Chocolate Rum Cake

 

1½ cups unsalted butter
3/4 lb bittersweet chocolate , broken
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dark rum
2 cups strong, brewed coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup rum, for soaking cake (optional)

Preheat your oven to 300F.  Butter a 4½-inch-deep (12-cup) Bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder flour. In a medium pot, melt the butter; remove from heat and stir in the chocolate pieces. Cover and let melt. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir the rum, vanilla extract, coffee, and sugar into the melted butter mixture. Slowly combine butter mixture with dry mixture (add about half, whisk until smooth, then add remainder.)  Add the eggs and beat until a smooth batter forms.  Scrape the sides as needed to work in all the flour.  Pour into Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour and 50 minutes.  (Be sure to leave at least one inch clear at the top of the Bundt pan so that it doesn’t overflow.)  Let the cake cool to room temperature on a rack, then turn out. Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. (Optional: poke it all over with a skewer and sprinkle on a shot or two of extra rum. Be sure to let it sit overnight to soak it up evenly.)  Dust with a flurry of powdered sugar, slice thickly, and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
 

This was a lot of cake--- it made a small extra loaf.  This could easily be reduced to 2/3 or 1/3 using a loaf pan.  I used the small airbake pan under the cake and had trouble getting the cake to release, so not a good idea.  Others also had trouble getting it out of the pan. (Recommended Baker’s Joy.)  The cake rose very high and crusted, then fell while cooling and the edges separated. 

Some interesting alternatives by other bakers:  some added more rum (1 cup) and let it mellow a day, and more chocolate (2-3 oz).  One added orange peel.  Some added more coffee, or used instant, or substituted espresso.  One frosted with cream cheese/whipped cream.

Conclusion:  Cake was very good; light and delicate, but very rich. Could have used a bit more salt, maybe ½ teaspoon.

Recipe:  Midnight Mocha Rum Cake via Global Table Adventure