ISO Italian Rum Cake recipe

[oli]

I am looking for a recipe for this Italian cake that we called a rum cake. We would go to this bakery, Sarno's, for a birthday cake for someone at work. We always picked this particular cake. I think they called it a Chocolate Rum Torte or maybe a French Chocolate Rum Torte, but I am not sure that is the technically correct name. The frosting was was very dense, a buttercream consistancy. It had a couple of white cake layers soaked with some solution probably rum and a couple of fillings, one a chocolate and the other a vanilla with the consistancy of pastry cream or pudding. If I saw a picture of it I would know right away that is the one.

[Kerry Beal]

Reading your post reminded me of these caky squares cut into diamond shapes that I had at an italian friends home - the filling was made with cream of wheat. Just looked it up and it's called "rum squares' so suspect it might be what you are looking for. It starts like a cookie and the filling makes it go cake like. It's really tasty. You could top with 'real' buttercream too.

* Exported from MasterCook Mac *

Rum Squares

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 tbsp honey

2 eggs

4 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup milk

Filling

3 cups milk

1 dash salt

6 tbsp cream of wheat

1 1/2 cups butter -- softened

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1 tbsp cocoa

1/4 cup dark rum

Frosting

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate -- melted and cooled

2 tbsp butter -- softened

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp cream -- heated to boiling

icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Dough: beat together shortening and sugar. Add honey and eggs. Beat in dry ingredients, alternating with milk, until stiff dough is formed. Divide into four. Roll out each into a rectangle of approximately 15"x10" or the size of your cookie sheets. Bake each on greased and floured cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Cool.

Filling: mix together milk, salt and cream of wheat. Cook over med-low heat until thickens. Cool while stirring occasionally to prevent lumps from forming.

Meanwhile beat together butter, icing sugar, cocoa and rum. Mix together with cooled cream of wheat mixture.

Icing: Beat together melted, cooled chocolate, butter and vanilla. Add icing sugar alternating with hot cream until you make a mixture of good spreading consistancy. You will probably require about 2 cups of icing sugar.

Assembly: Alternate layer of baked dough with cream of wheat mixture. Top with icing. Refridgerate overnight before cutting into diamond shapes. Better on the second day. Freezes well.

- -

[teagal]

This sounds GOOD!!

[oli]

Thanks, but what I am looking for is seen as a traditional cake and sometimes it is a wedding cake.

[John DePaula]

Is this it? Italian Rum Cake at Vaccaro's

ETA: If so, then how about this: Italian Rum Cake at Recipezaar .

ETA2: Be sure that you read the comments on the recipe specified above. Some folks had great success and many did not. At least now, you know the components and can piece together a good recipe on your own.

Hope this helps.

Edited January 3, 2010 by John DePaula (log)

[JeanneCake]

I remember these rum cakes; we had them for every occasion (and sometimes just because) when I was growing up and I didn't care for them at all because of the overwhelming rum soak the bakery used to give it. The pastry creams were really good, though so I always polished off the filling part and left the cake behind!

The picture and recipe that John posted above will give you that result and yes, do follow the instructions carefully.

[oli]

Thanks, I saw that one and it did not look like it, similiar idea though.

[oli]

Here's a link to a slice of the cake

My link

[KatieLoeb]

Italian Rum Cake might be one of my favorite things in the world. And living in Philadelphia has exposed me to any number of versions of it. There's a really good bakery in South Philadelphia every couple of feet. You can't swing a cat any further than the next excellent bakery. However, I swear by Varallo Brothers Pasticceria at 10th & Tasker. And their iteration of the Rum Cake is the one I buy for every birthday or occasion that calls for a cake. It's sooooo good!

I'm not sure they'd be willing to share their secret, but perhaps if you'd already done your research and come armed with some pointed questions they might be a bit more forthcoming. They are super nice folks and in addition to the rum cakes, their amaretti cookies, fruit tarts and pignoli cookies are the best on earth. Really. There are none better in a town filled with killer Italian bakeries.

Varallo's Bakery

1639 S 10th St

Philadelphia, PA 19148

(215) 952-0367

PS - tell them the crazy beyotch that came for the birthday cake the day after the blizzard a couple of weekends ago sent you. They'll definitely remember me.

[KatieLoeb]

Italian Rum Cake might be one of my favorite things in the world. And living in Philadelphia has exposed me to any number of versions of it. There's a really good bakery in South Philadelphia every couple of feet. You can't swing a cat any further than the next excellent bakery. However, I swear by Varallo Brothers Pasticceria at 10th & Tasker. And their iteration of the Rum Cake is the one I buy for every birthday or occasion that calls for a cake. It's sooooo good!

I'm not sure they'd be willing to share their secret, but perhaps if you'd already done your research and come armed with some pointed questions they might be a bit more forthcoming. They are super nice folks and in addition to the rum cakes, their amaretti cookies, fruit tarts and pignoli cookies are the best on earth. Really. There are none better in a town filled with killer Italian bakeries.

Varallo's Bakery

1639 S 10th St

Philadelphia, PA 19148

(215) 952-0367

PS - tell them the crazy beyotch that came for the birthday cake the day after the blizzard a couple of weekends ago sent you. They'll definitely remember me.

[JeanneCake]

This one (from Modern Pastry) is pretty much the same thing as the one from Vacarro's; the Modern Pastry slice looks like it's from a sheet cake, rather than a round. I know that at the bakery my parents used, they didn't have almonds on the sides, just more frosting but the cake looked exactly like the picture. In fact, even when my parents went elsewhere for the cake because Patsy's didn't have it, it was the same so if you are looking to make your own, the Recipezaar will give you that result.

[oli]

Thanks, that makes me feel somewhat confident.

[oli]

Italian Rum Cake might be one of my favorite things in the world. And living in Philadelphia has exposed me to any number of versions of it. There's a really good bakery in South Philadelphia every couple of feet. You can't swing a cat any further than the next excellent bakery. However, I swear by Varallo Brothers Pasticceria at 10th & Tasker. And their iteration of the Rum Cake is the one I buy for every birthday or occasion that calls for a cake. It's sooooo good!

I'm not sure they'd be willing to share their secret, but perhaps if you'd already done your research and come armed with some pointed questions they might be a bit more forthcoming. They are super nice folks and in addition to the rum cakes, their amaretti cookies, fruit tarts and pignoli cookies are the best on earth. Really. There are none better in a town filled with killer Italian bakeries.

Varallo's Bakery

1639 S 10th St

Philadelphia, PA 19148

(215) 952-0367

PS - tell them the crazy beyotch that came for the birthday cake the day after the blizzard a couple of weekends ago sent you. They'll definitely remember me.

Do you remember what the frosting like - whipped cream or buttercream consistancy?

Edited January 5, 2010 by oli (log)