Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum!
If you're a sailor, boater of any kind, or just love the water, most likely rum is a part of your life.
I love this little fleet of boats that race off my house Wednesday nights in the summer!
Even my soon-to-be-90-year-old Aunt Hope has a killer rum punch recipe that I'm trying to ply from her recipe box to share, but she's very protective. And I get it, because it's sooooo good…and deadly!
So, funny story. My husband and I started a rum company, because we're totally ADD, used to be in the restaurant and charter boat business and, cause heck, we drink enough of it, why shouldn't we create our own line?
Alas, our new rum became named Spiced Booty Rum, or Booty Rum for short. I am an admitted mermaid-aholic and my husband is the same about pirates. We also love scrimshaw, secret grottos...you get the picture. So when thinking about our presentation, we designed the bottle in a unique way with a window that peers into the mermaid's grotto where she's protecting her booty (treasure, not the other booty! :) Also on the bottle, is glow-in-the-dark ink that after exposed to light and then brought into a dark room, shows more mermaids and their secret sayings. Obviously we had a lot of fun with the bottle design. There's even a REAL pearl in each cork, and we're working with a Nantucket jewelry designer (to be revealed later) to help us create some fun things with the pearls.
But, it's the rum that should, and does, take center stage. The obvious drinkability is most important. And our rum is unique in that it's made using a process where all the bad stuff in alcohol, the stuff that makes you shudder after drinking, is molecularly taken out. It's pretty cool, and not having a hangover is awfully nice too. Hangovers come from the parts of the alcohol that make you shudder - fun fact of the day! We're still growing our territories so if you'd like to see Booty Rum in your town, talk to your liquor store and we'll send some your way! (our website is under construction but in the meantime email us at rum1791.com if you want some and don't live in Massachusetts) If you happen to be in Marblehead, you can certainly find us at Shubie's Marketplace, which is a MUST stop for anyone visiting our town. If you go in, say hi to Dougy for me! He's really nice (and his parents' George and Carol are too!).
But another fun way to use rum is in RUM CAKES!!! So good and so easy!
I tested (and drank) plenty or rum cakes and rum to come up with the Booty Rum Cake official recipe. And as my Mum announced to me the other day, my rum cakes make a delicious breakfast! Why not?!!
So, since I was making many rum cakes, I found the cutest little mini bundt cake pans. One cake mix (see? I told you it was easy!) makes a little more than eight cakes. As you can see here, I gathered the ingredients. I may have been sipping a little rum while cooking, you know, just to test! Hiccup!
I really think this is the BEST cake mix for so many cakes. I have made hundreds of cakes as a mom, coach, and caterer and I swear by this basic, but super moist mix. So to make this rum cake, get a box of cake mix...
…and add it to a box of vanilla pudding mix. My husband and I once went to the Jello History Museum in NY (on our way to a lacrosse game) and it was fascinating! I highly recommend a visit if you're ever in LeRoy, NY!
You'll need four eggs too.
I put all these ingredients together in a mixing bowl,
and added 1/2 a teaspoon of ground nutmeg. I love this little grinder that I got at our grocery store. But I really want the authentic grinder my Aunt Hope has. She puts a real nutmeg into this grinder and grinds it over her punch. I'm on the hunt for one of those!
Freshly ground nutmeg smells so yummy!
After adding water, we get to the good stuff, the rum!
Our rum has a slight vanilla flavor which makes it the perfect accompaniment to rum cakes!
So after adding the water, I added 1/2 cup of rum.
Using my trusty mixer, I combined all of the ingredients on slow and then mixed it all on medium speed for a couple of minutes.
While the mixer was mixing, I sprayed the mini pans with cooking spray made for baking. It adds flour and takes one step of prep away.
Then I filled the pans halfway to allow for the cakes to rise. The hardest part here is keeping your fingers out of the batter!
Because I used the mini pans, the cooking time was cut in half, so I watched them while they cooked and took the cakes out of the oven when they were golden brown.
While the rum cakes were cooling off, I made the dreamy glaze that your pour through the cake. Simple again - sugar, water, butter and RUM!
First, I meted the butter,
then I added the remaining ingredients and whisked over medium heat until it was all blended,
and then I transferred the glaze into a measuring cup to make it easier to pour over the cakes.
To prepare the cakes, I used a toothpick or skewer and poked a bunch of holes all around the surface
Once everything was prepped, I carefully poured the rum glaze over the cakes,
letting it soak in all over - I'm getting drooly!
Since the cakes are super moist, I like to serve them with blueberries and strawberries. If you like them plain, you can leave them as is.
But I think sprinkling these treats with powdered sugar adds the perfect final touch!
And because there was no way my family could eat all of them, (okay, there's a way, but it wouldn't make my already stellar figure any better, ha ha), I wrapped some up to deliver in time for the 4th of July!
Wrapped in parchment in a cellophane bag, I added some ribbon and garland and presented them to the happy recipients, including my Mum, who decided with my Dad to have their's for breakfast! Too funny!
Here's the recipe:
Booty Rum Cake
1 16.5 ounce Yellow Cake Mix
1 3 3/4 ounce Vanilla Pudding Mix
4 Large Eggs
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Booty Rum (or another brand of rum - perish the thought!)
Booty Rum Cake Glaze
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup of water
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of Booty Rum
confectioner's sugar to sprinkle
strawberries and blueberries
Beat in a mixer until combined, the mixes, eggs, nutmeg, water, oil and rum
Pour into greased and flour covered pans (use special baking spray if you want)
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour if using a regular bundt pan, or 35 minutes if using mini bundt pans
Test the cakes with a skewer - if it comes out clean, the cake(s) is done
Let cake cool for 10 minutes and flip it over onto a covered surface
Prick the top of the cake with a skewer to make holes for the glaze
Pour the glaze all over the top of the warm cake and let it ooze into holes
Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, sliced strawberries and blueberries.
Enjoy!!
Cheers!
Happy Fourth of July!
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