This delicious cake is based on the 1963 winner of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. It's moist and dense and drenched in a butter rum syrup.
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp rum extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 large eggs, room temperature
4 1/2 cups cake flour or White Lily All Purpose Flour
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare Old Country Kitchenware square tube pan by brushing with pan coat (if using two piece pan, fit with a parchment paper square between the two pieces first). Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale, light and fluffy (about 6 minutes at medium speed). Add extracts, salt, baking powder, and 1/2 cup flour, beat until combined. With the mixer running at low speed, add 1 egg and beat until fully incorporated. Repeat with each egg, beating well after each addition. Add 2 cups of flour, beating until it just disappears. Slowly drizzle in half the buttermilk with the mixer running on low. Beat in the rest of the flour, then drizzle in the remaining buttermilk. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat for another 15 seconds on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared tube pan and gently shake to settle the batter. Place on middle rack of oven with a baking sheet on the rack below it to catch any drips. Bake 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Shortly before cake is done, make Butter Syrup (recipe below). When cake is done, remove from oven and place on rimmed baking sheet. Poke holes (at least 20) almost all the way into the cake with a skewer. Slowly pour about 2/3 of the warm Butter Syrup over the cake, reserving some for serving. Let the cake cool until the pan is cool enough to handle. Remove cake from pan and set on serving plate. Serve slices topped with remaining syrup, reheating if necessary.
Butter Rum Syrup
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup light rum or 1 tablespoon rum extract
Add all ingredients to a saucepan and melt together, cutting up butter with a spatula, over medium-low heat. Stir and heat just until butter melts then remove from heat.
