Doesn't TaZte Like Chicken

Location: My tiny kitchen

Filled with a cup and a half of dark rum, a bite of this walnut rum cake could make you drunk. This is a little piece of heaven exclusively for grown-ups.

I have a baking teacher at work and her name is L. I have written about her quite a few times in the past because she always has wonderful cake recipes that are easy, which is a very important factor to an amateur baker like me. I was always told that baking is an exact science; you must be precise with all measurements and follow every step in a recipe. L is quite the Harry Potter when it comes to baking. She can simplify a recipe by changing the steps without changing the end results.

This walnut rum cake recipe is based on an amazing chocolate cake recipe from L. Learning from the master, I tweaked the ingredients and turned the recipe into a rum cake recipe. With some luck, the cake turned out okay. The texture was somewhat spongy, which is not what I expected, but the cake was enjoyable and I would make it again.

These are the ingredients for the cake:

- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup of chopped, skinless walnut
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup full fat milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dark rum
- 2 eggs warmed up to room temperature
- A dollop of room temperature butter and 2 tbsp of flour to grease and dust a bundt pan

Here are the simple steps:

- Heat oven to 325F.

- Except the walnuts, shift all the dried ingredients into a large bowl.

- Mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl.

- Mix all wet and dry until just combine. DO NOT over-mix.
- Gently incorporate the walnuts into the batter.

Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan.

Bake for 60 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean after inserted into the cake. When waiting for the cake, make the rum syrup, which needs:

- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1/2 cup of dark rum
- 1/4 cup of water

In a quart pan, bring sugar, water and butter to a boil. MAKE SURE THE LIQUID DOES NOT FILL UP MORE THAN 1/4 OF THE PAN. Lower the heat and let the syrup simmer until it thickens and turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Turn off the heat and put in the rum.

*** BE CAREFUL: Make sure you TURN OFF THE HEAT when you pour in the rum. If you are using a electric stove, lift the pan off the stove and place it on a non heated surface. When you pour in the rum, the syrup will bubble vigorously, which is why a tall pan is needed. Stir the rum into the syrup. ***

Using a knife, make a few insertions into the cake. Pour the syrup onto the cake. Slowly, the syrup will be all soaked up by the cake.

Location: Any Save on Foods in Vancouver, BC

“Moist and fluffy, this black forest cake is one of my favourite cakes”, says the girl who tells everyone that she doesn’t desserts.

Not everyone would agree that the black forest cake purchased from a chained grocery store such as Save on Foods is irresistible. But taste is a very subjective thing, I just can’t help liking this black forest cake. I don’t like it just a little; I like it a lot. The texture is soft and rich, but the best part is the cream – it’s silky, buttery and yet light. It’s seldom that I would finish one piece of cake, but I would be glad to have seconds for this one.

If I could be objective for a second, then I can’t say this is the most perfect black forest cake in the world. After all, ET doesn’t care for it (and yet he managed to eat half of this 6” tower). “There isn’t any kirsch in this cake, and they really skimmed on the cherry filling”, said ET as he shoved another mouthful of cake into his mouth.

Besides this black forest cake, I also like the “High Five” from Death By Chocolate. The “High Five” is a rich five-layer chocolate cake filled with decadent chocolate ganache. Oh, and also there is the expensive rum cake that must be flown from the Caribbean.

Yes, and I still tell people that I’m not a big fan of desserts.

This cost me an arm and a leg. It was the most expensive cake I have ever purchased! And yet, it’s also the most delicious rum cake I ever had. It’s moist; it’s soft, and it’s has a good amount of rum in it. I used to bake rum cakes but mine never tasted as delicious as this. Got the cake as a present for a friend, I also ordered myself the original flavour with walnuts from the internet. The cake flew all the way from the Caribbean and every slice of it tasted like heaven. Still, it was expensive, especially when I got the bill from the customs a month later asking me to pay duty. Wah :”-( ”’

If you are also a rum cake lover and you want to find out how this one tastes, you can order it the Tortuga Rum Cake website.