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1
Heat the Oven and Prepare the Pan
10 Mins • Prep
Oven 175°C (350°F)
Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Brush a 12-cup bundt pan generously with melted butter or baking spray, getting into every ridge, then scatter the 60 g of chopped pecans evenly over the bottom and sides of the pan — they will bake into the top of the finished cake. Set the pan aside while you mix the batter.
A light dusting of flour over the greased pan, tapped out, helps the cake release cleanly.
Done when: Pan fully greased, pecans sitting in an even layer, oven at 175°C (350°F).
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2
Cream the Butter, Sugar and Eggs
10 Mins • Beating
Room temperature, about 21°C (70°F)
Beat the 225 g of softened butter and 300 g of sugar together for about 5 minutes until pale, fluffy and almost white. Beat in the 4 eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one, then stir in the 10 ml of vanilla extract. The batter should look smooth and creamy, with no streaks of butter left.
Butter and eggs must both be at room temperature — cold eggs straight from the fridge will curdle the creamed butter.
Done when: A pale, fluffy butter-sugar cream with the eggs fully beaten in and no curdled look.
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3
Fold in the Flour, Milk and Rum
5 Mins • Folding
Room temperature, about 21°C (70°F)
Sift the 300 g of flour with the 10 g of baking powder and 3 g of salt. Add the flour to the creamed butter in three parts, alternating with the 120 ml of milk and the 60 ml of dark rum, folding gently with a spatula until you no longer see dry flour. Do not beat the batter once the flour is in. Scrape the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top.
Fold, do not beat, once the flour goes in — beating develops gluten and makes a tough, rubbery cake instead of a tender one.
Done when: A smooth, pale-gold batter, evenly mixed, filling the pan about three-quarters full.
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4
Bake Until Golden
55 Mins • Baking
Oven 175°C (350°F)
Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 50–55 minutes, until the top is deep golden and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. The cake should have pulled very slightly away from the sides of the pan, and the centre should reach about 95°C (200°F). Do not open the oven for the first 30 minutes, or the cake may sink.
If the top is browning too fast after 40 minutes, lay a loose sheet of foil over it and finish the bake.
Done when: Skewer comes out clean; top is deep golden; cake has pulled slightly away from the pan.
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5
Make the Butter-Rum Syrup
10 Mins • Syrup
Medium-high heat, about 175°C (350°F) at a boil
While the cake bakes, put the 115 g of butter, 150 g of sugar and 60 ml of water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring, and boil for 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup looks slightly thickened. Take the pan off the heat and carefully stir in the 120 ml of dark rum and the 5 ml of vanilla — it will bubble up, so stand back. The syrup is used hot, so make it while the cake is in its last 10 minutes.
Always add the rum off the heat: rum stirred into boiling syrup loses its flavour, and the hot syrup can flare.
Done when: A clear, golden syrup that coats a spoon, smelling strongly of butter and rum.
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6
Soak the Cake and Rest
10 Mins active + 30 Mins resting
Hot from the oven, about 175°C (350°F)
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, leave it in the pan and prick the top all over with a skewer. Slowly pour about half of the hot butter-rum syrup over the cake, letting it sink in for 5–10 minutes, then pour over the rest. Leave the cake in the pan for 30 minutes so it drinks up the syrup, then turn it out onto a plate, pecan side up. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes more before slicing — a warm cake cuts cleanly and tastes at its best.
Pour the syrup slowly, in two rounds: a cake flooded all at once lets the syrup run down the sides instead of soaking into the crumb.
Done when: Cake turned out cleanly, pecan top intact, surface glossy with syrup, holding its shape when sliced.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Slice the cooled cake with a long, sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts so each slice stays clean. Serve at room temperature, plain or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream — the cake is at its moistest on the second day, once the syrup has settled right through the crumb.
Bahamas
45m
