Not everyone enjoys cakes and cookies chocked full of nuts, fruit and spices. Sometimes it is a particular variety of fruit that is not liked but it may also be allergies, dentures or diet restrictions that make Christmas goodies a challenge. Offering a range of textures and flavours helps everyone have something they can nibble on.
This is a plain old fashioned pound cake with a hint of rum and nutmeg, along with a few optional raisins.
As I mentioned in Egg Nog Bread Pudding, the more egg nog you can add the more flavour you will have and this only has 3/4 of a cup and is subtle. If you have a recipe at home that uses a cup or more of liquid to 3 1/2 cups flour, try substituting the eggnog in that recipe.
You will need:
1 cup room temperature butter
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. white sugar
4 extra large eggs or 5 regular ones
3 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup commercial egg nog
1 cup raisins soaked in 1/4 cup rum
This is a simple pound cake recipe that I have translated from the orginal German where it was full of dried fruits and rum or lemon flavouring and then did some additional tweaking, subbing out the milk for eggnog and adding a little extra nutmeg.
The “+ 2 Tbsp. sugar” comes from the fact that many recipes call for a package of vanilla infused sugar, easily found in European stores. I have talked about flavouring sugars previously and if you happen to have any, now would be the time to use a few spoonfuls. If not handy, regular white sugar and an extra 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract is another option.
Infusing the raisins is optional. It is an added bonus when raisins are dry but not a mandatory step. Popping the raisins in the rum a day before baking is helpful. Speeding this up can be done by warming the rum and raisins in a small pot to help the raisins plump and take on liquid more quickly. Rum and eggnog are a pretty popular combination but apple juice can be substituted for the infusing if preferred.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F .
Prepare the springform pan by greasing and flouring. A pretty tube pan is also an option. Making sure that either is well greased and floured will ensure the cake comes away from the pan easily after baking.
Beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and then add the eggs, mixing well after each addition.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt into a sifter and sift over the butter mixture in thirds. Mix well after each addition. After the first and second additions of flour pour in half the egg nog and stir to combine.
Mix in the raisins and the rum, leaving about 1 tablespoon of rum to be added to the glaze.
Once combined spoon the batter into the prepared pan and place in the middle of the preheated oven. Bake for 50 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick or knitting needle and remove from the oven once baked.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the ouside ring and turning upside down on a cooling rack to remove the remaining part of the form.
I am going to make a rum glaze for the top of this cake but sifting icing sugar over the top is also an option.
If sifting, do it while the cake is warm. If making the glaze let the cake cool.
Mix together the remaining rum with about 3/4 cup of icing sugar and stir until well mixed and all the little lumps have dissolved.
Again this can be done with milk and rum extract if you would like to leave out the alcohol. The glaze should be thick enough to flow off the spoon and stay in place on the cake.
Drizzle back and forth over the top, allowing drips to roll down the sides. Remember that this will be sliced so symetrical perfection is not a requirement.
Allow the glaze to dry before cutting. Additionally, letting the cake sit overnight before cutting will allow the subtle flavours to cure as well. Best kept in an airtight container to avoid the cake drying out too quickly.
Goes well with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, milk and even a glass of egg nog.
Egg Nog Cake from My Kitchen Wand
