Best Italian Rum Cake Recipes

ITALIAN RUM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position rack in center of oven
• Grease inside of cake pans with butter and flour/cakespray and for added measure, line bottom of pans with parchment paper
• Combine flour with salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• In a standing mixer, whip the egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy (not stiff) and then add the cream of tartar and continue mixing until the whites become opaque
• Add 1/2 cup sugar slowly to the side of the bowl and increase the speed of the mixer until soft but not stiff peaks form. Scrape the contents to another bowl and set aside
• Using the same bowl, which is now empty, add the egg yolks and whip at high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until lightened in color and the mixture "ribbons" when the beaters are raised
• Slowly add the remaining sugar (ie, 1/2 cup), cold water, and vanilla into the egg yolks and mix until combined on low speed
• Sift the flour onto the egg yolks in two additions, and stir gently with large spatula to combine.
• Gently but thoroughly fold in the whipped egg whites
• Transfer mixture to prepared pans and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes until cooked through; using 3 pans, I only needed 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven, cool, and then run knife carefully around rim to loosen and invert to wire rack. After fully cooled, wrap and refrigerate or freeze.
• Note that the heavy cream gets whipped separately and is added to the finished pastry cream AFTER it has been cooked and cooled. I do this just before I'm getting ready to assemble the cake.
• In a small bowl, add egg yolks and cornstarch. Whisk to blend and set aside
• In a medium saucepan, add milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla OR chocolate (depending on if you are making the chocolate or the vanilla cream [you will repeat all of these steps to make the other flavor)Heat until small bubbles form (scalded) and remove from heat.
• Temper eggs by adding small amounts (about 1/2 cup/4 ounces) of the hot milk mixture, a little at a time, while whisking very QUICKLY to prevent the eggs from curdling.
• After all of the milk mixture has been added into the eggs/cornstarch, return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat and stir constantly until thickened. The mixture thickens quickly (depending on how hight heat is)!! Stir fast and furious with whisk!Continue to heat and stir until it has stopped thickening.
• Cool the pastry cream and refrigerate until ready to use (this is when you do the last step below, adding the whipped cream). TIP: when folding in the whipped cream during next step, rewhip the pastry cream if it has been refrigerated to reduce the chance of lumpiness.
• When ready to assemble the cake, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form (overbeating will cause it to turn to butter) and then fold together with cooled pastry cream (rewhip the pastry cream first if it has been refrigerated and/or it has firmed up a lot).
• Repeat all these steps for other flavor (chocolate or vanilla).
• Add gelatin and water to a small saucepan and heat gently just until the gelatin dissolves. Do not let the mixture set. If the gelatin cools too much you will have lumps or threads of gelatin in your whipped cream.
• Whip the cream and sugar using a standing mixer until the mixture is slightly thickened.
• Add the gelatin mixture slowly and then increase speed to high and continue whipping until the frosting is firm.
• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and then cool or store in refrigerator.
• Using a teaspoon or small squeeze bottle, distribute the rum syrup evenly over each of the three cake layers.
• Place one cake layer on the bottom of an 8- or 10-inch cake board or cake dish (you may spread some frosting between the dish and bottom layer to prevent the cake from shifting)
• Spread all of the vanilla pastry cream on top on the bottom layer and then top with another layer of sponge cake. Spread all of the chocolate pastry cream on top of middle layer and then top with final layer of sponge cake
• Frost cake, and add generous amount of crushed peanuts or sliced almonds to the sides of the cake. (if you have refrigerated the frosting (made ahead) you may have to rewhip it.
• Decorate the top if desired and refrigerate until serving.

ITALIAN RUM CAKE

Steps:

• For the pastry cream: Pour the milk into a medium saucepan set over low heat. Whisk in 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch, and pinch of salt, and bring the milk to a simmer, just to dissolve the sugar.
• Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. While whisking, slowly pour the hot milk into the eggs to temper them, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Return the saucepan to medium-low heat, and cook, stirring and whisking, until the mixture just simmers and thickens. Immediately remove from the heat and scrape into a bowl to cool. Mix in the chocolate and orange peel. Refrigerate until chilled and thickened, at least 1 hour.
• For the sugar syrup: Bring 3 cups water and 1 cup of the sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Boil until reduced by about a quarter. Remove from heat, stir in the rum, and let cool completely.
• When you are ready to assemble the zuppa, whip the cream and remaining 1/4 cup sugar to form soft peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream, along with the cinnamon, into the chilled pastry cream.
• Make a flat layer with half of the savoiardi in a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex or ceramic dish. Brush with half of the sugar syrup to moisten, then spread half of the pastry cream on top. Top with another layer of savoiardi, and brush on the remaining syrup. Spread the rest of the pastry cream over top in an even layer, then spread with the whipped cream. If you have any savoiardi left, crumble them over the top. Chill several hours, or overnight, to let the flavors blend before serving.