Chocolate and – Rum – soaked Cake!

My new obsession with old Cookery books continues, and here’s yet another interesting recipe from an old Charity Cookbook.  I thought this one was worth giving a go..it was the words ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Rum’ in one sentence that attracted my attention.. 😉

This cake can be eaten plain – although I do like a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a handful of raspberries, I cannot deny it! Or it can be dolled up for a party with a topping of creamy Mascarpone and Icing sugar whipped together, or my own Chocolate Fudge Icing https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/my-easy-chocolate-fudge-icing-recipe/ and virtually any decorations you like.

It uses a good quality Cocoa as the only flavouring, which I always like in a Chocolate cake. If you were making it for a Children’s Party, you could replace the cocoa with Drinking Chocolate, such a Cadbury’s, to make it less rich, and sweeter, for young palates..

EQUIPMENT:

• An 8inch/20cms round cake tin, greased and lined (or a ready-made liner, preferably a reusable one)
• A large mixing bowl
• A medium-sized bowl
• A large measuring jug
• A hand held Electric beater
• A spatula
• A small saucepan

INGREDIENTS: For the Cake:

• 150g Plain flour
• 25g good quality Cocoa
• 2 level teaspoons of Baking Powder
• A pinch of salt
• 50g soft brown Sugar
• 3 medium or 2 large eggs, separated
• 90mls Vegetable Oil
• 90mls cold Milk
• A good splash of Vanilla extract

For the Rum syrup:

• 100g granulated sugar
• 100mls cold water
• 2 tablespoons of Rum

 

METHOD:

• Line the cake tin, and place on a baking sheet.
• Heat the oven to 160ºFan or the equivalent
• Separate the eggs, put the yolks into the measuring jug, and the whites into the Medium sized bowl
• Measure the flour, Baking Powder, salt, and Cocoa into the large bowl.

• Add the sugar, and mix well together.
• Using the electric whisk, beat the egg whites until firm and frothy.

• Add the Oil and the milk to the egg yolks, the use the same whisk to beat them together until well combined.
• Add the Egg/Milk/Oil mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix it in until you get a smooth, well combined dough. It will be quite stiff at this stage.
• Add one tablespoon of egg white to the dough and fold in quickly, this will loosen the mix a little.
• Add the rest of the egg whites all in one go, and fold in gently but thoroughly, trying not to knock out all of the air in the mixture.

• Pour the whole lot onto the prepared tin, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean, and the sponge bounces back when you press it with a finger tip.
• Remove from the tin, leaving the baking parchment on, and cool on a raised-up rack, until completely cold.

Make the Syrup:

• Weigh the sugar and water into a small saucepan
• Bring to the boil, and boil hard until all the sugar is dissolved and the liquid has reduced to half its volume. Allow to cool a little.
• Add the Rum
• Put the cake, still wrapped its baking parchment back into the cake tin. Put the tin on a tray to catch any drips.
• Stab the cake all over with a fine skewer; this helps the syrup drain evenly into the cake.
• Pour the hot syrup over the cake, including the edges, and allow to cool again, preferably overnight.
• Remove the baking parchment and transfer the cake to a suitable plate.
• Whip a carton of double cream until it reaches soft peaks, then spread it over the top of the cake.
• Decorate with Chocolate curls, Fresh raspberries, toasted sliced Almonds or toasted crushed Hazelnuts. As a Nut-Free house, we always go with the Chocolate Curls, with added raspberries for special occasions!
• If you’ve decorated it, keep it chilled until you serve it. If it’s just for us, I tend to leave it undecorated and offer whipped cream and raspberries separately.

NOTES:

• There are not too many Notes, as this is a fairly simple recipe. The most difficult part for us was having to wait until everything was fully cooled – this cake smells amazing!
• This cake has an excellent texture, so it works really well as a stand-alone Chocolate cake. The cocoa makes it seriously chocolaty!

• If you don’t fancy the Rum soak, why not try my delicious Chocolate Fudge Icing for this cake? It’s a seriously good Chocolate Icing recipe, and you should have it in your repertoire anyway! https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/my-easy-chocolate-fudge-icing-recipe/

• Don’t forget that, sliced horizontally, this would make an excellent base for my famous Cheats Chocolate Trifle https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/the-easiest-ever-christmas-trifle/ or as  the chocolate cake element of a Black Forest Gateau!