Ingredients
Cake
- 300 gplain flour
- 2 teaspoonsbaking powder
- 1/2 teaspoonsalt
- 250 gbutter, softened
- 300 gcaster sugar
- 4eggs
- 200 mlwhole milk
- 100 mldark Bahamian rum
- 2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
- 1 teaspoongrated nutmeg
Rum syrup
- 150 gbutter
- 200 gsugar
- 80 mlwater
- 150 mldark rum
- a pinch of salt
Optional
- 100 gchopped pecans or almonds
- for the base of the tin
Directions
- Use a dark aged rum rather than a white one. Butter it very thoroughly, getting into every groove. Scatter the chopped nuts over the base if using them. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Beat them until pale and noticeably fluffy. Give it a good five minutes with a mixer.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add a spoonful of the flour if it starts to curdle. Stir in the vanilla and the grated nutmeg. Combining the wet and dry needs a light hand. Mix the milk and rum together in a jug. Add the flour in three additions.
- Add the milk and rum in two additions between them. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Fold gently rather than beating hard. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains. Heat the oven to 165C with a shelf in the middle. A dense butter cake needs the gentler heat. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
- Bake it for fifty-five minutes to an hour. A skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean. Cover it loosely with foil if the top browns too fast. Making the syrup is done near the end of baking.
- Melt the butter in a small heavy pan. Add the sugar, water and pinch of salt. Stir it over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring it to a boil and let it bubble for five minutes. Stir it occasionally as it thickens slightly. Take it off the heat completely. Adding rum off the heat keeps its flavour. Take the cake out and leave it in its tin. Pierce it all over with a thin skewer.
- Make plenty of holes across the whole surface. Now spoon about half the hot syrup over it slowly. Let each spoonful soak in before adding more. It will look like far too much liquid at first. Let it sit in the tin for thirty minutes. Turning it out takes some nerve. Set a plate over the top and invert it confidently.
- Lift the tin away from it slowly. Tap it firmly if the cake sticks at first. Keep brushing until it has all soaked in. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in cling film. Leave it for at least a day before cutting. Serving it is done in thin slices.
Technique
- The tinned rum cake sold across the Bahamas is a product of the tourist trade, though the cake itself descends from older British soaked cakes.
- A separate darker Bahamian fruit cake, closer to the black cakes of the eastern Caribbean, is made at Christmas.
Substitutions
- Any good dark aged rum works, and Caribbean rums generally suit it best.
- The cake can be made without alcohol using rum flavouring, though it will not keep in the same way.
Variations
- A dark fruit version soaks dried fruit in rum for weeks before baking.
- Some bakers add coconut to the batter.
- Pecans or almonds pressed into the base give a nutty crust on top.
History
Descended from British soaked fruit cakes, adapted with local rum; it became the standard Bahamian gift and souvenir in the tourism era.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bahamian rum cake?
Bahamian rum cake is a dessert from Bahamas: dense butter cake soaked in dark rum syrup, sold in tins. Descended from British soaked fruit cakes, adapted with local rum; it became the standard Bahamian gift and souvenir in the tourism era.
How long does Bahamian rum cake take to make?
Bahamian rum cake takes 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes one large cake, 12 slices. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Bahamian rum cake?
Yes, within limits. Any good dark aged rum works, and Caribbean rums generally suit it best. The cake can be made without alcohol using rum flavouring, though it will not keep in the same way.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bahamian rum cake?
Use a dark aged rum rather than a white one. Butter it very thoroughly, getting into every groove. Scatter the chopped nuts over the base if using them. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Beat them until pale and noticeably fluffy. Give it a good five minutes with a mixer.
