| | | |  My love for rum cakes runs deep. If yours does too, this is the cake for you. It's hard to tell from the photo, but this beauty is basically a toasted coconut macaroon in cake form - doused in rum. It has a strip of freeze-dried raspberries baked in, but if you prefer pineapple, that swap is also really great. Sometimes I skip the fruit altogether & let the rum really take center stage. A dusting of powdered sugar before serving makes it pretty.  The recipe is below, but if you have questions about substitutions, swaps, alternate pan sizes, or all the different ways to riff on this cake, please refer to my site. I go into a lot more detail there, and there's a printable version of the recipe on that page as well. | | |  The cake bakes right to the edge of a 6-cup pan which can make some bakers a bit nervous. If that's you, bump up to a 7-cup bundt pan. I've also had success using a 1-lb loaf pan (8.5-inch x 4-1/2-inch) for this cake, but you will need to bake the cake significantly longer for the middle to set. INGREDIENTS Rum Syrup: - 1/3 cup / 65g sugar
- 2/3 cup / 160ml rum
The Cake: - 9 tablespoons / 135g unsalted butter, room temp, plus more for the pan
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups / 140g finely grated unsweetened coconut
- 1 1/2 cups / 300g sugar
- 1 1/2 cups / 190g unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon / 4g baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon / 3g fine grain sea salt
- 3/4 cup / 180 ml buttermilk
- 1- ounce / 28g freeze-dried raspberries, crushed a bit
- Powered sugar, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS Make the Rum Syrup: - Combine the 1/3 cup sugar with 1/3 cup water in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in the rum and allow to cool to room temperature while you work on the rest of the cake.
Make the Rum Cake: - If you haven't already done so, allow your butter and eggs to come up to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 350F with a rack in the center.
- Prepare the pan. Butter and flour (or coconut flake) a 6-cup bundt pan (see the head notes for alternate pan size ideas). Set prepared pan aside.
- Combine the coconut and a big spoonful of the sugar in a food processor (or blender). Pulse until the coconut breaks down into tiny dry flecks. Stop short of the coconut breaking down into any sort of paste. You're after a coarse coconut meal texture. Whisk this coconut mixture in a medium bowl along with the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Make the batter. Using a mixer (or by hand), beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and continue to mix until uniform. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times along the way. Gradually add the buttermilk, mixing until it is just incorporated. Fold in the flour mixture, mixing just until the batter is uniform. Transfer 2/3 of the batter immediately to the pan, sprinkle with the raspberries, and then use a fork to press the berries into the batter a bit, you want to make sure they are pushed into the batter, so you don't end up with any dry pockets. Cover the berries with the remaining cake batter, and rap on the counter a few times to knock out any air bubbles.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a cake tester to the center comes out clean. If you're baking in a loaf pan, this can take quite a bit more time. When done baking, remove from the oven, wait five minutes, and turn out onto a cake rack arranged over a rimmed baking sheet. Brush, with the cake right side up, all over with the rum syrup. I usually do this in two batches, letting the cake absorb the first half of the syrup first. Wait ten minutes, then apply the rest of the syrup.
- Serve dusted generously with powdered sugar.This cake stores beautifully, wrapped and refrigerated, for days. Bring back to room temperature to serve, redusting with more powdered sugar if needed.
Serves 12 | | |  Served on one of my favorite Block Shop pieces in a stunner of a POMELO CASA bowl (one I picked up at Nickey Kehoe) this version of potato salad is always a hit. I've made it a few times lately, so I decided to write it up. Just know -- if you're looking for a simple potato salad - this isn't it. This version is vibrating with flavor and color and texture. The details: tender potatoes are loaded with chiles, chopped herbs, garlic & whatever bright, fresh vegetables you have on hand. Right now, for me, that means asparagus from the market, fava beans from the garden, and peas from the freezer. I haven't managed to get peas to flourish in our garden plot, but that's a story for another day. As far as headnotes go, here's what you need to know. I love the fragrance and texture of the fried curry leaves here, and you can find them at most Indian grocery stores. I always buy extra, and freeze a bunch. After freezing, they're not quite as fragrant as fresh, but they do the job and it's nice to have them on hand. An alternative to the curry leaves is a big handful of chopped fresh basil. A different preparation altogether, but fragrant, summery, and wonderful as well. This is a spring version, but a summer version would be grilled corn, roasted tomatoes, and green beans in place of the asparagus, favas, and peas. INGREDIENTS - 5-6 medium new potatoes (the waxy kind) - 2 lbs.
- 5 cloves medium garlic, chopped
- 1- inch cube of ginger, peeled & chopped
- 3/4 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 25 fresh curry leaves
- 1 tablespoons black mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 medium serrano chile, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chile powder (cayenne, guitar sannam)
- 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 2/3 cup chopped herbs (chives, cilantro, basil)
- 2-3 cups of blanched seasonal vegetables - for example: asparagus segments, fava beans, peas
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS - Cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch chunks. Boil in salted water until tender throughout, 7-10 minutes. Drain, toss a bit, and set aside.
- Sprinkle the garlic and ginger with the salt, and chop and smash to a paste.
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the curry leaves, toss to coat with oil, and fry until it is fragrant and just starting to crisp - 20 seconds or so. Add the mustard seeds and when the seeds begin to pop a bit, stir in the cumin seeds. It should start to toast pretty quickly, and at that point, stir in the garlic-ginger paste along with the serrano chiles. Sauté for another minute or so, remove from heat, and immediately stir in the chile powder and turmeric.
- Transfer the cooked potatoes to a large bowl, add the chickpeas and chopped herbs and toss gently. Pour the spiced oil over the potatoes along with half of the vegetables and toss well. Taste and add more salt, if needed, along with a couple big squeezes of lemon juice. Toss again, and top with the remaining vegetables and sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temp (definitely not cold).
Serves 6-8
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