Rum Cake (Jamaican)

jamaican-rumcakegf This flourless Jamaican rum cake is sweet, moist, buttery, contains no gluten thanks to the use of almond flour and shredded coconut. This recipe uses rum essence making it alcohol free.

Rum Cake vs Black Cake: Rum cake is not to be mistaken for black cake because they both are NOT interchangeable. Black cake is very dark, it's more dense and heavy due to the foundation of the cake being made from puréed fruit. Rum cake isn't dense and has a lighter hue to it and isn't made from puréed fruit. Both cakes contain alcohol with black cake being made from fruit that has been soaked in alcohol for months/weeks or even years ago.

Cake:
2 cups almond flour (475 g)
½ cup shredded coconut (40 g)
1 Tbsp. baking powder (12 g)
¾ cup raw cane sugar (150 g)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (2 g)
1 tsp. ground nutmeg (2 g)
¼ tsp. pink sea salt (1.5 g)
5 large eggs
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (60 mL)
1 Tbsp. dark rum essence (13 g)
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract (13 g)
1 cup dried mixed fruit (238 g)

Rum Syrup:
¼ cup butter (60 mL)
¼ cup coconut sugar (60 mL)
¼ cup water (60 mL)
1 Tbsp. dark rum essence (13 g)

Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Grease the inside of a Bundt pan and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, add the almond flour, shredded coconut, baking powder, coconut sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and pink salt.

Stir to evenly combine the dry ingredients together and set aside.

In a medium sized jug, add the eggs, olive oil, dark rum essence and the vanilla.

Use a hand whisk to whisk the wet ingredients.

Slowly pour the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients while whisking until a smooth batter is formed.

Stir in the mixed fruit until thoroughly combined into the batter.

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Bake the cake for the first 20 minutes, after the given time loosely cover the top of the cake with a piece of foil (this will prevent it from browning too quickly).

Continue to bake the cake for 40 minutes or insert a toothpick/skewer until it comes out clean.

Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and place the cake (still in the pan) on a cooling rack.

Make the Rum Syrup:
While the cake cools down, get the rum syrup ready by melting the butter on medium heat in a small saucepan.

Pour in the water, sugar and stir until combined. Continue to simmer for 7-8 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the stove and stir in the rum essence.

Invert the cake onto a plate or serving platter, if the cake doesn't release from the Bundt pan immediately, gently tap the pan a few times until the cake comes out.

Poke a few holes about 1 cm apart using a toothpick or skewer at the top of the cake.

Use a pastry brush to evenly glaze the top and sides of the cake.

Repeat a few times to apply a thicker coat. Then carefully and very slowly pour/spoon the remaining syrup onto the cake.

Cook's Notes:

Store any leftovers, wrapped in an airtight container.
The quantity of rum essence may differ depending on the brand that you use so do a taste test.
Make sure to thoroughly grease the grooves and cervices of your Bundt pan to avoid any sticking and make sure it is a very good/reliable non-stick pan.
The amount of time the cake will take to bake may vary, mine took 40 minutes but yours may differ.
For best results, after dowsing the cake with liquid allow to cool completely then wrap in cling film to preserve the moisture for up to 3 days (I haven't gone past 3 days with testing the cake).