Thursday, January 21, 2016

Triple rum black pepper bundt cake (#BundtBakers)

vegan triple rum back pepper bundt cake

New year, new Bundt Bakers post. And what else is new? The host! That’s right—this month’s host is yours truly, swooping down to bestow you all with the (totally rad, IMHO) theme of “strange but good—weird flavor combinations that actually work” before soaring back up into the clouds of Hostingdom.

And I have to say, I am super impressed with all the flavors people have come up with. The theme was pretty broad, but everyone rose to the occasion (just like a nicely-leavened cake, eh?) and put together some pretty frickin weird cakes that also sound pretty frickin delicious. Please please please check out the links at the bottom of this post!

I’ll wait.

...okay. You good? Got a couple (dozen) tabs open? All right. Let’s talk about this cake.

Aw yiss, it's that hypnotic spiral-y bundt pan again.

This cake is taken straight from Baked Elements—the booze chapter, naturally. As an ode to rum and such strong alcoholic beverages, I’d say it works. You’ve got a substantial amount of rum in the cake itself, some rum in the syrup (which you use to soak your cake and turn it into a rich, dense, syrupy hunk of deliciousness), and even more rum in the buttery delicious glaze. I think Jack Sparrow would approve.

Uh...because I used it all to make this cake? source

Okay, so what’s the catch? What makes this thing so strange-but-good? OH YEAH there’s like 2 teaspoons of black pepper in this thing. Which is not a lot, but also...a lot, flavor-wise. You can definitely taste it.

See where I’m going with this? It’s strange...but good.

Think of it like putting cayenne in your chocolate. I’ve done that before. Or thyme in your lemon buttercream. Or rosemary in your pumpkin cake. These typically savory herbs add a lovely bit of spice to sweet desserts, a bit of interest to a typically straightforward baked good. In this bundt, the pepper turns this very straightforward rum cake into something unexpected and even more craveable.

I'm coining that. CRAVEABLE.

Of course, it doesn’t help that this cake is jam-packed with tasty shit like brown sugar and buttery substances. But rum is good too.

As Jack Sparrow well knows. source

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Triple rum black pepper bundt cake

Adapted from Baked Elements by Matt Lewis

Ingredients

Rum cake

408 grams • all-purpose flour • 3 cups

4 grams • baking powder • 1 teaspoon

4 grams • baking soda • 1 teaspoon

4 grams • freshly ground black pepper • 2 teaspoons

2 grams • salt • ¼ teaspoon

25 grams • ground flaxseed • 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon

150 grams • warm water • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons

112 grams • vegan butter, room temperature • 4 ounces

112 grams • coconut oil, room temperature • 4 ounces

200 grams • granulated sugar • 1 cup

230 grams • dark brown sugar • 1 cup

244 grams • nondairy milk • 1 cup

8 grams • apple cider vinegar • 1 ½ teaspoons

184 grams • dark rum • ¾ cup

12 grams • vanilla extract • 1 tablespoon

Rum syrup

112 grams • vegan butter, room temperature • 4 ounces

68 grams • granulated sugar • 1/3 cup

45 grams • water • 3 tablespoons

62 grams • dark rum • ¼ cup

Buttered rum drizzle

120 grams • powdered sugar • 1 cup

56 grams • vegan butter, melted • 2 ounces

45 grams • dark rum • 3 tablespoons

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, black pepper, and salt. Also combine flaxseed and water in a small bowl and let stand until thickened.

Place vegan butter and coconut oil in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat until smooth. Add granulated sugar and dark brown sugar; cream until light fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add flaxseed mixture and beat to combine.

Combine milk, vinegar, rum, and vanilla in a measuring cup. Add flour mixture to stand mixer in three parts, alternating with milk mixture. Beat for 10 to 15 second with each addition, until incorporated. Do not over-mix.

Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour, rotating halfway through baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make rum syrup, add vegan butter, sugar, and water to a medium saucepan. Turn heat to medium-high and stir until the sugar dissolves and the butter is melted. Stop stirring, increase heat to high, and allow mixture to gently boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl, stir vigorously to release excess heat, and stir in the rum. 

Stick the cooled bundt cake back in the bundt pan and use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes in the bottom several times. Use a spon to slowly drizzle rum syrup over cake; you may not want to use all, but you certainly can. Let sit for at least 3 hours, then invert onto a serving platter and remove pan.

To make buttered rum drizzle, add powdered sugar to a small bowl and add vegan butter; whisk until combined. Add rum and keep whisking until glossy and almost pourable. Drizzle glaze along the crown of the cake. Let set for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

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That glaze though.

Bonus trivia about this cake! You see that handsome bottle in the background? That’s some fresh straight-up Barbadian rum! My parents recently went on an excursion all the way down to the island and brought back a few souvenirs, not least among them a bottle of Mount Gay Rum, a 300-year-old rum brand that you may have heard of. I hadn’t. Naturally, because I’m not exactly a rum expert. But I was pretty excited to use some authentic Barbados-made rum in this cake—which I did, shockingly, as my parents deemed this a worthy use of the stuff.

Me? I couldn't tell the difference.

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.


Banana Bacon Bundt Cake by Liv For Cake
Beet and Beer Red Velvet Bundt Cake by I Sugar Coat It
Beet and Blood Orange Bundt Cake by Brooklyn Homemaker
Black Pepper and Red Wine Bundt Cake by Passion Kneaded
Caramelized Pineapple Blue Cheese Corncake Bundt by Food Lust People Love
Chocolate Banana Bacon Bundt Cake by The Freshman Cook
Chocolate Lemon Bundt Cake by I Bake He Shoots
Chocolate Liquorice Bundt Cake by Baking in Pyjamas
Chocolate Potato Bundt Cake with Strawberry Glaze by Magnolia Days
Chocolate Tomato Soup Bundt Cake by SpiceRoots
Coconut and Rose Syrup Bundt Cake by I Camp In My Kitchen
Coconut, Cardamom, and Orange Cake by Baking Yummies
Dark Chocolate Beet Cake by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
Dark Chocolate Stout Bundt by Living the Gourmet
Junk Food Bundt Cake by Faith, Hope, Love, and Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Lemon Rosemary Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Lovely Fields Bundt Cake by Los Chatos Chefs
Mini Mayonnaise and Chocolate Bundt Cakes by I Love Bundt Cakes
Olive Oil Rosemary Bundt Cake by Tartacadabra
Orange Bourbon Rosemary Bundt Cake by The Spiced Life
Peanut Butter Sour Cream Bundt Cake by Basic N Delicious
Six Flavor Bundt by Making Miracles
Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Bundt by Jane's Adventures in Dinner

36 comments:

  1. Interesting cake! One to make during the holidays when rum cakes are popular and yet this one would stand out with the pepper.

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  2. Rum IS GOOD. And Bajan Mount Gay is one of my favorite rums from the land of my honeymoon, almost 30 years ago. I've been buying it ever since. Love the combo of rum and black pepper for a little added spice, June! This was a great theme and I'm so impressed by how everyone has met the challenge.

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    1. That's awesome! I hope to visit Barbados someday myself, it sounds like a lovely place. Glad you liked the theme :D

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  3. I think that I've now found my husband's new favourite cake.

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  4. This is a REAL Jack Sparrow cake :-) Love the addition of the black pepper, must give the cake quite a kick. Thanks for hosting this month, June, loved the theme, and loved being extra creative ;-) Also very impressed with the large list of bundts for this month! See you again next month!

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    1. Happy to hear you liked the theme! I've been absolutely chuffed by the turnout too :)

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  5. Rum in cakes it´s a great success. Thank you to be the host this month.

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  6. This cake sounds delicious! I love a good boozey bundt, and I always put some freshly ground pepper into my spice cookies and gingerbread at the holidays. I may just have to give this one a try. Well done! And thanks again for choosing such a great theme!

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    1. I can imagine pepper working really well in gingerbread! I'll have to try that tip next time.

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  7. That's quite a boozy cake I must say :)pepper and rum sounds quite delicious! and thanks for this month's theme.

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    1. Oh yeah, this was probably the booziest cake I've ever made. Over a cup of the stuff in total!

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  8. LOL oh June xD ...I love all those Captain Jack gifs...this cake though sounds AMAZING!! Thank you for hosting this month...it was a pleasure taking part :D

    Toodles,
    Tammy<3

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    1. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good relevant gif :P

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  9. Recipe to die for! I love it! It looks great and there's rum in it....... PERFECTION!

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    1. It certainly tasted like perfection! Thanks Marcela :)

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  10. Now that is some GOOD rum and a healthy serving to that! I love the addition of black pepper - unexpected and intriguing.

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    1. Thanks Jacquee! I wouldn't have thought of using black pepper in cake myself, but it works!

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  11. Suffering from a hangover today, alcohol is definitely better when added to food rather than had in excess! This bundt cake looks and sounds fantastic June! x

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  12. Rum tastes soo good in cakes, I don't like it on its own but in cakes yes! I can see how the heat of black pepper would work nicely with this cake, sounds wonderful!

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    1. I agree! The rum really does add a nice flavor :)

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  13. That is one tasty looking rum cake. I love the addition of black pepper to it. Thanks so much for hosting this month and choosing such a fun theme.

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  14. Mmmmm I do love a boozy cake and this one looks fantastic. What a great combination of rum and black pepper, something you would not have thought to put together initially, but it totally works.

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  15. I adapted this cake for my red wine version. I can't wait to try the rum version. I'm no rum connoisseur but I hear Bajan rum is great. I'm partial to Jamaixan rums.

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    1. Your red wine version sounded delicious too! Maybe I ought to try that as well... :)

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  16. Ah I love capt. Jack sparrow!! I have never tried booze in cake, this must have a real kick !!

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    1. You must try it!! A bit of booze makes almost every cake better :)

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  17. I am SO intrigued by the pepper!! I don't think I've ever had pepper in anything sweet (well not black pepper, chilli pepper maybe) so I really want to try this out. Thanks for hosting this month and coming up with a theme that pushed me out of my comfort zone! :)

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  18. You had me at triple rum...yummy...happy feasting!

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