Rum Cake

I know it is suppose to be a Christmas cake. But, when you have a spot of rum left over from last year...and a cup of pecans that need using up...

And I decided to be bold and make the cake batter from scratch---

Ideas glean from a few recipes on the web---

2 sticks of butter, cut into chunks,
2 cups brown sugar---the only kind I keep in the house nowadays

mixed with the shiny mixer James got me for Christmas last year.

set in the preheated oven for a minute to soften the butter--
remember the handle on the mixing bowl is gonna be hot !

1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour (set in a bowl beside so I can add it gradually)
4 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk ('cause it is the only milk we buy)
splash of rum

whip it up and pour it into a heavily butter bundt cake pan or angel food cake pan with chopped pecans sticking to the bottom of the buttered sides and bottom.

350 degrees until done... until it springs back at your touch. an hour, maybe?

glaze: 1 and a half sticks butter, 1/4 cup water, 1 and a half cups brown sugar, heated slowly to a boil, and stirring constantly, boil for 4 or 5 minutes, turn off the burner, and add the 3/4 cup of rum---or whatever rum you are using up.

I saw on Pioneer Woman's site that she poke holes in the cake, pours 1/3 of the glaze on the cake, then inverts it, and pokes holes in the cake on top where the pecan now reside, and add the rest of the glaze. I want to try it, as I used to only do one side, and thought both needed it.

Most Rum cakes call for the jello pudding mix, and a yellow cake mix, but I was feeling daring today. And wanted to avoid the strange chemicals listed on cake mixes. And I love coooking with brown sugar and butter. Gives it a carmelly flavor. But, we will see if it turns out.

My CAKE WRECKS book came in the mail yesterday. I had pre-ordered it from Amazon---which is quite a nice deal. $15 book for $7.99 !!! And that book is DANGEROUSLY funny. I was reading through it yesterday and I started laughing so hard I could not breathe. I started laughing so hard, I thought I was going to die. Bob would come home from work and find me slumped in his chair with the book in my hands. I had to close it a few times just to catch my breath. I may try another peak today. I don't know. Bob was holding his sides last night perusing the pages. Whoa.

Jen Yates is so witty. So observant. So amazing with her daily Cake Wrecks website. It is sad to read that some commenters can be cruel. I hope her husband, John continues to protect her from the anonymous troll.

She was in Dallas (north) today at a book signing. I had it on the calendar, but a dear lady at church died, and her funeral was today.

I should have ordered more copies. Two or three would fit nicely in the box they shipped it to me in. Then I'd have copies to share. It needs a warning label. No eating or drinking while reading this book. And best not in a quiet library...for the guffaws will burst forth. It is just so fun to laugh at cakes! Poor spellings, odd punctuation, literalness, bathroom humor, and what-was-ordered versus what-was-delivered are just some of the wrecks that are cakes.

The verdict: (burp) Whoa. Lots of glaze but the cake soaked it right up. A from scratch cake does not rise as high, but was nice and level for glazing. I poked one side, added half the glaze, ran to McDonalds for two angus burgers for our "supper" (protein) and then when I got back, Bob bravely inverted it onto the china plate. You will need a deep dish plate for this purpose. The cake broke on one side, but we ate around that just fine. I will probably put half in the freezer for guests at a later date. And bag the rest. The cake was moist all by itself, but the glaze of brown sugar and butter and rum made it even moister. Like a three-milk cake, but with rum. ha. Bob said it was, "heavy". But, I think he was excited to see me cooking and guessed from the screens of recipes what I was up to.

Fun. Fun. No icing to misspell. No preservatives. No strange chemicals I cannot pronounce nor strange emulsifiers. Just butter, milk, flour, and eggs. Our house is now rumless. And that is okay. I had forgotten about the leftover rum from last year's rum cake baking. My friend, Mary had braved the liquor stores for both of us, as they make rum cakes as gifts for co-workers.

A gentle rain. A super full belly. Bob working on his Sunday School lesson. And I ran the oven today with the windows wide open. No AC.