My Recipe: Bahama Cake & Rum Buttercream Frosting

Bahama Black Cake & Rum Buttercream Frosting

Yields:  Two 9-inch cakes (24-servings),

INGREDIENTS:

(cake-)

1 pound (2-1/2-cups) California Prunes dried pitted,

1 pound (2-1/2 -cups) Dark Cherries dried pitted,

1 pound (2-3/4-cups) Golden Raisins,

1 pound (2-3/4-cups) Tangerines dried and coarsely chop

1 pound (4-sticks) unsalted butter, softened,*plus extra for greasing pans,

1 pound (3-1/2-cups) dark brown sugar,

8 large eggs, room temperature,

3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 

1-1/2 tablespoons baking powder,

2 teaspoons freshly grated tangerine/or orange peel,

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg,

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon,

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract,

2 teaspoons molasses,

(frosting)-

1 cup (2-sticks, 1/2-pound) unsalted butter, softened,

1-1/2 tablespoons cherry rum, or dark rum,

1 pound (4-cups) powdered sugar,

1-2 tablespoons half-n-half, (if needed),

DIRECTIONS:

1.)   Combine in a large container with lid, dried fruits; prunes, cherries, golden raisins and tangerines, toss to mix. Pour in cherry rum and dark or golden rum and toss to combine rum with dried fruits. Cover container with lid and let soak for at least 2 hours. If over night soaking, place in refrigerator.

2.)   Heat oven to 325 degrees F.  With extra butter, grease sides and bottom of two 9-inch springform pans, with removeable rim.  Line the bottoms and sides of both with parchment paper; set aside. Drain the rum soaked dried fruits. Reserve 1-1/3 cups drain dried fruits for garnish later use and reserve drained rum for later use; set aside. Transfer the remaining drained dried fruits into a blender or food processor, and blend or pulse fruits well. 

3.)   In an extra-large bowl, beat pound of softened butter over medium speed with electric mixer until blended and creamy. Add brown sugar, continue beating until blended and smooth. Beat in eggs, one-at-a-time, until combined. Using a large spoon, mix in processed soaked dried fruit mixture until combined. 

4.)   In an additional, large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, grated tangerine peel, grated nutmeg and cinnamon until combined. Add dry ingredients, one-cup-at-a-time, into wet buttered ingredients, and beat from low to medium speed with electric mixer until blend and all dry ingredients have been added and blended to form cake batter. Add vanilla extract and molasses to cake batter, continue beating over medium speed until blended. Spoon to divide cake batter evenly into prepared pans. 

5.)   Bake cakes for 45 to 55 minutes, or until cakes are set and toothpicks inserted into centers comes out clean. Place hot cakes onto wire racks, pour 1/4 cup reserved rum over top of each evenly, of the hot cakes and let cakes both cool completely. 

6.)    Meanwhile, cakes are both cooling completely, prepare rum buttercream frosting. In an additional large bowl, beat 1 cup softened butter and 1-1/2 tablespoons cherry rum over medium speed, with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add in powdered sugar, one-cup-at-a-time, continue beating over low speed increasing to medium speed, until rum buttercream frosting is creamy and smooth. Add extra half-n-half, one tablespoon at-a-time, and continue beating, only if frosting texture needs a better spreading consistency to form. Remove cooled cake from rims and springform pans, carefully remove parchment paper and transfer both cakes each onto cake serving plates. Spoon and spread even portions frosting over tops of each cake. For optional garnish, top edges of each cake with reserved fruit.  Each cake serves 12 sliced wedges.