Jamaican Rum Cake: the Flavor of Adventure | Jamaica Vibez

Jamaican Rum Cake: the Flavor of Adventure | Jamaica Vibez

Enjoy the flavour of Rum Cake UK with our twist on a recipe from Jamaica Vibez.

Jamaican Rum Cake is a delicacy that is popular in the UK. After several failed attempts at recreating the sweet, buttery, moist delight I enjoyed in Jamaica, I believe I may have finally come up with something that comes near.

First of all, if you're on an alcohol-free diet, you probably shouldn't eat this Jamaican Rum Cake because of all the rum in it. In a similar vein, please keep your kids to yourselves.

The inspiration for this dish and the accompanying photo both come from Jamaica Vibez.com; however, I have made some changes to their original version.

Cake ingredients

1. 1.3 cups of all-purpose flour

2. White Sugar, One Cup

3. Cottees, one package of Compressed Vanilla Extract

4. 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt

5. Salt, one level teaspoon

6. One-third of a cup of unsalted butter, room temperature

7. Half a cup of canola oil

8. Half a glass of milk

9. Three eggs of a medium to big size (or four of a tiny size)

10. A third of a cup of Appleton's Estate Jamaican Rum (essential, using any other sort of rum would change the flavor of this cake; any light rum will suffice, but dark Australian rums and white rums are not recommended).

11. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, heaping (a little overflowing)

12. A third of a cup of almond meal

Ingredients: 

• SYRUP

• Unsalted butter, one-third cup

• Water equal to a quarter cup

• One-third of a cup of refined sugar

• Some salt to taste

• Add the same amount of rum as you used in the previous cake, around a quarter cup.

• Vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon

EQUIPMENT:

• A blender (or strong arms) to blend the ingredients.

• Spatula

• Preheated oven to 160 degrees

• A do-nut-shaped cake pan (or "bundt pan")

• Skewer

• Wrapping the cake in plastic wrap or another airtight container

• Saucepan

• Whisk

• Cups and spoons for measuring

METHOD:

Prepare a 325F oven.

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, salt, butter, and vegetable oil) together on medium speed until the mixture looks sandy and the dry ingredients are incorporated.

2. The eggs should be added one at a time after the milk has been mixed in. To recombine any sticky remnants, scrape the bowl well and beat for a few seconds.

3. Blend in the butter rum, vanilla, and rum.

4. Spray a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray, or oil with butter then sprinkle with almond meal until equally coated on all sides and shake off the excess for use later.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan/tin and spread level with a spatula. Keep the cake in the oven for 50-60 minutes.

6. When it's ready, it can be tested with a cake tester, a long skewer, or a length of raw pasta and come out clear. It's crucial that the cake be quite dry before adding the syrup.

7. Get out of the oven and get the cake out. While the syrup is being prepared, let the cake cool in the pan.

8. Combine all of the syrup components (except the vanilla) in a medium pot.

9. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to low and simmer (without agitating) until syrup thickens slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.

10. Take it off the fire and add the vanilla (you may up the vanilla to twice as much if you like it).

11. Make a bunch of incisions in the cake with a long stick. Spread the cake (still in the pan) with roughly a quarter cup of the syrup. Soak up the syrup, and keep doing so until you've used it all.

12. Allow the cake to chill and absorb up the syrup at room temperature overnight by covering the pan closely with plastic wrap.

13. When the cake is ready to be served, loosen the edges and flip it onto a platter. Don't try to push the cake out of the pan if it's stuck. If you want to soften the sticky syrup, you may put it in the oven at 140 degrees Celsius for around 10 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and invert it onto a serving platter.

Enjoy with Family

And there you have it, dear reader: my take on a Jamaican Rum Cake, the culinary equivalent of watching the sun set over the ocean from a hammock while listening to the rhythms of a nearby reggae band.