We are back with our second episode of Kitchen Commanders. We introduce you to Kitchen Commander: Shruti who has worked as a pastry chef in the kitchens of The Ritz Carlton in Miami. She has studied at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York, and strongly believes that chocolate can make everything better.
We promise that this episode will satiate all your sweet cravings.
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“My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight.
Only where love and need are one,
And the work is play for mortal stakes,
Is the deed ever really done.”
-Robert Frost
Baking is my happy place, something I do to throw off the pressures of the day and relax. To my family’s surprise (and joy) I was naturally interested in cooking, especially pastry. Coming from a house of foodies I had an enthusiastic audience and hence plenty of opportunities to experiment. Soon, the confines of an office and the strait jacket of ledgers of the accountant’s world were drowned in the aroma of chocolate, and the need to create made me put away my pen to pick up a whisk and become a pastry chef.
This recipe is for Pooja, my biggest supporter and partner in crime. She knew pastry was my calling before I did and all but shoved me in that direction when I was digging my feet in. I love this blog, it makes it super easy to pick a good restaurant from the plethora of choices available without doing any research – they’ve done it for me! And after that yummy meal, come home and make this dessert!
Rum Cake
This cake is a decadent, boozy adventure. Don’t be intimidated by the length of the recipe, the components are easy to make and the cake is quite forgiving. Garnish with berries, chocolate, and whipped cream.
Step 1: Vanilla Pudding
This is a necessary component of the cake, and the leftovers can be eaten with some berries or chocolate wafers!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Cornstarch
2 cups Milk
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3 Egg Yolks
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Method:
1. Cook together sugar, cornstarch, milk and salt in a double boiler.
2. When mixture begins to thicken, add part of mixture to egg yolks; mix well, then pour egg mixture back into mixture in double boiler.
3. Cook until thick; take off stove, then add butter and vanilla. Strain into a bowl and cool in refrigerator.
Step 2: The Cake
Ingredients:
2 Eggs
80gms Oil
60gms Rum (Use your favorite rum)
2gms Vanilla Extract
50gms Vanilla Pudding (from Step 1)
60gms Milk
225gms Cake Flour (Maida will do)
170gms Sugar
10gms Baking Powder
1gms Salt
60gms Melted Butter
Method:
1. Mix with an electric mixer or hand beater; the eggs, oil, rum and vanilla extract
2. Once thoroughly mixed, add the cooled vanilla pudding and milk.
3. Mix well and then add the dry ingredients and mix till incorporated.
4. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated add melted butter slowly till mixed in well.
5. Heavily grease a bundt cake pan with pan spray or butter. Ensure it’s heavily greased so cake doesn’t stick. If you don’t have a bundt pan, use a regular sized cake pan – 8”or 10”. Leftover batter can be used to bake cupcakes or another cake. The more the better!
6. Pour in cake mixture and bake at 160*C for roughly 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
7. Let it cool for 10 minutes before you turn it out into a pan.
Step 3: Rum Soaking Liquid
Make this while the cake is cooling.
Ingredients:
200gms Melted Butter
200gms Water
400gms Sugar
150gms Rum
Method:
Boil all ingredients together.
Step 4: Serve
Pour on the hot Rum Soaking Liquid (from Step 3) on to the cake and let the cake sit in the liquid till it is ready to serve.
Pictures sourced from: http://cookdiary.net/ (The Cake)
What's For Lunch? 