Ahhh, October. Atlanta’s finally (sort of) done trying to kill me with heat, the end of wedding season means my workload cools off a bit, and everyone’s gettin’ spooky.
I’m celebrating the beginning of this delightful month with a simple recipe inspired by the atmospheric book/film, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The story revolves around a young woman, Merricat, who lives in a beautiful estate with her sister Constance and uncle Julian. The inhabitants of the nearby village despise and harass Merricat’s family, thinking Constance guilty of murder. As a result, Merricat spends endless hours casting spells of her own devising in an attempt to protect her home and family.
The movie adaptation of this book is quirky, tense and definitely worth a watch! It’s also currently available on Netflix, so y’know. Get on it!
What happened to spark the events of this book and film is revealed gradually, but what’s relevant to today’s recipe is the following: Constance is an excellent cook and baker, and she allegedly killed using arsenic mixed into sugar and sprinkled over blackberries. Also, rum cake.
Her hand hesitated over the plate and then she took a rum cake and set it carefully on the edge of her saucer. I thought that Mrs. Wright was being almost hysterically polite, and I said, “Do take two. Everything my sister cooks is delicious.”
“No,” she said. “Oh, no. Thank you.”
When I think of rum cakes, I think of the rum and pecan pound cake made at the bakery where I work. It’s rich, heavy on the booze and fairly simple to make. I won’t be sharing any top secret recipes from my job today; this is my personal spin on rum and pecan cake. I like to sprinkle the pecans on top before baking. The nuts get nice and toasty, and it makes serving simpler by preventing the bottoms of the cakes from sticking to their serving tray.
Some people like to pour soak over cakes like this while they’re still in the pan, and I cannot recommend that method. Depanning bundts cleanly is challenging enough without a sticky syrup making life more difficult.
PECAN POUND CAKE
1 cup (240g) butter, softened
1 1/3 cups (265g) sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla sugar (or 2 tbsp. sugar + 1 tbsp. vanilla extract)
2 cups (240g) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 medium eggs (or 3.5 large eggs)
1/2 cup (60g) sour cream
1 cup (150g) pecans, chopped
RUM SOAK
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/4 cup (60g) butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. water
2-4 tbsp. dark spiced rum (depending on how much you want these to bite back)
Blackberries and additional sugar for serving
NOTE: This cake can be made in any shape of pan. I made one batch in 2 different cake pans: a miniature silicone bundt mold to make bite sized cakes as mentioned in the book, and a medium sized bundt pan to make a larger display cake. One batch can also be used in a large/standard bundt pan with good results, though it won’t be as tall as some other recipes.
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray your mold of choice lightly with baking spray (make sure to use the type with both oil and flour). Use clean fingers or a paper towel to rub the spray into the mold’s cracks and crevices in a thin and even coat.
2. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside. In a large bowl cream the sugar, butter, vanilla sugar and rum or extract together for 10 minutes, or until fluffy and white. Blend in the eggs one by one, incorporating each one entirely before adding the next.
3. At this point, either use the very lowest speed on your mixer or switch to mixing by hand. Add about 1/2 of the flour and mix until mostly (but not entirely) incorporated. Add the sour cream and stir until mostly incorporated, then add the final portion of flour and mix until just combined. Do not continue mixing once there are no more streaks of flour; overmixing is to be avoided for a tender crumb.
4. Fill your cake pans 2/3 of the way up with batter, then liberally sprinkle pecans over the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean or with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before depanning.
5. Make the soak: combine the butter, water, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to a brief boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Brush the warm soak generously over your depanned cakes. If you like your cakes boozy you’ll want to use up all the soak. To serve, toss blackberries with a couple of spoonfuls of sugar and sprinkle over the cakes.
A NOTE ON BAKE TIMES:
Since bundt pans come in a truly ridiculous array of sizes, I haven’t included specific bake times. Here’s a very loose guide for where to start checking your cake for doneness.
Very small (2-bite size) mini cake molds: 15 minutes.
Single serving bundts, ~4″ in diameter: 20-25 minutes.
Full sized bundt pan: 45-60 minutes.
Signs your cake is done: The edges of your cake will look lightly browned (unless you’re using silicone molds, which will make the cakes take on less color), and if you press the tops gently they will spring back. To be sure of a cake’s doneness, always do the poke test. Simply insert a long bamboo skewer or toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean (or better yet, with a few crumbs hanging onto it) it’s ready to come out of the oven! In order for the cake to release cleanly from your bundt pan, always allow it to cool for 10 minutes before inverting.
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