Italian Rum Cake

 

Italian Rum Cake is one of the specialty of Italy. In Italy, people think that making this cake is an art and cake taste as great as it looks. This cake is made with two filling one is Bavarian cream and another is chocolate pastry cream and then topped with whipped cream rosettes with bright cherries and sliced almonds around the sides of the cake for an attractive presentation. This is one inviting cake best serve on birthday and also for various celebration.

INGREDIENTS

Italian Sponge Cake

• All purpose flour, sifted -1 &1/4 cups
• Egg yolks - 5
• Egg whites -5
• Sugar -1&1/2 cups
• Vanilla essence -1 tsp
• Fresh lemon rind, grated - 1/2 tsp (optional) 

Bavarian  Vanilla Cream 

• Cream cheese, softened – 8oz
• Instant dry  vanilla pudding – 3 oz packet
• Milk – 1 cup
• Whipped cream, thawed – 8oz

Chocolate Pastry Cream

• Sugar, granulated – 3 tbsp
• Egg yolks - 3
• All-purpose flour – 3 tbsp
• Vanilla essence – ½ tsp
• Milk – 2 cups
• Baking chocolate, grated – 2 oz
• Butter – 1 tbsp

 Rum Syrup

• Light or dark rum – ¼ cup or Rum flavoring – 1 tbsp
• Water – 1/3 cup
• Sugar, granulated – ½ cup

 Whipped Cream-Corn Syrup Frosting

• Heavy cream – 2 cups
• Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
• Light corn syrup  - 2 tsp

  For Decoration

• Sliced almonds, for decorating sides of cake
• Whipped cream, for piping rosettes around top of cake

PREPARATION

 Italian Sponge Cake

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Apply butter and sprinkle little all purpose  flour in the 9-inch cake pans. Set aside.
•  Combine egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until you get  lemony color.
• Then add all purpose flour, a little at a time and whisk it well. Add vanilla essence  and lemon rind (if using it).
•  Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into prepared cake mixture.
•  Pour cake batter into prepared cake  pans and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cakes from oven and turn out of pans onto wire racks to cool completely.

 Bavarian  Vanilla Cream

•  Combine cream cheese and dry vanilla pudding mix into wide bowl and mix it on medium speed, using electric mixer.
• Add the milk and continue beating until you do not see any lumps in the mixture.
• Then  add whipped cream and mix on low speed and chill a couple of hours before using.  Pipe a perimeter of icing around edge of cake layers before adding filling to keep it from oozing out the sides.  Store in refrigerator in airtight container.

For the Chocolate Pastry Cream

• Combine sugar, egg yolks flour, and vanilla into one pot and place it on low flame. Mix together well. 
• In a separate pot, boil the milk. Very slowly pour milk over egg yolk mixture, in a thin stream, beating constantly with rotary beater.
• Continue cooking on low flame, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture reaches the boiling point.
• Add grated chocolate and stir well. Cook for another 1 minute.
• Remove pot from heat, add butter and mix well.
• Take out the mixture into another bowl and allow it to cool.
• Stir occasionally to prevent skin from forming over the top.  Then chill the mixture for atleast 3 to 4 hours before using as a filling

  For the Rum Syrup

• Combine water, sugar, and rum (liquor or flavouring) in a small pot. Bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool before using.

 Whipped Cream-Corn Syrup Frosting

•  In a large chilled bowl, with chilled beaters, beat cold cream until it just starts to thicken. Add corn syrup and vanilla essence from the side of the bowl, and beat until stiff peaks form.

To Assemble Cake

• Slice sponge cakes into three thin layers.
•  Place one sponge layer on platter cut side up, sprinkle  about 1 tbsp of the rum (be careful not to get the cake too wet, or layers will become soggy).
• Allow sprinkled rum to soak into the cake for about 5 minutes.
•  Sprinkle remaining sponge layers (on the cut side) evenly with remaining rum.
•  Spread a layer of vanilla pastry cream on the first sponge layer.
•  Top the vanilla cream layer with second  layer of rum sprinkled sponge cake.
• Spread a layer of chocolate pastry cream on the second sponge layer.
•  Top the chocolate layer with the last layer of sponge cake.
•  Frost the top sponge cake layer and sides of cake with remaining whipped cream corn syrup frosting, and then decorate top of cake by piping rosettes using whipped cream and cover sides of cake with sliced almonds, or decorate as desired.
•  Place cake in refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving.