PPQ: Totally Rummy Pound Cake

in Cakes & Cupcakes, Project Pastry Queen

I chose this week’s Project Pastry Queen recipe, Totally Rummy Pound Cake. It was cake + booze. Surely it would be a winner.

But if I could do it all over again, I’d go back and choose a different recipe. Because it turns out that I’m not as big a fan of rum as you’d think. Or as I’d think… Captain & Diets excluded 🙂 And this cake has a lot – A LOT – of rum in it.

I made half a recipe (thank goodness) and baked it in a small loaf pan. It didn’t really rise much but while it baked, my kitchen smelled a whole lot like Spring Break 1998. I couldn’t bring myself to make the glaze for the cake, which called for even more rum, so I macerated some chopped strawberries with a little sugar and served it on top.

My husband graded it with a half-hearted “It’s okay I guess.” There aren’t many recipes in the book that I haven’t cared for but I guess they can’t all be winners. So now that I’ve totally sold you on the cake…

Totally Rummy Pound Cake

A dense, rummy pound cake studded with Texas pecans.

Ingredients

  • For the cake:
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup dark rum
  • For the glaze:
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp dark rum

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Spray a 9-inch loaf pan with baking spray.
  3. Spread pecans on a baking sheet and bake 5-7 minutes, until browned and fragrant.
  4. Cream butter and sugar on high for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
  5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time.
  6. Add the vanilla and rum, mixing until completely combined.
  7. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
  8. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients to the bowl in three additions, alternating with two additions of the sour cream.
  9. Add half of the pecans to the batter and mix well.
  10. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with remaining pecans.
  11. Bake ~40 minutes, until browned and a skewer in the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached.
  12. Let cool in pan 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool.
  13. To make the glaze, heat the butter, water, lemon juice, and rum in a small pan over medium heat.
  14. Bring mixture to boil and cook for ~1 minute.
  15. Pierce the cake many times with a skewer and brush/pour the glaze of the cake. Let rest 1 hour before serving, overnight preferred.

Notes

Yields: 8 servings

Adapted from The Pastry Queen

Estimated time: 1 hour 15 minutes

12 comments… add one
  • Sounds good to me! Love this idea. It’s so pretty too 🙂

  • that’s a shame, it really sounds good and I’m not a rum person either but maybe I’ll change it a little bit

  • Hmmm now I’m wondering how much I like rum also….maybe not that much? There’s only one way to find out!

    My roommate ADORES rum. So worst case – I’ll just pawn it off on her.

  • Different people have different tastes, but one thing is certain: the photo looks amazing and the fresh strawberries were a wonderful idea!

  • Whatevs, you know you just did this to rub those gorgeous strawberries in our face. I’m kind of the same way with rum. Especially SPICED rum. Too many nights sailing away with the Captain in my younger years, has left a bad taste in my mouth! Looks moist and delicious though.

  • heather_kaye

    My mother’s go-to cake is a variant of this, but in a Bundt pan and with amaretto instead of the rum. (Seems to be a little less B-BAM! than rum would be.) It’s one of our favorites!

  • That is one heck of a poundcake! Looks so moist and flavorful. Love that you added rum and pecans! Yum.

  • Some recipes just aren’t winners :/. But at least the picture is beautiful! And love that you topped it with strawberries instead of more rum!

  • The picture looks beautiful! I love the “spring break 1998” reference. 🙂

  • I will say I love the Pastry Queen cookbook! I really liked the pound cake. If I make this recipe next time with rum, I will use your suggestion about waiting a day and use half the amount of rum. I guess I won’t dare to be totally rummy. (Maybe I could use the other half as a chaser to the cake?)

  • I just posted a classic pound cake but I’m a total fan of rum in my cakes too! Talk about yummy and rummy!

  • This sounds absolutely amazing! I love rum cake and I’m pretty sure I could devour this cake!

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