March 2019 - Cooking with Rum

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            Doberge Rum Cake (A New Orleans Classic)

Ingredients - Cake:

  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 3 1⁄2 C. sifted cake flour
  • 1 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 3⁄4 C. butter, room temperature
  • 2 C. white sugar
  • 1⁄2 tsp. salt
  • 1⁄2 C. whole milk, room temperature
  • 1⁄2 C. dark rum
  • 1 tsp. lemon Juice
  • 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1⁄2 tsp. rum extract

Ingredients - Custard:             

  • 2 C. white sugar, divided
  • 1⁄2 tsp. salt
  • 1⁄4 C. all-purpose Flour
  • 1⁄4 C. cornstarch
  • 1⁄4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 (1 ounce) squares bittersweet
  • Chocolate, chopped
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • 3 C. whole milk
  • 1 C. dark rum
  • 1 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
  • 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1⁄2 tsp. dark rum

Ingredients - Buttercream Frosting:

  • 1 C. butter, softened
  • 3 C. confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1 C. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1⁄2 tsp. rum extract
  • 1 Tbsp. hot water (optional)

Ingredients - Ganache:

  • 2 C. semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 C. heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. rum extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and then grease three 9-inch cake pans.

Beat 4 egg whites in a mixing bowl until foamy. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form and then set aside. Reserve the egg yolks in a separate bowl. In another separate bowl, sift together the cake flour and baking powder.

Beat 3/4 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add reserved egg yolks one at a time, allowing each yolk to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Pour in cake flour mixture alternately with the1⁄2cup o fmilk and the1⁄2 cup of dark rum, mixing until just incorporated. Stir lemon juice and 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1⁄2 teaspoon rum extract into batter.

Whisk beaten egg whites a few times. Use a rubber spatula to fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the batter to lighten it. Fold in remaining egg whites, mixing just until combined. Pour batter evenly into the three prepared pans and spread evenly over bottom.

Bake in preheated oven until cake is light golden brown and just pulling from the sides of the pan, 20 to 25 minutes. do not overbake. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks to cool completely.

To make custard: combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup flour, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup cocoa powder in a saucepan and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk remaining 1/2 cup sugar into 4 beaten eggs. Pour 3 cups whole milk into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat, add the one cup of dark rum and gradually pour hot milk/rum mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Add chopped chocolate and stir until chocolate melts.

Return custard to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon butter, 1⁄2 tablespoon vanilla extract and 1⁄2 tablespoon rum extract. Transfer custard to a bowl and allow to cool.

To make buttercream frosting: place 1 cup softened butter in a mixing bowl. gradually beat in 3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar. Beat in 1 cup sifted cocoa powder. mix in 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1⁄2 rum extract to make a smooth frosting. note: if the frosting is too stiff, add a tablespoon of hot water drizzling it very slowly into the mixture and mix well until desired consistency is reached.

To make ganache: place chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan until very hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Let stand for 3 minutes, then whisk, scraping sides and bottom of the bowl, until smooth. Stir in 1 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of rum extract. Allow to cool to room temperature, cover, and set aside. Ganache should be spreadable and not firm.

To assemble cake: gently slice each cake layer in half horizontally (use a long serrated knife). Cover cake plate with strips of parchment paper or foil for easier clean up. Put a dab of buttercream in the center of the plate to keep cake from shifting. Set a cake half on the plate.

Spread custard filling onto cake layer, taking care not to spread it too close to the edge (weight of the cake layers will cause itto spread out). Gently lay another cake on top of the first and repeat process with another custard layer. Repeat same process with remaining layers of cake and custard, topping custard with the last cake layer. Chill cake for 30 minutes to allow it to firm up.

Frost top and sides of cake with chocolate buttercream. Chill for 30 minutes, to firm and set.

Spread frosted cake with ganache. Remove parchment strips or aluminum foil from cake plate. store cake in refrigerator.