Tuesday, June 29, 2010

TWD - Rum Drenched Vanilla Cake


I have finally moved into my own flat. Sure, it still resembles a warehouse with boxes everywhere, but I am actually in, and the things that I really need have been unpacked. I found out the hard way that I am not built for hard manual labour, as today, my entire body feels as though it has been through a threshing machine because of the unpacking and lifting process. And the best part is - I am only half way there!! Oh well, it should be great for my arm strength.

One of the joys of moving into my new flat is getting to know the new oven. It is a gas oven, and is unlike anything I have used before (I am an electric oven kind of girl). It has a little red starter switch that you have to push in while you turn the dial and get the oven to light. The best part is that it doesn't have your usual temperature gauge - it has gas marks!! Thank God for Nigella - except for her frequent references to gas marks on her TV shows, and her handy temperature conversion table in How To Be A Domestic Goddess, I would have been up the creek without a paddle. Perhaps I have been sheltered, but I have never seen such a contraption before, and even armed with my library of Nigella knowledge, it took me a while to work out what was going on with the oven.

Having conquered the oven, I moved on to this week's Tuesday with Dorie challenge, hosted by Wendy of Pink Stripes. She chose Dorie's rum-drenched vanilla cakes. In my case, it is cake singular, as I halved the recipe - after all, 6 eggs and 215g of butter later, what would I do with 2 cakes?

Here is the finished product, cooling on a rack - rather handsome, don't you think?


The cake contains a dash of rum and is brushed with a rum syrup while still warm. Even then, I would hardly say my cake was rum "drenched", but it had a lovely moist texture inside and out as a result of the syrup and the cream content.

This cake was soft and delicious, and really didn't need anything more. However, I couldn't resist serving a slice warm with custard:



Thanks for hosting us this week, Wendy. If you would like the recipe, buy the book or visit Wendy's site on Tuesday, US time. To see what everyone else though of this cake, visit the
TWD blogroll.

29 comments:

Ivy said...

We used to have a gas oven back home and everything tasted much better. When I buy a new stove again I will certainly choose gas. Cake looks delish with custard.

Tammy said...

custard would have been great with this. Mine was lime drenched and we loved it

Nichicakes said...

I have never heard of an oven with gas marks...
Your cake looks lovely.

Cakelaw said...

@ Nichi - I would have been totally lost without my obsessive Nigella-watching - I have never seen an oven like it before.

Susan @ My Wholefood Family Essentials said...

Yum, cake and custard! And well done for baking in a new oven.

pinkstripes said...

I think I would have run away screaming from your oven. More power to you! Your cake looks gorgeous. thanks for baking along with me this week!

Hindy said...

Judging by your beautiful cake, I'd say you have that stove well in hand. Enjoy your new home!

Jennifer said...

That oven sounds really difficult! I once lived in a house with an electric oven that had a button panel to push in order to operate the burners and the stove-I had used an electric oven all of my life and had never seen anything so archaic. I think Jamie Oliver might make references to the numbers on a gas stove.

Your cake turned out beautifully-what a wonderful way to celebrate your new flat!

Jules Someone said...

Ooooh, the custard sounds lovely with the cake! A bonus to the gas oven - if it has a pilot light, it's a great place to proof bread! It's always just a bit warm.

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

The custard on top makes it absolutely wicked.

I have two ovens, one electric and one gas. The gas oven is probably 30 -40 years old and it never gave us trouble. We did not buy it. Came with the house.

I have gone through too many newer ovens, since I have lived here.

Emma @CakeMistress said...

Drenched with Rum? Sold!
Could even do a Brandy custard for the extra booze factor :)

The Blonde Duck said...

I love rum cake!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Best of luck unpacking! I know what you mean, we went through it and it was like being put through the wringer!

Kayte said...

Custard! That cake of yours looked perfect and then when that custard appeared, I think I swooned a bit...yum! Best wishes in your new apartment...how fun...take your time and enjoy the process. And the cake!

Peggy said...

Oh wow. . that pudding on top of the cake looks fabulous! I'm going to try this without the rum.

Leslie said...

Moving is such a pain! I can't even imagine such a dramatic change in ovens...I think I would panic! Your cake looks great, a perfect treat to enjoy after unpacking a bunch of boxes!

Sarah @ For the Love of Food said...

What a lovely way to warm your new house (and your new oven). I really love this kind of loaf cake - my favourite 'drenching' syrup is lemon.

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Mmmmmm rum and vanilla...I'm in!

The Blonde Duck said...

I wish I could send some summer your way!

Anonymous said...

Your full cake looks wonderful, as does the slice with custard. I think you have conquered your new oven!

margot said...

Your cake looks terrific! I couldn't resist having mine with some ice cream. Moving is so exhausting, you definitely deserve some cake for the manual labor.

Sherry G said...

I love the amount of custard you put on your slice! Some people hold back on toppings. Why?! Looks great!

Unknown said...

In that first picture, you can tell that this cake has an incredible texture.
Hope you have a fabulous fourth of july weekend.
*kisses* HH

Johanna GGG said...

great cake for a new oven (even if you didn't have a new oven)

I always remember moving into a house with a gas oven as a child and my mum saying how great it was because you didn't have to preheat so we could bake when we wanted rather than a big baking session - I love gas esp on the hotplates - hope you learn to love it and good luck with the move

Conor @ Hold the Beef said...

Oh wow, gas marks!! Something that I have glossed over in recipes for ever, but you just don't really see them in local recipes. Thank god for the internet with having to do conversions on the fly.

Excellent cake. I like the word 'drenched', it gives the impression of mega rumness, which is not a bad thing.

Barbara Bakes said...

Looks like a delicious, dense, moist pound cake. I'm sure the custard made it even more delicious.

The Caked Crusader said...

Vanilla and rum - it doesn't get much better than that!
I give all my recipes with gas marks too - we all have different ovens! I grew up with a gas oven but now am very fond of my fan electric oven!

Barbara said...

Congrats on the new apartment. I love gas hobs. Unfortunately our current apartment has an electric hob.

AmyRuth said...

MMMmmmm, now that's just really beautiful and the custard. whoa! delish.
AmyRuth
We Americans and our electric ovens..... goodness, I would be sunk.