but where's the rum?!

This past weekend my family came down to ship the Dork off to Washington so I made dinner for everyone. We had cheese, hot salami, crackers, olives, bread and oil, and goat cheese pesto bruschetta. 

The main course was my standby Tortellini with sausage, fennel and mushrooms because I didn't feel like experimenting with anything (but I promise not to cook it again for months!) with some NYS wine I had Dad and Melissa bring down.

Dessert was a new experiment and it came out fantastically! Of course it helped that it was heavily spiked with rum...

Rum Cake 

(The Mother Unit)

Cake Part 1: 
2 cups cake flour
1 ½ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
½ cup butter, cut into bits
3 tbs vegetable oil
Cake Part 2:

½ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 (3.5 oz) pkg vanilla pudding mix – instant type
½ cup milk
4 eggs
½ cup Vanilla Rum (Normal is fine!)
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Rum Sauce: 
½ cup butter
¼ cup water
1 cup sugar
½ cup Vanilla Rum (Normal is still fine!)

Rum Glaze:

1/2 Cup Confectioner's Sugar

1 Tablespoon Rum

1 Teaspoon Water
Directions:
1. Use an electric mixer on low speed to combine "the Cake Part 1" ingredients in a large mixing bowl until the mix is the consistency of fine gravel, and all of the particles are almost equal in size.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a large bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle the chopped nuts into the bottom. 

3. Add "the Cake Part 2" ingredients (pudding, milk, eggs, rum, oil and vanilla) in a large bowl and combine on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl halfway through. Batter should be very smooth. Pour into bundt pan and level out top. Bake until fully golden and tester comes out clean. About 55 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack, keep in pan until cool.
4. In a small saucepan combine butter, water and sugar from glaze recipe. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until sugar is dissolved and syrup is well combined and thicker. Remove from heat and add the rum.
5. While cake is still cooling, pour hot syrup into, on top and around the edges of the pan. Cool cake completely in pan before turning out onto serving platter. 

6. Mix confectioner's sugar, rum and water (till desired consistency) and drizzle over the cake while it is still hot.

And then as payment I put everyone to work hanging my pictures. Ha.