Mai Tai

Pineapple Rum Cake ft. Rum Frosting + Triple Sec Orange Curd

Summer is technically not over yet so here is one last summer remix before the solstice - a fruity and slightly boozy cake version of the fruity yet very bozzy Mai Tai cocktail. Usually seen as a Tiki/Polynesian-themed drink, the cake features pineapple, light and dark rum, a splash of lime juice, and my first-ever attempt at a curd. The curd took 2 attempts to get right, but it's a nice alternative to frosting for filling between cake layers.

Cake is best beneath under a setting sun, with a drink in hand.

pineapple rum cake
1 box white (or pineapple) cake mix
3 eggs
1/4 c. light rum
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 c.  + 1/4 c. pineapple juice
1/2 c. diced or crushed pineapple
--
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease 3 round cake pans with butter or a non-stick spray like PAM. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until well-blended. Add oil, 1 c. pineapple juice, and rum and beat on low for 1 minute. Slowly add cake mix into wet ingredients and beat on a high speed for 1-2 minute until batter is smooth. Add diced pineapple and press into batter with a rubber spatula until integrated.

Pour batter into greased pans until each is 2/3 of the way full. Bake according to the times on the back of the mix box, depending on the types of pans you are using. Use a toothpick to check doneness - if the toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cakes, remove from oven and set on cooling rack.

While cakes are still warm in the pans, use a toothpick to prick a dozen holes in the top of each. Run a knife or spatula around the edges to loosen from the pan. Use a pastry brush to paint  the remaining 1/4 c. of pineapple juice onto the tops and sides of the cakes. Bake cakes in the oven for another 2-3 minutes, remove, and let cool completely.

Use a knife or spatula to loosen the cakes and remove from pans. If the cakes are uneven or rounded at the top, use a serrated knife to level each cake so they are about the same thickness and are flat.

rum frosting
1/2 c. butter or shortening
1 tsp. lime juice
5 tbsp. dark rum
4 c. powdered sugar
--
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, lime juice, and rum until blended. Slowly add in sugar and continue to mix on high until frosting forms. Add more rum or water if frosting is too thick.

orange triple sec curd
3 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. Triple Sec liquer
4 tbsp. butter, room temperature
--
I had never made curd before so I follow this recipe very closely, substituting orange juice and Triple Sec for the lemon juice.

Heat water in a saucepan until boiling and reduce to a simmer. Place a large stainless steel bowl on top of the saucepan (creating a double boiler) and whisk together eggs, sugar, orange juice, and Triple Sec. Stir constantly for 10-15 minutes until the mixture has thickened and will coat the back of a spoon. Remove the mixture from heat and pour through a strainer/sieve to remove any lumps.

Cut in butter, whisk mixture until smooth, and let refrigerate overnight to thicken completely.

assembly
This version is made with 3 layers of cake filled with 2 layers of rum frosting and orange curd. After cakes have cooled, use a serrated knife to level each so they are about the same thickness and flat. Fill a large pastry bag with a star tip (I used 1M) and rum frosting, and frost an outer ring on top of 2 of the 3 layers of cake - these will act as a rim to keep the curd from spilling over the edges.

Use a spoon to 'fill' these 2 cake layers with orange curd. Place one curd-filled cake layer on top of another, top with the third unfilled cake layer, and frost entire cake with a crumb coat.

In a small bowl, mix remaining frosting with brown food coloring to make a light brown/tan color for the bamboo. Fill a pastry bag or parchment triangle with a small/medium round tip (I used #8) and the brown icing. Using long straight strokes, pipe out continuous 'stems' of bamboo up the sides and across the top of the cake, applying more pressure once or twice per stem so that it bulges like the node. You can also pipe a bamboo border around the edge of the cake.

Here's the fun part: to make the bamboo more bamboo-like, mix brown food coloring and 1-2 tsp of rum in a small dish.  Use a paintbrush to apply the brown/rum mixture as a wash on the frosting bamboo on the cake, once it has hardened a bit, to create a warm woody texture.

For the look of the lettering, add more brown food coloring to remaining frosting. Use a medium round tip (#10) to pipe out stick-like letters and paint with dark brown/black and rum mixture for a dark Tiki wash.

mai tai cupcakes
For cupcake versions, use an ice cream scoop to fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with pineapple cake batter. Bake for 24-28 minutes at 350 degrees, testing doneness with a toothpick.

Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop a chunk of cupcake out and use a spoon to fill cavity with orange curd. Fill a pastry bag with a 1M star tip and rum frosting. Starting on the outside, swirl frosting to a peak in the center and garnish with rum and pineapple slices.

I Love Mom

Red Velvet Rum Cake ft. Cream Cheese Sea Salt Frosting

We're going a little off the beaten track for Mother's Day this year, eschewing the typical floral patterns that usually characterize this spring holiday. Aside from a beautiful flower arrangement and a delicious breakfast in bed, Slate says it best - "a tattoo dedicated to Mom is in fact one of the most iconic American maternal tributes."

When I thought of doing this graphic design for Mother's Day, I had no idea what flavor combinations were appropriate for a tattoo cake. Until I did my research: this cake is an ode to both mothers around the world and the man who is said to have originated the first Mom heart tattoo - a man named Norman Keith Collins but more famously known and remembered as Sailor Jerry.

He was born in California, enlisted in the merchant marines, and traveled through Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Japan where he was influenced by several high-concept tattoo artists. Collins settled in Hawaii where he opened his own shop - an 'upscale operation somewhere between a hair stylist and a dentist.' By the 1960s, clients flew to Honolulu to acquire a 'Sailor Jerry' the way that they bought a 'Warhol."

