Butter rum cake for those who like to bake with booze

I had my first caipirinha on my honeymoon: influenced by my husband, I enjoyed the drink with him in a super hot day, by the sea. What a delicious day that was. After that, I became a caipirinha fan (but you know that already). :D I’ll admit it: I like a little bit of alcohol every now and then.

Therefore, once I started baking with rum there was no turning back – for that reason, one of the first recipes I tried with my new Bundt pan had to be Lisa Yockelson's butter rum cake: there’s rum in the batter and there’s more rum in the glaze. Yum, yum. The cake is very tender and rose beautifully despite the tiny amount of baking soda (and no baking powder). Definitely a keeper.

Butter rum cake
from the always great Baking by Flavor

Cake:
3 cups (420g) all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 ¼ cups (450g) granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (210ml) buttermilk*
3 tablespoons dark rum

Glaze:
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (74g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) dark rum
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F. Butter a 25cm (10in) Bundt cake and dust with all purpose flour. Tap out any excess flour.
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar in three additions, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 45 seconds after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Blend in the vanilla extract.
On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture in three additions and the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl again. Add the rum and beat for 30 seconds. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55 minutes or until risen, set and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake stand in the pan, over a wire rack, for 8-10 minutes, while you prepare the glaze.

Glaze: place the butter, granulated sugar and rum in a small, heavy nonreactive saucepan. Set over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Bring to the boil, turn the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Off the heat stir in the vanilla extract.
Carefully unmold the cake onto a wire rack. Using a soft pastry brush, apply the warm glaze onto the top and sides of the cake. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

*homemade buttermilk: to make 1 cup buttermilk place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk (room temperature). Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken, then use the whole mixture in your recipe

Serves 16