Tuesdays with Dorie: Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cakes

June 29, 2010



"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me."

When I finally have a dog, I'm going whistle that tune when I'm calling him in for dinner or play time. My computer is back! And not a moment too soon. It would be a shame to not be able to share these boozy cakes with everyone. I know I have a lot of catching up to do, so many blogs to visit, recipes to try and photos to upload. Not having a computer was odd. It felt as though a close friend of mine was suddenly gone and left me with no means of communication. But, I've become addicted to the World Cup. I'm sad and confused over France's performance but I think the U.S. had a fantastic run! Since my top 2 are gone, I'm cheering for Portugal and Ghana.



When I was little, I wanted to be kidnapped by pirates or gypsies. It's not that I had a bad childhood, I was just hungry for an adventure. My plaid uniform with it's navy blue cardigan, knee socks, and saddle shoes were always so stiff and boring. One time I snuck in a pair of red socks and put them on in the girls bathroom. Of course I was told to remove them immediately, but it didn't keep me from trying to push the limits. As soon as summer vacation arrived, I would tear off that uniform and shove it into the dark recesses of my closet. Up until the age of 5, I hated wearing clothes, especially dresses. All I wanted to do was visit the ocean and swim until I found a ship. During a trip to Disney World, when I finally pulled my mom away from the nauseating It's a Small World Ride at Disney World (she loved that thing for some reason) I pulled/dragged my parents over to The Pirates of the Caribbean. I wanted to jump off the ride and join in the looting and plundering and all the freedom that came with it! I even picked the pirate that I wanted to marry-he looked like a young Mr. Clean. Anyway, I think it's obvious where my crazy plan to find a job in Dutch Harbor sprung from. :-)

These rum-soaked vanilla cakes would please any pirate's sweet tooth.



The recipe calls for these to be made into 2 loaves, but I couldn't wait to try my new mini-bundt pan. Aside from my beloved rum, these tender cakes are bursting with vanilla! It's difficult to see, but there are beautiful flecks of vanilla bean nestled comfortably in every bite. Dorie's instructions call for rubbing the vanilla bean directly into the sugar-as though it were zest from a lemon. I loved the way this technique infuses the intoxicating aroma into the granules...and my fingertips. A warm rum syrup was brushed onto each cake while they were still warm from the oven. Even though I made half the cake recipe, I made the entire batch of rum syrup. Each little bundt transformed into a scrumptious, heavy, rum 'baba'.

Thank you, Wendy. Your Tuesdays with Dorie pick helped me get through a boring, computer-free week. For the recipe, please visit Wendy's stunning blog, Pink Stripes.

28 comments:

  1. Your cakes look gorgeous! Beautiful pictures! I made mine with hazelnut syrup instead of rum and it was delicious!

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  2. Hahah! You sound like you were a cute kid! I hated dresses too. I am so glad your computer is up and running again. Yay for that and for boozy cakes! Love the sound of vanilla and rum. Yum!

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  3. I love the shape of the pan. A real rummy cake sounds delicious. Yours looks perfect. How do you always manage that?

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  4. Those look so delicious! With berries, mmmhhh....

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  5. I agree with you on the way rubbing sugar with various flavorings makes such a wonderful smell. The bundt cakes look good too.

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  6. Your cakes look fantastic! I made mini bundts too and they were wonderful. We went to Disney World last June and I developed a special fondness for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride - it was air conditioned and there was no line! :)

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  7. That cake looks so plump and divine

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  8. a perfect cake for a cool girl-pirate. har! looks beautiful!

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  9. I am jealous of your mini bundt pan! I want one so badly!! Your cakes look absolutely perfect! Gorgeous photos!

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  10. Those look wonderful - so cute! I made one big cake, but I think I'll try this next time.

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  11. Your cakes are absolutely, gloriously perfect! I'm in awe over here! So glad your computer is working again, so I can feast on more of this deliciousness!

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  12. wow, talk about perfectly golden!! i love the mini bundts, wish i had some pans

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  13. Yo Ho Ho - I need to try the dark rum next time (love it) - but went with Grand Marnier (another favorite) and had a spare orange (lots of zest!). These certainly look exquisite!!! I did a bundt-style loaf as well and am looking forward to trying all the other varations! Beautiful!

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  14. Join the circus!! Sail the 7 seas. Didn't we all have some great childhood fantasies.

    Love the little bundt. I bet these were even better in the small size.

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  15. Your cakes look amazing! I love the shape of them. This recipe is a keeper for sure :-)

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  16. Great pictures! These cakes look fantastic!

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  17. I am currently without a computer at home. I know how that feels. Your mini-bundts look perfect! Thanks for baking along with me!

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  18. Your photos of the mini-bundts are gorgeous!

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  19. I love the glowy-ness of your cakes :-)

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  20. These are adorable as bundt cakes! Go Ghana!! :)

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  21. A pirate's life for me too! Yeah!
    I think of pirates when I see a big bottle of rum, Valerie. And I have a huge bottle of aged Rum on my bar counter right now. Ooh, maybe I am a pirate (smile)?!?
    These cakes look wonderful-perfect even. I love that color...
    XO

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  22. Didn't you know? All mothers love It's a Small Small World. It's nice and cool and there is NO LINE. :)

    Loving these cakes, Valerie...rum-drenched is right up my alley. Going on over to pick up the recipe.

    Congrats on getting your computer back. We become so dependent on them, don't we? And cell phones. It's actually a little frightening. How did I ever spend my youth without them?

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  23. Like you I used my mini bundt pan which does not see enough action, but you showed admirable restraint in filling--I way overfilled mine...but all good anyway.

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  24. Great post! And your mini cakes look very, very tempting.

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  25. I love mini-bundts! Your cakes look absolutely gorgeous!

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  26. I'm dying to try this recipe, but when I click on the link at the end of your post, it asks for a Wordpress login. Any way you could email me the recipe?

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  27. Hi Alicia,
    Sorry about that, Wendy must have changed her address. Instead of having to wait for the email, you can find the complete recipe on Annie's Eats blog. Once you're there, just find her 'search' box and type in Rum Drenched Vanilla Cakes.

    This recipe is amazing, I think you'll love it! :D

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Thanks for visiting, and for taking the time to read through my ramblings!
If you have a recipe comment or question, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Baking!
♥ Valerie

 

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