I love boozy cakes because they are so moist and have such a long shelf-life. Unlike a traditional rum cake, you can barely taste the booze in this double chocolate rum cake.
The Reason for the Rum
The rum’s purpose is to keep it moist rather than to make it taste like rum. (Try the Peach Pecan Rum Cake if you want to taste the rum.) If you think about commercial rum cakes, they also have a long shelf life for transportation and sitting on the grocery store shelf. Why? It’s the booze, baby. The rum acts as a natural preservative, keeping mold and bugs at bay.
Betty Crocker Would Approve
This double chocolate rum cake satisfies the chocolate tooth of the most die-hard chocoholics. Think about a dense chocolate cake full of chocolate chips, and then covered in a hot chocolate rum ganache. Yes, it is full of chocolate, and I’m not apologizing. This liquor cake is made even easier because it’s a great cake to make for beginners. You open a few boxes, make a ganache, and you’re done. If Betty Crocker–the mother of baking–had been inclined to make boozy cakes in her poodle skirt and pearls, this recipe would have shown up to every potluck in America.
A bit of trivia before I dive into the recipe. Have you ever wondered … who is Betty Crocker? Our venerable lady of baking was not a real person. She was created in the marketing lab by the Washburn Crosby Company, the precursor to General Mills, as a way to feminize the brand. The name Betty was chosen because it was a friendly name, and Crocker was a nod to retired company director William Crocker. Betty Crocker started out as a matronly figure who would give cooking advice, and then like Benjamin Buttons, she gained a more youthful appearance over the years, while keeping her suburban traditional values of course. Although Betty Crocker is a fictional icon, she helped build a $1.5 billion brand that many of us associate with happy childhood memories.
Wine Pairing with Double Chocolate Rum Cake
When thinking about a wine pairing for this intense chocolate dessert, look no further than port. The dark chocolate of the rum cake is fantastic with an LBV port. A vintage port is too special, bu you could also pair this with a ruby port, depending on your budget.
Double Chocolate Rum Cake
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1 box Devil's food cake mix
- 1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding small size
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ¾ cup rum
- 2 tbsp. espresso powder
- 16 oz sour cream
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
RUM GANACHE
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. rum
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray non-stick cooking spray into two 9″ cake pans or use liners for 12 over-sized cupcakes.
- Mix the espresso powder into the rum until dissolved. Combine all ingredients together except chocolate chips. Mix thoroughly and then add chocolate chips.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared containers. Bake for 25-30 minutes for 9” rounds or 20-25 minutes for over-sized cupcakes. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean. Keep an eye on it and don't overbake it. Cool 10 minutes and then transfer to separate cake plates. Let cool completely and then put in the refrigerator overnight.
- About 15 minutes prior to serving, make the ganache. Heat cream in a sauce pan over medium heat until bubbling at the edges but not boiling. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Add salt and rum and whisk again. Let cool until thick but still pourable.
- Top cake with ganache. Garnish with berries or mint leaves.
- Keep leftovers in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Will stay good for up to 2 weeks.
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