this is my all time favorite cake – please try it!
This cake has been on my want-to-make list for such a loooong time.
I’m thrilled with the result – it was amazing and rivals that from my favorite bakery. Quite a feat for a first time attempt, if I do say so myself:)
This cake is one of my weaknesses. If I let myself, I could probably eat the WHOLE thing. No kidding. Last day on earth? Yes, I’ll take a piece of this cake as part of my last meal. Heck, maybe even make it the entire meal!
childhood memories
Growing up, Italian Rum cake was a must-have for every birthday celebration. We didn’t do chocolate cake, sheet cake, or any other cake. My family and most other Italian families in the neighborhood had this kind of cake to celebrate birthdays.
Italian rum cake will always remind me of my old neighborhood in Philly; my mother; my Italian roots; my childhood….bittersweet memories for sure. I’m so glad that I’ve found a way to make it just as I like it because it seems to be harder and harder to find a good Italian rum cake.
what is Italian rum cake?
The cake is made with three layers of sponge cake (think Angel Food cake but with the egg yolks) that are soaked with a rum-flavored syrup, filled with layers of vanilla and chocolate pastry cream, iced with a bakery style frosting, [update: I am now using a stabilized whipped cream frosting] and adorned with crushed peanuts (or sliced almonds) on the outside (peanuts should be crushed a tad bit more than shown in photo).
it’s not as hard as it looks to make!
Don’t be intimidated by the instructions – the key is to make the cake in small steps over time, and then assemble it the day before or morning of the celebration. I made the sponge cake and froze it a week ahead, and also made the frosting a few days prior. I made the pastry cream the night before assembling the cake and the rum syrup the morning of assembly.
almonds vs peanuts?
I’ve seen a few versions of this cake online but with almonds instead of the peanuts. In Philadelphia, most if not all of the rum cakes that I’ve seen have the peanuts – I do wonder what area uses the almonds? It’s easy enough to substitute, but here in Philly, we’ve gotta have the peanuts.
Sources: Pastry cream adapted from Good Things by David; Sponge cake from Baking911; Bakery Frosting from My Madison Bistro
Italian Rum Cake
Ingredients
Ingredients for the bakery frosting (UPDATE: I now recommend stabilized whipped cream frosting, see link at end of this post for recipe):
- 28 ounces of powdered (confectioners) sugar (7 cups)
- 1 cup butter , room temperature
- 1 cup shortening (use high-ratio, if available)
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- milk to thin , if needed
Ingredients for the vanilla pastry cream filling:
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Ingredients for the chocolate pastry cream filling:
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons
- 4 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Ingredients for the sponge cake:
- 1 cup sifted unbleached all-purpose flour; sift onto a sheet of waxed paper and then spoon into measuring cup and level to rim (4.25 ounces King Arthur all-purpose flour or 4.625 Gold Medal)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs , separated; separate when cold. Can use cold in the recipe.
- 1 cup superfine or regular sugar , divided
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3 tablespoons water , cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for the rum syrup:
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon rum extract
Ingredients to assemble the cake:
- 2 cups crushed peanuts OR sliced almonds , lightly salted
- 8- inch cake board (optional)
Instructions
How to make the bakery frosting:
- Combine butter and shortening
- Add powdered sugar slowly, 1 cup at a time
- Mix on medium-to-low speed to prevent air bubbles from forming
- Add vanilla extract and mix to combine
How to make the pastry creams:
- In a small bowl, add egg yolks and cornstarch. Whisk to blend and set aside
- In a medium saucepan, add milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla or chocolate; heat until small bubbles form (scalded) and remove from heat.
- Temper eggs by adding small amounts (about 4 ounces) of the hot milk mixture at a time, while whisking very QUICKLY to prevent the eggs from curdling.
- After all of the milk mixture has been incorporated into the eggs/cornstarch, return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat and stir constantly until thickened.
- My mother does this over a water bath because it quickly thickens and can very easily burn; I didn't use a water bath.
- Cool the pastry cream and refrigerate until ready to use. (should be eaten within 3 days)
- Whip heavy cream only until soft peaks form (overbeating will cause it to turn to butter) and fold together with cooled pastry cream (rewhip this if it has been refrigerated).
How to make the rum syrup:
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and then cool or store in refrigerator.
How to make the sponge cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position rack in center of oven
- Line bottom of pans (I used two 8-inch) with parchment paper (UPDATE, Feb 2015: I used three 8-inch pans and split the batter equally)
- Combine flour with salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a standing mixer, whip the egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy (not stiff) and then add the cream of tarter and continue mixing until the white become opaque
- Add 1/2 cup sugar slowly to the side of the bowl and increase the speed of the mixer until soft but not stiff peaks form. Scrape the contents to another bowl and set aside
- Using the same bowl, which is now empty, add the egg yolks and whip at high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until lightened in color and the mixture "ribbons" when the beaters are raised
- Slowly add the remaining sugar (ie, 1/2 cup), cold water, and vanilla into the egg yolks and mix until combined on low speed
- Sift the flour onto the egg yolks in two additions, and stir gently with large spatula to combine.
- Gently but thoroughly fold in the whipped egg whites
How to bake the cake
- Transfer mixture to prepared pans and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes until cooked through; if using one pan instead of 2 adjust time accordingly. (using 3 pans, I only needed 20 minutes)
- Remove from oven, cool, and then run knife carefully around rim to loosen and invert to wire rack. After fully cooled, wrap and refrigerate or freeze. When ready to use, slice each cake carefully into 2 layers (will only need 3 of the 4 layers) (NOTE: see update below)
- UPDATE: I used three 8 inch pans and split the batter equally among the pans and it worked just as well with no waste; that is, no need to split the layers if you use 3 pans.
