Rum and Date Cake

Christmas and the holidays are synonymous with cakes and baked goodies, especially those laden with fruits and nuts. This recipe for a Rum and Date cake is adapted from one that my mother in law shared. She used to bake a wet date cake for the family when my husband was a child. After tasting some of my bakes, he requested this one and that’s how I received the recipe, eventually tweaking it to its current form. 

Fruit cakes – what’s not to love? 

As much as I love this particular cake, fruit cakes do not have an altogether flattering reputation in the US and for that matter even in India. In both countries the most common fruit cakes are store bought, dry and disappointing; vanilla with tutti frutti in India, or packed with a variety of nuts and overly sweet in the US. The only decent cakes I remember eating around the holidays were either brought over by friends or my mother’s colleagues from specific bakeries. 

A brief history of fruit cakes on the Smithsonian Magazine pins the origin of this festive dessert to a fruity mix created in Roman times that eventually evolved to be more like a bread in the middle ages. It might have been a delicacy then, but industrial production in the twentieth century changed that. It’s time to reclaim fruit cakes and make them delicious once again.

Frankly, what’s not to love in a cake with fruit as long as it’s not dry? Each time I bake a cake with fruit, often times an upside down cake, it is for either of these two reasons – there is too much surplus fruit or the occasion demands something decadent like this rum and date cake. 

Rum cakes – learning from the Caribbean 

As I mentioned earlier, my mother-in-law’s recipe was originally for a wet cake. The tradition of making boozy wet cakes, like a rum cake, began in the Caribbean, inspired by Christmas puddings traditionally served in the UK. A friend brought back one from Bermuda from the famous Bermuda Rum Cake Company. That cake was about 4 inches across and oozing with a rich caramel flavour.

The secret to this depth of flavour in Caribbean rum cakes is two fold as Alica of Alica’s Pepper Pot points out in her lovingly detailed recipe for a Black Cake. The two secrets are – Rum, lots of it and, burnt sugar. Wet cakes baked in Caribbean nations are preserved by soaking them in brandy over a long period of time. A cake baked sometime in November would be truly full of booze by Christmas and really wet. Alica mentions that the black cake has a soft, pudding like center. 

The middle path – a Rum and Date Cake with crumb 

While I am yet to bake a black cake myself, I have found a middle path. My version of a Rum and Date cake has the rum but also produces a crumb for those who don’t want to stick their forks and teeth into a pudding. Read on for a cake that delivers in the flavour department while maintaining its cake-y integrity. 

Total Preparation time:

5-6 hours or overnight for soaking dates and ~ 1 hour for baking.  

Yields: One 9″ round cake. 

Ingredients 

• 1 cup sugar, 
• 2 eggs, 
• 1 cup flour, 
• 4 tbsp oil (olive oil or any other, could also use unsalted butter), 
• Ginger 1 tsp (optional), 
• 1 tsp baking powder, 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda, 
• 1 cup milk, (1% fat or higher, see note)
• 1 cup nuts (optional), 
• 1 cup dates soaked in rum and milk,
• ~ 1/2 cup Rum for soaking. (Any of your choice, see note)

Process: 

Watch the prep on the video below and follow the recipe along.

Step One – soaking the dates 

The first step of the process is to de-seed and chop the dates. To remove the seed, slice dates lengthwise. Then open and pluck the seed with your fingers. Once all dates have been de-seeded, chop them up. You could go very fine or keep them chunky as per your preference. 

Transfer to a bowl. To this add 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup rum. Mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight. If you are in a hurry, let it sit for at least an hour before baking. Though I highly recommend giving it 5-6 hours. 

A word of caution – alcohol such as rum can curdle milk. As the pH changes and becomes more acidic milk proteins coagulate to form curds, similar to the process of making cheese like paneer. One way to reduce the amount of curdling, according to the Art of the Drink, is to use high fat milk. I used 1% milk with Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum and saw only slight curdling (see in the images below). 

The next day or a few hours later, mix the soaking dates once again. As  mentioned above, milk might curdle but that shouldn’t deter you. My mix was creamy with just a hint of curdling. 

To Bake: 

The first rule of baking – make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Take out the eggs, milk, butter (if using) ahead of time. Then set your mise en place and preheat the oven.

The baking temperature I usually use by default is 375 F. When baking this cake, which is wetter than usual, I go low to 350 F. While researching how temperature impacts the baking process, I found a useful comparison on the Cake Blog. Baking a wet cake at a lower temperature allows the cake to cook evenly without drying up. I also noticed that slower baking didn’t raise the batter too quickly and the crust did not burst. 

For this recipe – I baked at 350 F for ~ 35 minutes and then at 375 F for 10 minutes to brown the crust. 

Once you’ve got your ingredients ready and the oven heating up – start preparing the batter. Begin by mixing flour, baking powder, and baking soda in one bowl.

In another bowl measure sugar and then add oil. Whisk these well to cream the sugar.

Then add eggs to the creamed sugar, one at a time, whisking each before adding the next. Do not over whisk. That will introduce too much air and make the mixture more granular than needed. After the eggs are done, it’s time to mix in the flour and dates. Alternate, adding one part flour followed by one part dates until all is mixed in. Add some extra milk if the batter gets a dense. I used about 1/2 a cup of milk. Again do not over beat. An over mixed batter will collapse and produce a flat and dense cake. 

Prepare a cake tin. I layered the bottom with a piece of wax paper, (parchment paper would be better) and added just a bit of oil to the sides. Pour in the batter and transfer to the middle rack in a preheated oven. 

After 30 minutes in the oven at 350 F the cake should’ve risen evenly. To brown the crust a little more, turn the temperature up to 375 F and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Check by inserting a toothpick or cake tester. If it comes out clean in the center and close to the sides, the cake it ready. Another indication is the cake leaving the sides of the pan. You should not have to use a knife to separate it. 

Let the cake rest at room temperature before removing it from the tin and slicing it. 

Add to the festive flair by flaming the cake with hot brandy or rum. I have very vivid memories of my mother doing that in the winters with a variety of desserts. She would take a long ladle, a karchhi, add liquor to it and heat it over a flame. Then pour it over the cake to our delight. It was a splendid sight!   

Hope you will enjoy this Rum and Dake Cake! 

Fruit cakes do not have to be bland, boring and dry like cardboard or entirely wet like christmas pudding. They can be moist and full of flavour with good texture. I assure you, this will become a go to cake for festive occasions. 

Rum and Date Cake

2018-12-12 12:54:19

Yields 1

A delicious cake with rum soaked dates that is easy to bake and full of flavour with good texture. This is not just another fruit cake that goes around every holiday season. Try this recipe for Rum and Date cake today!

Prep Time

5 hr

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

5 hr 45 min

Prep Time

5 hr

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

5 hr 45 min

Ingredients

1. 1 cup sugar,
2. 2 eggs,
3. 1 cup flour,
4. 4 tbsp oil,
5. Ginger 1 tsp (optional),
6. 1 tsp baking powder,
7. 1/2 tsp baking soda,
8. 1 cup milk, (1% fat or higher, see note)
9. 1 cup nuts (optional),
10. 1 cup dates soaked in rum and milk,
11. ~ 1/2 cup Rum for soaking. (Any of your choice, see note)

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Soaking Dates

1. The first step of the process is to de-seed and chop the dates.
2. Once all dates have been de-seeded, chop them up.
3. Transfer to a bowl.
4. To this add 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup rum.
5. Mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight.

To Bake

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Begin by mixing flour, baking powder, and baking soda in one bowl.
3. In another bowl measure sugar and then add oil.
4. Whisk these well to cream the sugar.
5. Then add the eggs, one at a time, whisking each before adding the next.
6. After the eggs are done, it’s time to beat in the flour and dates.
7. Alternate, one part flour followed by one part dates until all is mixed in.
8. Add some extra milk if the batter gets a dense, I used about 1/2 a cup of milk.

Prepare a cake tin

1. I layered the bottom with a piece of wax paper, parchment would be better and added just a bit of oil to the sides.
2. Pour in the batter and transfer to the middle rack in a preheated oven.
3. After 30 minutes in the oven at 350 F the cake should’ve risen evenly.
4. To brown the crust a little more, turn the temperature up to 375 F and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Check by inserting a toothpick or cake tester. If it comes out clean in the center and close to the sides, the cake is ready.
6. Cool to room temperature before slicing.

Notes

1. Soaking date: If you are in a hurry, let it sit for at least an hour before baking, though I highly recommend giving it 5-6 hours.

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By Kanika Samra

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