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Mocha Rum Cake

July 31, 2008 by Joy the Baker 64 Comments

So sneaky!  This cake is nothing but sneaky.   It may not have the looks of a world class chocolate cake, but please don’t underestimate me when I tell you that this is one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever experiences.

If this chocolate cake were your blind date, you might think to yourself, well…. he’s not as tall as guys I usually date, and he’s a little dorky.  But by the end of the night, you’re both laughing hysterically, he’s taken off his glasses to reveal quite a handsome man, and you’re already thinking about the cute pair of flats you’re going to buy so you’re not taller than him.

This is that cake.  It’ll surprise you.  It might seem a little short, and a little dorky, but trust me when I say it’s worth the leap of faith.

With the flavors of chocolate, coffee and rum, this cake tastes like it’s loaded with all the good things in the world.  I topped mine with a simple rum glaze, but if served slightly warm, I think lightly sweetened whipped cream would be divine.

This Mocha Rum Cake is impossibly moist, and dense without being heavy.  Let yourself be surprised by this little gem.

Mocha Rum Cake

adapted from Gourmet, January 1994

Print this Recipe!

cocoa powder for dusting
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup dark rum
1 1/3 cups strong brewed coffee
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

lightly sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter a 4 1/2-inch-deep (12-cup) Kugelhupf or bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder, knocking out excess.

In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove chocolate from heat and stir in rum, coffee, and granulated sugar. With an electric mixer beat in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down side, and beat in eggs and vanilla until batter is combined well.  The batter may seem very loose.  That’s perfect!  Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 50 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan on a rack and turn it out onto rack. Cake may be made 3 days in advance and kept wrapped well and chilled.

Dust cake with confectioners’ sugar and serve with whipped cream.

I made a simple rum glaze with 2 cups powdered sugar and 2-3 Tablespoons of rum.

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Filed Under: Cakes, Chocolate, Holiday, Recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Erika

    September 15, 2013 at 10:35 am

    Does this glaze get absorbed by the cake the day after? I mean, if I have leftovers, will they still have some glaze on them the day after or the day after that? I know it seems a silly question, but i’m looking for a glaze that remains beyond the two hours of a fancy dinner :) thanks!

    Reply
  2. Gwyneth

    August 15, 2013 at 5:03 am

    Hi Joy. Have just made this cake, and tastes delicious but came out really crumbly and fell to pieces! Where did I go wrong?!?? Any tips greatly appreciated!

    Gwyneth

    Reply
  3. Seven

    February 19, 2013 at 1:49 pm

    Made it for an event tonight and everyone was raving about it.
    I used light rum because that’s all I had, brown sugar cause I ran out of white, and two cups of whole wheat flour cause I can pretend it’s “healthy,” and it was still amazing!
    Highly recommend it!!

    Reply
  4. Julia

    March 4, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    The texture was very good, but the rum was completely overwhelming. I’d like to try making it again with a lot less rum.

    Reply
  5. Miss Melis

    May 29, 2011 at 11:59 pm

    This cake was, as all of your recipes I’ve tried, fantastic. Served it with whip cream spiked with more rum and brown sugar. This is one classy dessert!

    Reply
  6. anne

    October 27, 2010 at 9:45 pm

    joy, i made this cake for my birthday party tonight, and it was wonderful! so moist, and everyone just fell in love with it! of course, it made me look like an amazing cook, when it actuality, i’ve learned most of what i know from your blogs. thanks so much for the recipe! – anne (www.annetheadventurer.blogspot.com)

    Reply
  7. CasperLuton

    June 11, 2010 at 9:00 am

    I made this cake last night, and it was delicious! I used Malibu instead of dark rum, because thats what I had. I also baked it for 1hr 30min instead of 1hr 50mins. It turned out perfect. I brought it into work this morning, and it’s almost already gone. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  8. Marina

    December 12, 2009 at 6:37 pm

    Since I’d never baked anything before, much less made a whole cake, I followed the recipe to the letter. Or tried to, at least… unexpected things kept coming up, and then the oven temp kept falling below 300 for some reason. I ended up keeping the cake in there for 2hrs and 10min.

    The end result probably wasn’t as perfect as it could have been for a more experienced cook, but I thought it was tasty in a way that no store-bought cake could ever be. Dare I say, maybe even better than what I’d have gotten from most bakeries. I took it to my office potluck party and got several compliments. Not bad for my first cake, I think.

    I loved the rich chocolate flavor, though I did hope to taste the rum more. Maybe next time I’ll go all-out with two cups of rum and 1/3 cups espresso – anyone tried that?

    Reply
  9. Randi Lynne

    September 20, 2009 at 12:23 am

    This was my requested bday cake, minus the glaze. It was VERY moist and delicious.

    Reply
  10. simone

    June 22, 2009 at 3:13 pm

    i made this cake today, it is divine.but, i wasn’t sure about how to make the glaze.you said 2 cups powdered sugar and 2-3 tbsp rum. should i add water?

    Reply
  11. Jen

    February 20, 2009 at 1:20 pm

    This cake is a huge win! It’s like a top-notch version of a moist, dense, chocolatey brownie. In mine, both the coffee and rum flavors are pretty subtle; next time I’ll break out the dark rum instead of the golden, and stronger coffee. Plus, it’s enormous, and a sliver is plenty for even the heartiest dessert lover. Thank you!

    Reply
  12. Carrie

    January 3, 2009 at 8:32 pm

    My first try at this cake is in the oven as I type this, fingers crossed. I wanted to thank you for the recipe and the laughs :) We all need more friends like you!

    Reply
  13. Zo

    November 3, 2008 at 5:15 pm

    Thanks again for posting this fantastic recipe! :) It really is an amazingly velvety rich cake, even when you make it with Tia Maria!

    Also, if I could vote in the American elections I’d vote for Obama too :)

    Reply
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