How to assemble the cake:
- Remove frosting from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature to facilitate spreading.
- Using a teaspoon, spoon the rum syrup evenly over each of the three cake layers.
- Place one cake layer on the bottom of an 8-inch cake board or cake dish (you may spread some frosting between the dish and bottom layer to prevent the cake from shifting)
- Spread all of the vanilla pastry cream on top on the bottom layer and then top with another layer of sponge cake.
- Spread all of the chocolate pastry cream on top of middle layer and then top with final layer of sponge cake
- Frost cake, and add generous amount of crushed peanuts or sliced almonds to the sides of the cake.
- Decorate the top if desired and refrigerate until serving.
Linda Roman says
Hi Marie Just wanted to let you know I have made this exact recipe many times for family and friends. It is AWESOME !!!!!!! I would never change a thing. Being a south Philly girl it reminds me of the cakes we had for every birthday as children.Thank you so much for putting it out there.
Mary DiRienzo says
That is my favorite cake as well. I have a recipe from my mom for the vanilla custard but have none for the choc. We even had that for our wedding cake!!! The place we used to buy ours at is no longer in operation. The people retired. They had the best!!! Better than New York, New Haven, anywhere! The only thing different from yours is there are peaches, strawberries and cherries with the vanilla custard. So good. They offered rum or cherry juice and always use almonds. Someday I’ll try it!!!
D. Davies says
In NY we use almonds. If you are ever in the Hudson Valley go to La Delicioza In Poughkeepsie. The best!!
Marie says
Definitely will keep that in mind thanks!!
tracy ann felicetti says
i myself is from phily with an Italian blood and looking for arecipes as good as nonna made
Marianne Birdsell says
Growing up in Philly, my Dad bought one of these Italian rum cakes for all of our birthday celebrations from Rillings Italian Bakery in Northeast Philly. The cake was exactly like yours with exception to the nuts; their cake had crushed walnuts. I made your cake,using walnuts per my memories and it was exactly how I remembered it. I had no trouble with the pastry cream or making the sponge. I have this saved and will use it time and time again. Perfect!
jacqueline spadaccini says
I just made this cake for my Italian mother in law’s birthday. They all remember this cake from a famous bakery called Landolfi’s in Trenton, NJ. (which has since moved). Everyone loved this cake and agreed that this recipe is very close to their fond memory. thanks, Marie. It was worth the effort but I must agree with someone’s comment about not making on a hot day. The custards were perfect. If you’re in a rush, throw them in the freezer, so they hold up. Next time, I may add less cream. Also, I had a hard time forming soft peaks after adding the sugar making sponge cake, so the layers were very thin. Could this also have been the warm day? my stand mixer’s engine was burning up until finally I gave up without soft peaks at about 15 minutes!!
Marie says
The cake layers are fairly thin…I will try and post a step by step to show it. I always refrigerate the custard and so it firms up. I’ll add that instruction as well….glad you enjoyed!
Gio says
I bake a lot and I’m well known for my cooking skills amongst my family and friends. My family is from Southern Italy and some of my relatives make a similar cake for special events. It was my mom’s birthday recently, so I ordered her an Italian Rum Cake at a shop in her town since we couldn’t be together and then I made the one from your recipe for myself as some friends were visiting. I must tell you, after posting it on an online food group I have never had so much success and overwhelming response with anything I’ve ever baked or posted online! I literally have people asking to order one now. (Ain’t nobody got time for that!) Your recipe is much more refined than most of the “nonnas’ recipes” I’ve sampled over the years. I’ve shared your recipe dozens of times already this week. I seldom post comments on food blogs, but I must sincerely thank you for making the world a better place through food!
Marie says
❤️❤️❤️ awe thanks!! That’s what it’s all about:) food brings us together and comforts. Glad you enjoyed!
Joni says
I have to try this! My father used to pick up this cake from an Italian bakery located near his office for all my birthdays when I was young – it was my favourite and I haven’t had it in over 30 years! The cake that I used to have in Montreal, Quebec was always made with slivered almonds.
Marie says
Hello Marie
My name is Marie as well…..I’ve enjoyed an Italian rum cake for my birthday as well for over 30 years…always bought it from an Italian bakery nearby, but unfortunately, the bakery owner always vacations in Italy for the summer and he closes his bakery….
So I decided this year that I would try and make my own….I found your recipe and it’s the closest one to my favourite cake….you have inspired me to make it myself this year…I can’t wait to see how it turns out, and of course, how it tastes…I’ll give you an update in July…thanks so much for sharing this recipe with your readers
Bec says
My pastry cream is too thin and oozing our the sides :/
Marie says
It may have helped to refrigerate it (cause it gets pretty thick when cold)
Meg says
Same thing happened to me. Everything was refrigerated overnight before attempting to assemble in the morning. Such a bummer.
Bec says
Do I make the pastry cream then fold in the heavy cream and refrigerate until assembly OR
Do I make the pastry cream, refrigerate overnight then fold the in whipped heavy cream the same day before assembling the cake?
Marie says
Make pastry cream, cool on counter and then fold in whipped cream and refrigerate.
Stephanie says
Made this over the course of 2 days, was easy to make. 2 imp notes:
-Do use some cream to temper the cooled gelatin
-Avoid making this on a really hot day! Assembled it in 90 degree weather…even with the a/c on in the house, everything cooled for hours, the pastry cream still oozed out 🙁