooling, but I’ve already eaten some because it stuck to my bundt pan and . . . .  Wait, let me back up.

I decided to bake one large cake in a very detailed bundt pan, and I used Kerrygold Irish butter in the recipe.  After all, if I was going to use some of my precious vanilla beans, I was going to use the best butter.

Now, despite using a non stick pan

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, and spraying it thoroughly with a non-stick baking spray (these contain flour, as well), my cake stuck to the pan.  In a LOT of places.  So, the lesson here is to flour the pan in addition to using the baking spray, or to use a pan that is not as ornate.  (Update – I did use Baker’s Joy, and I still had a lot of sticking).

Verdict:  one of the best Dorie recipes to date. The kitchen smells of warm butter and vanilla, and I can taste the rum and vanilla through the buttery goodness of the cake.  Hey, there are about two sticks of butter in this case, and I can definitely taste it.  Delicious, delicious, delicious.  Basically, this is a homemade version of the famous Bacardi Rum Cake, which gets rave reviews every time I make it.

Be sure to check out the TWD blogroll to see how everyone else did!

Like many food bloggers, I bake from scratch. At least 99.999% of the time. The other .001%, I use a little help. I am not a snob, except perhaps when it comes to Parmigiano Reggiano. Oh, okay, I’m a snob when it comes to that.

Enter, the tried and true Bacardi Rum Cake. I have been making this cake for over 30 years, having learned to make it at my mum’s knee. Her nickname for it was “sliver cake” – you have “just a little sliver,” again and again, until you realize you’ve eaten half the cake. Every time I make it, someone asks me for the recipe, even avowed non-bakers. That’s how good this is.

This cake keeps wonderfully, and freezes equally well – if there is any cake left over to freeze, that is!

Bacardi Rum Cake

Cake

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 18-1/2 ounce yellow cake mix (my mom and I prefer Duncan Hines brand)
1 1-3/4 ounce (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold milk, water, or half-and-half
1/2 cup vegetable oil, or melted butter (butter will give you a thick crust and dense cake, while vegetable oil will give you a thin-crusted, tender cake.  Use what you have on hand.)
1/2 cup Barcardi dark rum

Glaze

1 stick butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark Barcardi rum

Cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan (this step is very important, or you will have trouble getting the cake out. Baking sprays work very well). Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until cake separates from sides of plan and a testing skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool in pan for about 15 minutes. Invert cake onto serving plate. Prick top with a skewer. Drizzle glaze (see below) slowly over top of cake, allowing it to soak in between applications. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.

Glaze:

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum.