I love a good apple cake, but I decided to up the ante with some Jamaican Rum. I love Myers’s Rum for this recipe- it is a dark rum rich with undertones of caramel and toffee. This cake is moist, not too sweet and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. I served it at brunch a few days ago and it was a hit. It comes together really quickly. Use a tart pan to make the edges fluted and pretty!
The best apples to use are a little tart, and firm enough to retain their shape while cooking. Varieties such as Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp and Envy are good choices. Use good quality ingredients, especially good butter, vanilla and free range eggs if you can find them.
RUM APPLE CAKE
- 1/2 cup butter, unsalted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 2 eggs, large
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- salt, a pinch
- 2 tablespoons dark Jamaican rum
- 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1.5 tablespoons demerara sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Butter and flour an 8 inch tart pan or cake pan
- Mix flour, baking power and salt in a medium bowl and set aside
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy and light using a stand or hand mixer for 3 minutes
- Beat in eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, stir in vanilla
- Add flour mixture to butter mixture mix thoroughly, stir in rum
- Using an angled spatula, smooth the cake batter and arrange the apple slices in a concentric pattern
- Sprinkle with demerara sugar and bake for 30-35 mins
- ENJOY!