Many of his tattoos played on nautical and Americana themes, including flags, ships, anchors, Civil War battles, and allegedly the famous ribbon-wrapped 'MOM' tattoo. These tattoos became popular with sailors during World War II as both trophies of achievements and travels, and also as momentos and keepsakes from home.

So this cake is flavored with rum and sea salt as an homage to the Sailor Jerry and the sailors that brought the MOM tattoo to life - and to the mothers that brought all of us into life as well.

Dark 'n Stormy

Rum Cake ft. Ginger-Rum Glaze + Ginger Frosting + Pineapple-Lime Salsa

The tale of the Dark 'n Stormy remix begins with a day that 'twas overcast and drizzly, but we can pretend it was dark and stormy. If you're hitting a mid-winter slump and craving some sunshine, this cake brings a bit of  the Caribbean to your neck of the woods. Hailing from Bermuda and trademarked by Gosling's (of Gosling's Black Seal Rum), the Dark 'n Stormy cocktail consists of ginger beer topped off with a shot of dark rum, served over ice and garnished with a lime.

The key to this remix (as discovered through a test run) is to soak the baked cake overnight in the ginger-rum glaze. Since the alcohol of the rum in the cake batter will bake off in the oven, the trick is to add it in again and again for flavor and moisture. Another key - fresh ginger. You can buy ginger ale and you can buy ginger powder, but nothing beats the fragrance and flavor of fresh ginger, and a small root will go a long way when grated.

Not surprisingly, Gosling's also recommends using Gosling's Ginger Beer when concocting the Dark 'n Stormy. Ginger beer of any sort (not served in a bar) actually proved difficult to find when shopping for ingredients so I settled for a ginger brew/ale in the recipe. This may even be better in the end because ginger ale is carbonated and has a higher sugar content than ginger beer, which is fermented, and will therefore make a better syrup, glaze, and frosting. If possible, go with bottles with pieces of real ginger inside, like Fresh Ginger Ale or Maine Root (over brands like Schweppes or Seagram's) for maximum flavor.

Last but not least, a Dark 'n Stormy is typically garnished with a slice of lime, so I decided to introduce another citrus twist with a pineapple salsa. Chunks of lime would be a bit sour so just slice up some pineapple (fresh or canned) and toss with lime juice and fresh ginger. You can spoon the salsa in between cake layers or serve on the side of cake slices.

You can also make dark 'n stormy cupcakes, fill the center with pineapple, and frost as usual. No matter which route you take, I highly recommend accompanying your voyage with a touch o' Beach Boys 'n Jack Sparrow.

ginger-rum glaze (prepare before or during cake-baking)
2 tbsp. butter
2 c. ginger ale
1/4 c. rum
1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
--
Use a knife to peel skin off of a small piece of ginger root and grate the pulp until you have at least a tablespoon of gratings. In a small saucepan on the stovetop, melt butter and pour in ginger ale, and grated ginger. Bring to med-high heat and let mixture boil for 7-8 minutes, then add in rum (heat will burn off alcohol so it's best to add this afterwards). Set aside while you bake the cake.

rum cake
1 box vanilla cake mix
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 c. dark rum (for an official Dark 'n Stormy - use Gosling's)
1/2 c. ginger beer (or ginger ale)
1 tbsp. vanilla
--
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease round cake pans with butter or a non-stick spray like PAM. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, rum, ginger beer, and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, crumble brown sugar into cake mix and sift. Slowly add dry mix into wet ingredients and beat on a high speed for 1 minute until batter is smooth.

Pour batter into greased pans until each is 2/3 of the way full. Bake according to the times on the back of the mix box, depending on the types of pans you are using. Use a toothpick to check doneness - if the toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cakes, remove from oven and set on cooling rack.

While cakes are still warm in the pans, use a toothpick to prick a dozen holes in the top of each. Run a knife or spatula around the edges to loosen from the pan. Use a pastry brush to paint the prepared ginger-rum glaze onto the tops and sides of the cakes. Repeat until glaze has been used. Cover cakes (still in the pans) with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and let soak overnight.

Use a knife or spatula to loosen the cakes and remove from pans.

ginger frosting
1/2 c. butter
3-4 tbsp. ginger ale
2-3 ginger syryup
4 c. powdered sugar
food coloring (optional)
--
In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening, ginger ale, and ginger syrup (see below) until blended. Slowly add in sugar and continue to mix on high until frosting forms.

ginger syrup
1 c. ginger ale
--
Heat 1 cup of ginger ale in a saucepan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, while stirring constantly to keep it from sticking. Let mixture cool and thicken for 2 minutes until syrup forms.

pineapple lime salsa
1 c. diced pineapple
1 tbsp. lime juice
freshly grated ginger
--
Cut pineapple into slices and then dice into smaller quarter-inch pieces. In a small bowl, toss pineapple chunks with fresh lime juice and grated ginger.

You can fill the fill the cake layers with the salsa or serve on the side. For cupcakes, use a melon baller to scoop out a chunk of cake and fill with a scoop of salsa before frosting (see below).

dark 'n stormy cupcakes
For cupcakes, use a standard ice cream scoop to fill cupcake liners and bake for 20-24 minutes. Remove from oven, prick surfaces with a toothpick, and use a pastry brush to paint ginger-rum glaze onto warm cupcakes. Let soak overnight.

Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out a chunk of cupcake, replace with a scoop of pineapple-lime salsa, and frost using a large star tip.