Chocolate Rum Cake

[Lisbet]

Is there a way of making a chocolate-rum cake from "scratch"...without using the already packaged and boxed mixes? Have looked all over and all I can find are recipes that start with a box of cake mix and a box of pudding mix.

[ganner17]

Look for a chocolate cake recipe instead of a chocolate rum cake. Cake mixes can be easily modified. Just make sure that you keep the same amount of liquid. So however much rum you add, you need to subtract liquid somewhere else. And also alcohol can seriously alter things, so just remember less tends to be more when alcohol is involved.

[tessa]

switching the vanilla extract for same amount of rum , then when its come straight out of the oven poke little holes all over it with a wooden skewer and drizzle rum all over maybe about 1/4 cup, let the cake sit till really cool as the rum will make it more moist, then invert on to a plate and if your going to ice it what about doing it with a rum and chocolate ganash or a rum buttercream made with butter rather than shortening

a good dense cake works well with this one , i have a great cake recipe that is vegan but you so cant tell its vegan , and the longer it sits the better it tastes let me know if you would like it

[OregonYeti]

You could slice the cooked cake and pour a little rum in where you sliced. I had a cake made that way that was great! It would have to be a pretty rich cake to not get soggy.

[Lisbet]

Thank You Very Much for the Suggestions! I really appreciate the help. Will keep trying....guess it will take a bit of experimenting, and will certainly try suggestions given. Thank You!!

[qahtan]

RICH STOUT CAKE
This is a chocolate cake with a difference. It's a basic chocolate cake recipe with the addition of rich stout which makes a very deep, rich cake, not only with the flavour of stout but also the colour to go with it. Guinness works very well in this recipe. The combination of the soft brown sugar and stout gives you fuller texture and taste. Also 100-225g (4-8 oz) of plain chocolate can be grated into the mix to give an even stronger taste. It's very good to eat as a cake, or for real chocoholics, you could warm a slice in the microwave and serve it with a Rich Chocolate Sauce .
225g (8 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
350g (12 oz) soft brown sugar
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
4 eggs, beaten
400 ml (14 fl oz) stout (Guinness)
225g (8 oz) plain flour
100g (4 oz) cocoa
Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350 F /gas 4. Butter a 20-25 cm (8-10 in) deep cake tin. Cream together the butter with the soft brown sugar.
Gradually add the beaten eggs. Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix the stout with the cocoa powder. Now add the flour and stout mixes alternately to the butter and eggs until completely and evenly bound. You will find the consistency to be quite soft.
Spoon into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1 to 1-1/2 hours until set. You may need to cover with a piece of brown paper after an hour to prevent it browning too much. Allow to cool before removing from the tin. The stout cake is now ready -cheers!
SOURCE: Gary Rhodes

qahtan

[boar_d_laze]

Of the various sponge cakes, I prefer a genoise for soaking with liquor. There are a gazillion (at least) recipes for chocolate genoise floating around. Here's a link for one: Recipes From Cookbooks - Chocolate Genoise (sponge cake) - recipelink.com

They have the reputation of being difficult, but really aren't -- as long as you pay attention during the initial warming sequence and add the dry ingredients in three or four separate additions. It's more paying attention than anything complicated.

You'll be rewarded with a cake with a fantastic crumb and which holds up to a soak well.

Another alternative is to make a chocolate savarin. Talk about made for soaking.

BDL

[lentil]

Tessa,

Could you post your vegan cake recipe, please? My baker does a wine cake with sherry, but it calls for a white cake mix. We back and forth because I don't want any mixes in my shop, but we recently got a request for it. We're going to try to do one from scratch using an old King Arthur recipe (cake pan cake) that calls for no eggs or dairy. Would this be the recipe you use, by any chance?

Thanks in advance.

[Norma]

Sorry Gahtan, I made that Rich Stout Cake and nobody liked it here. The flavor of baking soda was overpowering, and the cake was dry. I rather drink the beer. Please, don't say that I probably messed up with the ingredients. I have baked thousands of chocolate cakes before.

[qahtan]

You didn't like it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Can't win 'em all.

Although you are the only person that has made it that didn't like it....;-(((

qahtan

[boar_d_laze]

Some more thoughts:

With Norma on the stout cake. Sorry, Gathan. Didn't want to say before.

Also, a simple genoise should be in every baker's repertoire. In fact, in every good cook's. Full disclosure: I'm not much of a baker myself. I can't make you learn to bake one, but you really should -- especially if you want to see what lies beyond boxed cake recipes.

IMO, do not substitute vanilla for rum, just add the same amount of rum. Vanilla and rum are very good friends. Chocolate and vanilla are very good friends too. In fact, chocolate needs vanilla to taste right. Actually these three are more than friends. Can we talk?

The "poke holes, drizzle rum" thing is right. You'll probably find straight rum to have too much edge, though. Sweeten the rum by mixing it with confectioner's sugar or simple syrup. You want your syrup in the range of 2/3 rum to 1/3 sugar by volume to 50/50. Simple syrup to rum should be a straight 50/50. Taste the syrup before drizzling. It should tasted good. If it doesn't -- adjust.

Up-market commercial bakers prefer a kind of rum called Stroh 80 from Austria. It's a very high-proof, expensive, spiced rum. You can use Captain Morgan or any other reasonably priced spiced rum and get similar results. I prefer the less expensive rums for baking for their taste, not just because I'm cheap. Besides "spiced rum" there are lots of flavored rums these days; many perfect with chocolate -- coconut, orange, what have you. Rely on whimsy. If you want more of a straight rum taste try an aged rum like Appleton VX, Babancourt, Pusser's, or one of the Bacardi rums that advertises its age on the label. Dark or medium (like Mount Gay) rums are always superior to white for baking.

BDL

[qahtan]

One of my favourites to make, as sandwich cake, as Swiss roll, petite fours etc.
Yes I agree genoise is VERY adaptable..... I use 6 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup flour/.

About the Guinness cake.
It is a cake that requires a dollop of fresh cream with each serving, it is NOT the run of the mill type of cake.
But it wouldn't do for us to all like the same thing......

Like you I wouldn't give box cakes house room, Yuck,,,,, qahtan

[Norma]

Sorry if I hurt your feelings Qathan, you gave me such nice reply...
I wish you a very good afternoon,

Norma

[oli]

Originally Posted by qahtan

You didn't like it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Can't win 'em all.

Although you are the only person that has made it that didn't like it....;-(((

qahtan

Sorry, but we didn't like it either. Looked interesting and quite promising, but alas it was not to be. Made it last year some time.
Thanks anyway.

[qahtan]

I think why several of you didn't like it was because the flavour was too intense, as I know many many people like only light milk chocolate yet there are many like myself that prefer the dark plain chocolate that isn't so sweet.
I am sorry you all wasted ingredients on it, but them's the breaks, some you win and some you lose. :-((((.
qahtan